LITTLE ENDS: Sanusi Lamido Sanusi: Confessions of a stalker

I am shocked at your bias in expecting Northern Muslims to know only the Qu'ran! Some of the most versatile brains in Africa have been and are Northern Nigerians.

Unfortunately, YOU just earned yourself a stalker. ''.....unwillingness to move beyond them because we risk encountering evidence to the contrary. Honest. Well said.

Dear Pius, 'Thank you' is an appropriate and sufficient response to this brilliant piece! In a single page, you addressed one of the most burning issue on my mind- "the recourse to comforting ethno-religious stereotypes and the unwillingness to move beyond them because we risk encountering evidence to the contrary". We need to stand behind the best amongst us so that someday we will have a Sanusi doing the appointments rather than being appointed. I intend to become a 'stalker' too and you surely will be my first candidate.

Thank you for your honesty in claiming the cultural bias we all have. I also think this will be the only thing our villa(ge)idiot might get right...but we all know that indecisiveness is YarAdua's forte!!!

This comments coming from a Christian is what is needed to judge the intellectual capacity of the man being touted as the next CBN governor. Anyway that is what is expected of an informed commentator - forthright and truthful assessment, not the "smear tactics and bring him down at all costs campaign of calumny” of the religious bigots who sees nothing good in people from other religions. That you are not given to allow religious bias or prejudice to shape your opinion speaks volumes of the level of your maturity and the mark of erudite you have achieved. Bravo!

I agree with you Ya'radua must appoint Lamido, he is exactly what the CBN needs. He needs to fire the Minister of Planning and put someone else. There is word he is rethinking Lamido's appointment and I will be disappointed. The banks that do not want him are those that have been getting favoritism form Soludo.

Being a erudite and exciting intellectual does not make one a excellent central banker. It is ironic as well that Northern Nigeria with its Ajami tradition is by far the pioneer of written documented intellectual tradition in Nigeria. These excellent explorations of indigenous capacity at the core of the libraries of Timbuktu. This was long before we started confusing westernisation with civilisation. The stereotype of the north that is often displayed by southerners is a product of true intellectual laziness as well as self loathing.

'the recourse to comforting ethno-religious stereotypes and the unwillingness to move beyond them because we risk encountering evidence to the contrary'... The above is the most succint summary of the Nigerian problem I have ever come across. Personally, I don't care for where one comes from as long as he can do the job. For as long as the yard stick for appointments into office in this country remains the primordial sentiments of ethnicity and religion, we will remain backward.

God bless you Pius Adesanmi. This is what makes you one of the most refreshing Nigerian columnists today. I read some of the rubbish written about Sanusi Lamido Sanusi by petty tribalist jingoists and almost gave up hope on Nigeria. But with people like you, there is hope.

This is the most honest declaration I've read. We need to understand such for Nigeria to move forward.

Given that Sanusi Lamido is qualified as postulated by some quarters, what then happens to federal character and what do we call a situation where the Finance minister, National Planing minister and chief economic adviser and now the CBN governor all come from the same place. Which aspect of due process of fairness states that a people sourced from the same place should manage the economy.Is this the new face of governance or this is what rebranding of Nigeria is all about. This is why known criminals walk free in Nigeria. You go figure!

Let Sanusi be a role model for young intellectuals for the actualization of the Nigeria project.A word of warning:acceptance of govt appointment may blunt Sanusi's intellectual critique.I pray he proves me wrong.

Now that Sanusi Lamido has been confirmed as CBN governor, let us hope he will justify the confidence reposed in him by folks like Pius Adesanmi. I think Sanusi's appointment will go down in history as one of the most hotly contested, which is just fine. Lets hope he lives up to the billing and lets remind him of these if he flags.

An earlier commentary by Mike Onwukwe questions what happens to Nationa character with Sanusi Lamido Sanusi's appointment as CBN Governor. Please lets be objective, Sanusi is very qualified. Why should people disqualify him because by concidence he hails from the same place as the minister of finance and the Chairman of National Planning? During President Obasanjo's tenure Soludo was CBN Governor and he was from the south east. So were Finance minister Okonjo-Iweala (south east), DG BPE, Irene Chigbue (south east), DG, NSE, Ndi Okereke Onyuike. In addition, Oby Ezekwesili was at the same time heading Due process, Dr, Bright Okongwu was at the Budget Office and these were all key agencies in the economic sector. The northerners did not complain because we felt that these people were qualified and that was the most important thing. If Mike Onwukwe did not see anything wrong about his kinsmen heading the CBN, ministry of finance, NSE, BPE, Budget office and the rest of them at the same time, why is he concerened now that northerners are now heading only two out of the above mentioned agencies in addition to the national planning?

Mr. Mike Onwukwe spoke about Fderal chracter. Remember that during Obasanjo's tenue. Okonjo-Iweala and soludo were all Igbos heading CBN and the finance ministry. Also Oby Ezekwesili was at the same time i due process, Okereke-Onyuike was at NSE, Irene Chigbue was at BPE at the peak of privatisation. Yet the Northerners did not complain because we felt that these people deserve it. If Onwukwe did not see anything wrong with that, why complain now when northerners occupy only three of the core institutions in the financial sector. During Obasanjo's rule the Igbos occupied more than this number. Nobody said a word.

I admire Sanusi to the extent of his Economic/Financial scholarship, but sincerely, with the little research I did about him, in the process of which I ran into this write-up, I'm disappointed with his writings on Muslims/Islam/North. I have come across his writings, and already read up to a dozen now, but I'm seeing him as a disservice to Islam.If this is why he went to study Sharia in Sudan, then he would have done better just concentrating on his Economics knowledge that see him becoming CBN Guv.

I pray Sanusi Lamido Sanusi left his rabid/extremist's brand of Islam behind as he took up the job of governing an institution deeply rooted in secularism but founded in a nation noted for religious intolerance. In nations aiming at developoment Sanusi perhaps could not have passed senate screening based on his past.

This guy is only an intellectual religiously, I have combed the web endlessly since he was announced as CBN Governor, and I can't find anything worthwhile. There are no documented evidence of research he has carried out on the issues assailing Nigeria economically. The guy has no work experience with any of the Bretton Woods financial institution or UN Development Agencies. The farthest he has gone in search of knowledge is Sudan(a failed state).He has just one miserly M.sc degree in Economics, serious countries demand at least a PHD, with specialization in something related to the economy. This guy is a paperback compared to some of Nigeria's technocrats spread all over the globe. The only bright spot in his career is the MDship of First bank, but he has not even beem tested at that post. But in Nigeria all of this do not matter, Mediocrity is our stock in trade..

@Chinua Asuzu, please mention the list of your so called versatile brains from Northern Nigeria. Don't make this a gathering of laughter instead of a gathering of tribes... ALAWADA?