“Why do we need 48 Ministers, long convoys, endless travels?”- Emir Sanusi tells Tinubu to cut costs of governance
The 16th Emir of Kano, His Royal Highness Muhammadu Sanusi II, has warned that the Federal Government’s ongoing economic reforms will not deliver real benefits to Nigerians unless the cost of governance is significantly reduced.
Speaking at the Oxford Global Think Tank Leadership Conference in Abuja on Tuesday, October 28, Sanusi commended President Bola Tinubu’s courage in removing the fuel subsidy but expressed concern over how the savings from the policy are being spent.
The former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor traced many of Nigeria’s current economic woes to past failures to act on sound policy advice. Recalling the 2012 protests that blocked subsidy removal under former President Goodluck Jonathan, Sanusi argued that the pain would have been far less if the reforms had been implemented then.
He noted that under his leadership, the CBN had projected only a mild, short-term inflation rise, which could have been stabilized within a year.
Sanusi also defended the current value of the naira, saying stability, even at a weaker rate,is better than unpredictability. However, he stressed that Nigeria’s core problem remains unchecked public spending and an oversized government.
“Why do we need 48 ministers, long convoys, and endless travels?” he asked.
