Have you ever met the Emir of Kano, HRM Sanusi Lamido before? If you have, you must have noticed his royal swags. His royal posture in public or at the palace alone would wow you. He always looks prosperous. Everything about him oozes Class and Splendour.
When he stormed Eko Hotel a few days ago for Hajia Bola Shagaya’s 60th birthday, he dazzled everyone with his grand arrival and presserve. Even in Kano, he lives big in royal splendour. His life is a life of luxury. Apart from his dressing, he has a collection of Rolls Royce Limousines. Known to have been a man of style, becoming an emir has not taken off those qualities. Her remains a man of style. He always looks younger, fit and his royal garbs are usually out of this world, with his matching shoes. At Hajia Bola Shagaya, one of his bosom friends’ 60th birthday, he was looking dandy and good. He stormed the venue in a burgundy royal garb with a pair of matching shoes.
On 8 June, 2014, a former Governor of Central Banker, Sanusi, Lamido Sanusi succeeded Alhaji Bayero as Emir of Kano. The new position has made him more influential and powerful. Being a powerful Emir has made prominent individuals look for his attention. He attends parties, but goes to the very topnotch ones. He lives in affluence and it shows in all aspects of his life.
He is married to 4 wives. They are Sadiya, one of the daughters of the late Emir of Kano, Ado Bayero. His second wife is Maryam His 3rd wife is Rakiya, and the 4th is Saadatu, daughter of Alhaji Musdafa. He also has 12 children, 5 suave sons and 7 pretty daughters. The man, who loves to be associated with good things of life surely knows what is best for him when he married some of the beautiful ladies from the north as wives. Each of the 4 wives bore him 4 children and his 1st born is Mohammed, who always accompanies his mother, Sadiya to many social functions.
Among his daughters are Yusra and Mufida. The man whose children were born in Lagos, says in one of his interviews, “I am a Lagos boy as well and my children were all given birth to and groomed in Lagos.
He conferred a chieftaincy title of Giwar Dan Maje on his 1st wife, Sadiya, at a ceremony held in his Nassarawa GRA, Kano, and country home. Literally translated, the title means, ’Elephant of Dan Maje’, which represents the strength behind the traditional title of the former CBN’s boss. And as if to rekindle their love which was solemnized 26years ago, Lamido told the gathering that witnessed the occasion that Sadiya had been the pillar of success in his married life.
According to him, conferring on his wife the title is in appreciation of not just his love for her, but to mark the anniversary of their formal wedding of close to 30 years ago and for her sense of purpose because in every household, the first wife is the pillar, Sadiya also granted an interview in one Hausa magazine, Aminiya, where she talked about their love story:
“I knew I was going to be betrothed, but I didn’t know when since I wasn’t being asked when. I met my husband through my family – he is like my brother. He grew up in the Emir’s palace and I thought he was my elder brother because he was always with my elder brothers. I grew up seeing him in our house. So, I was surprised when he started to show interest in me. I later discovered we were not related and married him’’.
The vintage car of HRH, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi took after Nubar Gulbenkian, an eccentric Armenian-British millionaire who was crazy about Rolls Royces. He had many custom made Rolls Royces (the Rolls Royce company was not always happy with the designs that he chose for his cars). This particular car was designed by Gulbenkian in 1952. It’s a Rolls Royce Silver Wraith, but its lights are different from any other Silver Wraith.The car was used to convey Queen Elizabeth II when she toured Northern Nigeria in 1956 (Kano, Jos, Kaduna, etc).
The car was also inherited by the late Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero and it has now been inherited by the current Emir, Muhammad Sanusi II. We went digging to see what makes this car a unique car and why is it that the royal family has refused to let go this car despite being used by 3 different kings now. We did some reviews and what we found was amazing…
As far as we know, Emir of Kano’s Rolls Royce Phantom costs about 162 million pounds while the Rolls Royce Ghost Model’s price starts at 113 million pounds.
Born into the Fulani Torodbe (Sullubawa) clan of Kano on the 31st of July, 1961. He was crowned on the 8th of June, 2014, as the Emir of Kano, succeeding his late great-uncle Dr. Ado Bayero (who died on Friday, 6 June, 2014). Malam Sanusi was a successful banker and was a former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria.
He was appointed on 3 June, 2009 for a five-year term. Malam Sanusi is the grandson Muhammadu Sanusi (The 11th Emir of Kano ) He was a career banker and ranking Fulani nobleman, and also serves as a respected Islamic scholar.
The global financial intelligence magazine, The Banker, published by the Financial Times, has conferred on Sanusi two awards, the global award for Central Bank Governor of the Year, as well as the Central Bank Governor of the Year for Africa. The TIME magazine also listed Sanusi in its TIMES 100 list of most influential people of 2011.
He had his primary education at the St. Anne’s Catholic Primary School, Kakuri, Kaduna where he got his First School Leaving Certificate, FSLC then he had his high school education at the King’s College, Lagos from 1973 to 1977. He was admitted in 1977 to the Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria, in Kaduna State where he finished with a degree in Economics in 1981 and later he was off to the International University of Africa, Khartoum, Sudan and got a degree in Islamic Law.
He did his National Youth Service (NYSC) Scheme at the old Gongola State (now Taraba and Adamawa States) after graduating from ABU and later registered for his master’s degree programme in Developmental Economics at the same ABU and he finished in 1983 with a distinction in Monetary Policy. He was a lecturer of economics at ABU. It was after his brief teaching career that he veered off to banking and spent tremendous 29 years in the banking sector before he became the Emir of Kano.
He has worked with Icon Limited (Merchant Bankers), a subsidiary of Morgan Guaranty Trust Bank of New York, and Baring Brothers of London. He moved to the United Bank for Africa in 1997 in the Credit and Risk Management Division, rising to the position of a General Manager.
In September 2005, he joined the Board of First Bank of Nigeria as an Executive Director in charge of Risk and Management Control, and was appointed Group Managing Director (CEO) in January 2009. He was also the Chairman, Kakawa Discount House and sat on the Board of FBN Bank (UK) Limited. Sanusi is recognised in the banking industry for his contribution towards developing a risk management culture in Nigeria. Sanusi was the first northerner to be appointed CEO in First Bank’s history of more than a century.
Members of his family are so dear to him and, therefore, never jokes with them. The Emir of Kano’s decision for his newly married fourth wife to further her education is traced down as an advocate of female education in northern Nigeria and this is what he has put in place for his new bride to pursue her education as she is such a brilliant student who scored distinction in Computer Science at her O’levels and after what all other things follow.
All his wives are university graduates, while one of them is currently undertaking a master’s programme. The Lamido of Adamawa, who holds a PhD in engineering, is said to be very excited at the examples the northern royals are setting in giving education to women in a region considered to be very conservative about female and western education. Sanusi II’s first wife, Sadiya, who is a daughter of the late emir, Ado Bayero, holds a bachelor’s degree in education (history) from the Bayero University Kano (BUK) and speaks Arabic. The second wife, Maryam, holds a BA (combined honours) in Arabic and Islamic studies also from BUK and is about completing her dissertation for a master’s degree in education from the University of Abuja. She speaks Arabic and Italian.
The third wife, Rakiya, has an LLB (law) from Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) and an LLM from the University of London. His fourth wife, Sa’adatu just graduated. d
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