The former Emir of Kano and former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeri, Sanusi Lamido said the decision of the NBA to withdraw it’s invitation to Mallam Nasir El-Rufai for its 60th annual conference was a wrong deision.
The former emir arrived Kaduna on Sunday and was welcomed by a raucous crowd, leading to traffic congestion in parts of the metropolis. This is his first visit since his dethronement in March.
Sanusi said he read the petition by Open Bar Initiation and said there was no specific allegation again Mallm El-Rufai.
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“You say somebody does not respect the rule of law, what is the specific instance? You say somebody has mishandled a crisis, what is the specific manner in which he mishandled a crisis. Anybody can say anything; I can say you are a corrupt person, what does that mean? It means nothing,” he said.
Sanusi, was welcomed by El-Rufai at Sir Kashim Ibrahim House. He said while he does not want to join issues with the NBA, especially since Nigerians have made their views and response clear, the NBA should have allowed El-Rufai to explain himself at the conference instead of disinviting him.
“You tell him what you think he is doing wrong, he will learn something from you, and you will learn something from him. Disinviting him is not the party for people who want progress,” he said.
The former emir and longtime friend of the governor said the crisis in Kaduna preceded the present administration, and that for the first time in a long period, the governor was doing something about it.
“The North as a whole suffers because there are people who profit from division. We have divided ourselves against each other, whether it is ethnicity or religion, and I think when you have someone who says I’m simply going to stand for justice, for the right of human beings and do what is right, some people who are not used to things being done in that way are going to object,” Sanusi said.
