Boss Of The Week
Sanusi Lamido Sanusi: Diamond Garlands for a Seasoned Administrator
By Eric Elezuo
He is one of the few Nigerians, who can easily be referred to as all rounders. He is a classic example of diligence, painstaking ability, multi-tasking and focus. No one will be wrong to refer to him as a guru, especially in financial and traditional matters. He is Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, better known during his hay days as an emir, as Muhammadu Sanusi II.
Born on July 31, 1961, in Kano, to a ruling class Fulani family of the Sullubawa clan, the eloquent former Emir of Kano and former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Sanusi, is a member of the Dabo dynasty who incidentally, was the emir of the ancient city-state of Kano. He was practically born into the royal family as the grandson of Muhammadu Sanusi I, who was the 11th Fulani Emir of Kano from 1953 to 1963, when he was deposed by his cousin Sir Ahmadu Bello.
The young Sanusi grew up in the royal court of his grand-uncle Ado Bayero, who reigned for over five decades. His father, Aminu Sanusi, was a prince and diplomat who served as the Ambassador to Belgium, China and Canada, and later permanent secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was also the Chiroma of Kano and son of Muhammadu Sanusi I.
He began his early education in the religious way, and learnt Qur’an and the traditions of Prophet Muhammad. Later, he attended St. Annes Primary School, a Catholic boarding school in Kaduna, before proceeding to King’s College, Lagos where he spent the period between 1973 and 1977.
He was admitted into the Ahmadu Bello University, where he studied Economics and obtained a bachelor’s degree in 1981. After graduating, he spent a year undergoing his National Youth Service as a teacher in a girls boarding school in Yola, after which he returned to the university for his master’s degree in Economics in 1983. As a result of his exceptional brilliance, he was retained by the faculty on completion, and promptly lectured there for the next two years.
Sanusi began his banking career afterwards in 1985 when he was hired by Icon Limited (a subsidiary of Barings Bank and Morgan Guaranty Trust) as a merchant banker. He put in his best, and grew to become the head of financial services and manager of the office in Kano. With enough exposure, and ready to conquer new grounds, he left the bank in 1991, and as a lover of education and adventure, he moved and headed for Khartoum, Sudan, where he studied Islamic Studies at the International University of Africa. The experience gave him fluency in Arabic and in-depth knowledge of the Qur’an, law and philosophy. He was also privileged to broaden his academic horizon by reading the works of prominent Western thinkers and Islamic authorities and was also exposed to the four Sunni madhhabs of Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi’i and Hanbali.
When he returned to Nigeria in 1997, he joined the credit and risk management division of the United Bank for Africa, from where he rose through the ranks to become the general manager. With much impact and tangible contribution, he appointed a board member and executive director in charge of risk management at one of Africa’s largest financial institutions, First Bank of Nigeria, in 2005.
In January 2009, he made history by becoming the chief executive officer, invariably becoming the first northern Nigerian to head the bank. He spent only five months on the seat before his acumen catapulted him to the highest echelon of banking in Nigeria, and so on June 1, 2009, he was nominated as Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria by President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, and confirmed two days later by the Nigerian Senate on June 3, 2009. He came in at a time the world was facing global financial crisis. All eyes were on him to turn around the financial fortunes of the country.
Earlier in December 2013, he had exposed NNPC’s history of financial irregularities and as an agency that oversees the corrupt petroleum industry in Nigeria through a leaked letter to President Goodluck Jonathan. His outspoken stance earned him a suspension in February 2014.
Much his reforms were drawing criticisms, a great number of industry buffs understood his good intentions. On of them is The Banker magazine, which recognised him as the 2010 Central Bank Governor of the Year. He will go down in history as one administrator, who pacified the overtly corrupt banking industry. He was also recognised at the 2013 World Economic Forum, where he delivered a speech.
In 2014, he succeeded his grand-uncle, Ado Bayero to the throne, as the fifty-seventh monarch of the ancient-city Kano, and spent most of his reign advocating for cultural reform in Northern Nigeria, until he was dethroned on March 9, 2020 by the government of Governor Abdullahi Ganduje, and sent to exile to Nasarawa State. His removal, many have argued, was not unconnected to his outspoken nature and criticisms of powers that be after many persecutions that came in various guises. In his usual magnanimity, he accepted his dethronement as a divine act and urged his supporters to remain calm and avoid bloodshed. He removed to challenge his dethronement, and moved on.
He received two appointments Governor Nasir El-Rufai in Kaduna State as the Vice Chairman of the Board of Kaduna Investment Promotion Agency and Chancellor of the Kaduna State University. Today, he is a prominent traditional and religious figure as the leader of the Tijaniyyah Sufi order in Nigeria, the second largest Sufi order after the Qadiriyya Sufi order, appointed in May 2020
Among many other of his humanitarian and intellectual honours are:
- Independent Non-Executive Director, MTN Group
- United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Advocate
- Chairman of Babban Gona, a private agricultural initiative helping rural farmers
- Chairman of Black Rhino, a Sub-Saharan Africa infrastructure fund of The Blackstone Group
- Chairman of the Advisory Board of 1 Million Teachers, a non-governmental education organization
In six years as the Emir, Sanusi showed forth the stuff that made him a distinguished administrator, overseeing the drafting of a new Muslim family law, construction of a 40,000 books library and vernacular modernization of the 15th century palace took place, and international promotion of Durbar festival among many other developmental strides.
Sanusi is currently undergoing a one-year academic fellowship at the University of Oxford’s African Studies Centre, and is looking forward to authoring a book on his as tenure as central bank governor during the global financial crisis and two other books on a collection of his articles from 1999 to 2005; and on Muslim law and cultural practices in Northern Nigeria. He has also ruled out the possibility of entry into politics.
A strong advocate of egalitarian society, Sanusi insists on family planning to solve almajiranci, and canvasses end to child marriage, while upholding women empowerment and use of mosques for education.
Sanusi is a dotting father and an adorable husband, whose wives include Sadiya, Rakiya and Maryam. Some of his children are Ashraf, Fulani Siddika and Shahida
An Islamic intellectual, academic, political economist, banker and traditional ruler, Sanusi has seen it all, and on this occasion of your diamond jubilee, we crown you the Boss of the Week! Congratulations sir!
Boss Of The Week
Emeka Anyaoku: Revered Global Diplomat Revels at 92
By Eric Elezuo
…from all we now know of Mr. Anyaoku, it is obvious that he was destined to be a diplomat, because he had all the makings – intelligence, friendliness, the ability to get things without offending anybody – S.I. Metu
Among the world’s very and highly respected diplomats is Nigeria’s diploma extraordinaire, Chief Emeka Anyaoku. His larger than life figure is further buttressed as he slides two more years into the nonagerian cadre. The world raises a toast to an accomplished and dedicated international figure as he celebrates 92 years of continuous impact in world politics and humanitarian endeavours.
Chief Anyaoku, before, during and after his glorious days with the Commonwealth of Nations as its Executive Secretary, has remained in the forefront of policy makers, image changers and global builders, and he is a few of these calibre of men, who do not have any kind of scandal trailing them. He qualifies as an enigma, and served as the third Commonwealth Secretary-General.
With his signature red cap, a white collar-like attire round his neck, supporting every apparel he wears, Anyaoku is very visible in every gathering and occasion.
A multiple award and honours winner, including the prestigious GCON, GCVO, CFR, CON, Anyaoku was born Eleazar Chukwuemeka Anyaoku, of Igbo parents and heritage, Emmanuel and Cecilia Anyaoku, on January 18, 1933, in Obosi, in the present day Anambra State. He was educated at Merchants of Light School, Oba, and attended the University College of Ibadan, then a college of the University of London, from where he obtained an honours degree in Classics as a College Scholar. Aside from his international career, Anyaoku finds ample time to fulfill the duties of his office as Ichie Adazie of Obosi, traditional Ndichie chieftainship. He is the first of his mother’s children, and had five other siblings.
Wikipedia further captured his trajectory as follows:
After his secondary education, Anyaoku in 1952 proceeded to teach at Emmanuel College, Owerri in the then Eastern Region, he was there until mid-1954 lecturing in mathematics, Latin and English. He was reputedly an assiduous young teacher, meticulous in preparing his lesson notes. He gave back to his students the best of what he had learned at MOLS while injecting humor into his teachings.
One of his teachers at MOLS had kindled in him an interest in the Classics. His Latin teacher had inspired in him a love for the languages, laws and culture of the ancient Greeks and Romans, and the classical roots of the English language. Anyaoku then decided to go and study Classics at the new University College of Ibadan, the premier higher institution of its kind in the country, which had been instituted in 1948 as an overseas college of the University of London.
During the mid-1950s when Anyaoku was an undergraduate at the University College, Ibadan, the Nigerian nation was embroiled in debates, discussions and demonstrations on the political future of the country. There were controversies on when Nigeria should gain independence from Britain and with what political structure it should seek independence whether as a unitary or federal state. The city of Ibadan was one of the main epicenters of these debates. And the University College, which had brought together brilliant students, lecturers and politicians from diverse parts of the country, became a centre of what was then described as national radicalism.
Anyaoku was in the thick of this as a student union leader. He along with like-minds in the union leadership campaigned in favour of unitary state, against federalism. They sent petitions and delegations to the three foremost political leaders in the country then, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe in the Eastern region of the country, Chief Obafemi Awolowo in the Western, and Sardauna of Sokoto, Sir Ahmadu Bello in the Northern region.
Anyaoku in 1959 obtained a London University Honours Degree in classics as a college scholar and joined the Commonwealth Development Corporation (CDC) in Lagos. The corporation sent him as an Executive Trainee to the CDC headquarters in London from where he went on a course at the Royal Institute for Public Administration in London. On 1 October 1960, Nigeria was granted independence by Britain. And Anyaoku was posted back to the CDC West Africa regional office in Lagos at the end of December 1960.
In 1977, the Commonwealth Heads of Government elected him as Deputy Secretary-General. In 1983, Nigeria’s civilian government appointed Anyaoku to become Nigeria’s Foreign Minister. After the overthrow of the government by the military later that year, he returned to his position as Deputy Secretary-General with the support of the new government in Nigeria and the endorsement of all Commonwealth governments.
At the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting at Kuala Lumpur on 24 October 1989, Anyaoku was elected the third Commonwealth Secretary-General. He was re-elected at the 1993 CHOGM in Limassol for a second five-year term, beginning on 1 April 1995.
Chief Emeka Anyaoku has lived up to expectations, and merit the positive tags that trail him the world over.
We wish the seasoned diplomat a glorious 92nd birthday, and many more years to follow, looking magnificently young in health and wealth.
Boss Of The Week
A Close Up on Ghana’s New Vice President, Jane Opoku Agyemang
The Wikipedia captured her trajectory as follows:
In October 2009, she was elected Ghana’s representative to the executive board of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).
Ahead of the 2012 general elections, Jane Opoku Agyemang moderated the debate with Kojo Oppong Nkrumah.
On 26 October 2018, she became Chancellor of the Women’s University in Africa located in Zimbabwe.
She has served on many local and international boards and committees such as the Centre for Democratic Governance, (CDD-Ghana), the editorial board of the Harriet Tubman Series on the African Diaspora (Africa World Press Inc. USA), the Africa Initiative in Canada, and the College of Physicians and Surgeons as an Eminent Citizen.
Opoku-Agyemang is an author. Her focus areas includes Literature with a focus on Women from Ghana, Oral literature in Ghana and Africa, Communication Skills and Issues in the African Diaspora. As an academic she has written and published in scholarly journals and presented articles at various conferences including at the 200th Anniversary of the Abolition of Slavery at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City and at the Inaugural Lecture to the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences.
In 2015, as Education Minister, she published and launched a five volumes collection of published folktales titled ‘Who told the most incredible story?”’
A key focus area during her tenure was empowering girls and advocating for gender equity in education. Her leadership drove the implementation of policies that tackled gender disparities, promoted higher female enrolment and retention rates, and empowered girls through education. Her initiatives played a pivotal role in creating more inclusive opportunities for young women across Ghana.
Additionally, she led the conversion of 10 polytechnics across the regions into technical universities, a bold initiative that elevated the status of these institutions, broadening their academic scope and enhancing vocational education. This reform was instrumental in aligning Ghana’s educational framework with global trends, equipping students with practical skills for a competitive job market.
During her tenure, Opoku-Agyemang initiated the construction of 124 Community Day Senior High Schools, known as “E-Blocks,” to improve access to secondary education in underserved areas. By the end of her term, 50 schools were completed and operational, providing modern facilities such as science laboratories, libraries, and ICT centres. This initiative significantly expanded educational opportunities, particularly in rural and peri-urban communities, and underscored her commitment to addressing disparities in access to quality education.
Opoku-Agyemang oversaw the completion of key infrastructure at the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) in Ho, including the School of Basic and Biomedical Sciences, a hostel block, and staff accommodation at its Sokode campus. The university was inaugurated by President John Dramani Mahama in November 2015, underscoring the government’s commitment to expanding access to quality higher education and supporting the training of health professionals to address national healthcare needs.
She also played a critical role in establishing the University of Environment and Sustainable Development (UESD) in the Eastern Region. She facilitated the passage of the enabling Bill in Parliament and secured funding for the university. In December 2016, President John Mahama officially cut the sod for the construction of the UESD’s Somanya campus.
Vice presidential campaign
Opoku-Agyemang was selected as the presidential running mate for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) on 6 July 2020 for Ghana’s December 2020 General elections. She became the first female running mate of the two major political parties in Ghana. Her selection by the flagbearer, John Dramani Mahama of the National Democratic Congress was applauded by women groups and women activists as a positive sign to the Ghanaian political scene to promote gender balance and equality.
She appealed to Ghanaians to vote for change and promised to use her office as vice president to influence sustainable development and practical youth-centred policies. Her campaign message was devoid of attacks on opponents. Her intensive campaign in the coastal communities and her home region, the Central Region yielded results as the NDC won most of the constituencies they had lost in 2016. The NDC also won 9 out of the 16 regions in Ghana including the major battleground, Greater Accra.
The NDC National Executive Committee, on 7 March 2024, officially endorsed Opoku-Agyemang again as the running mate for the party’s flagbearer, ahead of the 2024 general elections.
Opoku-Agyemang became the vice president–elect after Mahama won the 2024 presidential election.
On 7 January 2025, Opoku-Agyemang was sworn in as the Vice President of Ghana, becoming the first female to hold the office. The ceremony took place at Independence Square in Accra, where she took the Oath of Allegiance and the Vice President’s Oath before Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo. Her appointment marked a significant moment in Ghana’s political history, as she became the first woman to assume the role of Vice President in the country’s history.
Opoku-Agyemang has been honoured with honorary degrees from the University of the West Indies and Winston-Salem University. She has also received an award for Global leadership from the University of South Florida in Tampa. She received the Officer of the Order of the Volta award for Academic Distinction in 2011 by President John Atta Mills and Ghana Women of Excellence Award in the Education category due her contribution to the development and promotion of quality education in Ghana. She was acknowledged for Outstanding Performance in Advancing International Education, School for International Training, Vermont, USA on two occasions.
In 2020, she was named among the 40 Most Inspirational Female Leaders in Ghana for serving as a role model for women in Ghana and in Africa. In January 2023, she was listed among the 100 most reputable Africans.
It is believed that her antecedents and wholesale performances in all the offices she had previously held, will come to bear as she studiously assists Mahama to reignite the 24hour economy he is known for.
Boss Of The Week
The Real Slay Queen: Meet UniAbuja’s New VC, Aisha Maikudi
By Eric Elezuo
The academic environment, or to be more specific, the ivory tower, thrives on quality, capacity, intelligence and ability to think out of the box. It is further complicated when to become a vice Chancellor, one has to be above board, be the ultimate cetris paribus and have the never-say-never attitude to get things done.
These are the qualities, and more that propelled 41-year-old Professor of International Law, at the University of Abuja, Professor Aisha Sani Maikudi, to the height of administration head of the institution as the Vice Chancellor.
Just into her fourth decade as a human being, Aisha has come of age, smashing the proverbial glass ceiling, and hitting stardom where it was least expected. She is the real slay queen, endowed with beauty, brains and absolute intelligence.
A profile of her personality published on the university site, noted that for her to assume the incumbency of the University administration, Aisha has arrived, seen and conquered, creating room of encouragement, inspiration and desire among the young ones, especially the female folks, who look up to her. She is an enigma.
The profile reads as follows:
Professor Aisha Sani Maikudi, a distinguished scholar and professor of International Law at the University of Abuja is from Katsina State, Nigeria. She began her educational journey at Sacred Heart School, Kaduna, where she obtained her First School Leaving Certificate (FSLC) in 1993. She proceeded to Queens College, Yaba, Lagos, earning her West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in 1999, her LLB degree from the University of Reading, UK, the LLM from the London School of Economics, UK, BL from the Nigeria Law School, Abuja and Ph.D from the University of Abuja, Nigeria.
Maikudi’s academic excellence took her to the University of Reading, where she earned an LLB in 2004. She further specialised in Public International Law, obtaining an LLM from the London School of Economics and Political Science in 2005. After completing her legal education at the Nigerian Law School (2006–2007). In 2007, Professor Aisha Sani Maikudi did her National Youth Service Corps at the Corporate Secretariat and Legal Division of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation. She pursued and had a PhD in International Law from the University of Abuja in 2015.
She joined the University of Abuja as a Lecturer II on 4th September 2008, and rose through the ranks to become a professor in 2021.
Professor Aisha Sani Maikudi broke barriers as the first female and youngest Head of Department in 2013, the first female Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Law in 2018, and the pioneer Director of the University of Abuja International Centre in 2019. She also served as the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), where she was instrumental in enhancing academic standards and promoting a culture of excellence at the University.
To date, she is the youngest Professor of the University of Abuja and indeed Nigeria, as well as the first female Professor of Law in the North West and the University of Abuja. She specializes in United Nations Law, backed by extensive research and numerous publications in academic journals and book chapters. Professor Aisha Sani Maikudi floated a Postgraduate course on United Nations Law and has supervised numerous undergraduate and postgraduate theses and dissertations, contributing to the growth of legal scholarship. She has also taught Company Law for over 12 years and is well versed in its mechanics.
Professor Aisha Sani Maikudi has represented her university and country at numerous national and international conferences, workshops, and training sessions across the UK, US, South Africa, Germany, Italy, China, Ghana, and Egypt. She has presented papers at many of these events, further solidifying her global reputation as an academic leader.
She is an active member of several professional organisations, including the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Nigerian Law Teachers Association (NLTA), International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), and Nigerian Society of International Law.
Aisha is married with children.
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