The Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, has added another feather to his academic cap by bagging a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Law from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London.
The ceremony, held at Friends House, London, drew select friends and prominent Nigerians invited by the traditional ruler to witness what he described as “a significant milestone” in his academic journey.
In the invitation seen by THE WHISTLER, Sanusi disclosed that his doctoral thesis titled “Codification of Islamic Family Law as an Instrument of Social Reform: A Case Study of the Emirate of Kano and Comparison with the Kingdom of Morocco” reflects his “deep personal and scholarly commitment to legal reform within Islamic societies.”
The celebration began with an honorary brunch hosted by the SOAS Vice-Chancellor, followed by the main graduation ceremony at 2:00 PM, where Sanusi formally received his doctoral degree.
Sanusi, who now goes by the title Khalifa Muhammadu Sanusi II, Sarkin Kano, expressed joy at the academic feat and noted it would be “an honour” to have friends and associates join him in celebrating.
“I would be honoured by your presence as we mark this personal and academic milestone together,” Sanusi, a former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), wrote in the invitation.
Some of the dignitaries at the event include Governors Alex Otti of Abia State and Abba Yusuf of Kano State.
Sanusi’s academic journey began with his early Qur’anic education at home before attending St. Anne’s Primary School in Kaduna. He later moved to King’s College, Lagos.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Ahmadu Bello University in 1981, completed his National Youth Service as a teacher in Yola, and then returned for a master’s degree in Economics in 1983.
The Emir lectured at the university for two years before moving to Khartoum, Sudan, to study Arabic and Islamic studies at the International University of Africa.
In Sudan, Sanusi became fluent in Arabic and studied the Qur’an, Islamic law and philosophy. He was exposed to the four major Sunni schools of jurisprudence: Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi’i and Hanbali.
His banking career began in 1985 at Icon Limited, a subsidiary of Barings Bank and Morgan Guaranty Trust. He returned to Nigeria in 1997 to join United Bank for Africa and rise to general manager. In 2005, he became executive director of First Bank of Nigeria, then CEO in January 2009.
Sanusi was appointed CBN Governor in June 2009 during Nigeria’s banking crisis. His reforms, dubbed the “Sanusi Tsunami,” rescued banks with over N600bn in public funds while dismissing executives who mismanaged deposits.
He introduced the cashless policy and supported Islamic banking establishment in Nigeria.
