Abuja, Oct. 29, 2025 – Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, the Emir of Kano, has warned President Bola Tinubu against continuous borrowing after the removal of petrol subsidy.
The emir, who was a former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, gave the warning on Tuesday in Abuja at the Oxford Global Think Tank Leadership Conference and Book Launch.
He commended the Tinubu administration for its reforms which included removal of fuel subsidy and exchange rates unification, which were “painful, but necessary steps.”
Sanusi, however, said the reforms would fail if they were not matched with fiscal discipline and transparent spending.
“If you stop paying subsidies, but continue borrowing more, it means you’ve filled one hole only to dig another. The real challenge now, is the quality of government spending and the management of the revenues saved,” he said.
He said there was also the need to enthrone more integrity and courage in the public service.
The emir warned against sycophancy, which said had been the hall mark of current leadership and had worsened Nigeria’s leadership crisis.
He said some ministers and presidential aides had turned themselves into praise singers rather than offering advice to the president on ways to salvage the ailing economy.
“Our leaders listen, but only to those who tell them what they want to hear. Nigeria has too many sycophants in government. Those who speak the truth are seen as enemies of the state.
“You sit in a meeting, and the President is there. The first thing people say is, ‘Mr. President, I want to thank you for your great leadership. God has blessed Nigeria by making you, our leader.
“By the time they finish laying that foundation, it is their advice that the President accepts.
“But when you tell the truth and point out what is wrong, they say you are the enemy.
“Those who work with the President must understand that it is not in their benefit to turn themselves into praise singers. You disgrace yourself and the office you hold when you do that,” the emir said.
