Sanusi warns Tinubu Ministers, Aides against sycophancy

…urges honest counsel to President Tinubu

The Emir of Kano and former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Muhammadu Sanusi II, has cautioned ministers and presidential aides against becoming praise singers instead of offering President Bola Tinubu candid advice that could help rescue Nigeria’s struggling economy.

Sanusi issued the warning on Tuesday in Abuja at the Oxford Global Think Tank Leadership Conference and Book Launch, where he joined other prominent Nigerians to discuss the nation’s economic and governance challenges.

Emphasising the need for integrity and courage in public service, the Emir lamented that Nigeria’s leadership crisis has deepened due to widespread sycophancy, with truth-tellers often branded as enemies of the state.

“Our leaders listen, but only to those who tell them what they want to hear. Nigeria has too many sycophants in government,” Sanusi said. “When you tell the truth and point out what is wrong, they see you as the enemy. That is why people like Atedo Peterside and I are often labelled as such — because people don’t like hearing the truth.”

He warned that the growing culture of excessive praise for political leaders during official engagements undermines accountability and prevents honest feedback.

“Those who work with the President must realise it is not in their interest to turn themselves into praise singers. You disgrace both yourself and your office when you do that,” he stated.

Turning to the economy, Sanusi commended the Tinubu administration for removing fuel subsidy and unifying exchange rates — reforms he described as “painful but necessary.” However, he cautioned that without fiscal discipline and transparent spending, the reforms would yield little progress.

“If you stop paying subsidies but continue borrowing more, it means you’ve filled one hole only to dig another,” he warned. “The real challenge now is how government manages its spending and the revenues saved.”

The former CBN governor, who served from 2009 to 2014, blamed Nigeria’s current economic difficulties on years of policy inconsistency and populist politics. He recalled that many of the politicians now enforcing subsidy removal were the same ones who vehemently opposed it in 2012.

“In 2012, we warned that the subsidy was unsustainable, but politics took over. The same people who led protests against it have now had to face reality,” he noted.

While commending the professionalism of the current economic team — including Finance Minister Wale Edun and CBN Governor Yemi Cardoso — Sanusi insisted that cutting government waste is essential to restoring public trust.

“Why do we need 48 ministers? Why the long convoys and extravagant travel budgets? We cannot preach sacrifice to citizens while living in luxury at the top,” he said.

Also speaking, Atedo Peterside, founder of Stanbic IBTC Bank, echoed Sanusi’s call for fiscal prudence, stressing that savings from subsidy removal must translate into tangible benefits for ordinary Nigerians.

“It’s not true that pain automatically brings gain. Gain only follows pain when government spends wisely, eliminates waste, and supports the poor,” Peterside added.