Emir Sanusi Backs 80% of Tinubu’s Policies, Flags Concerns Over Fiscal Spending, Food Importation
The Emir of Kano and former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Muhammad Sanusi II, has expressed strong support for most of President Bola Tinubu’s economic policies, while voicing concerns over the government’s fiscal management and approach to food importation.
Speaking in an interview with News Central on Tuesday, Sanusi commended the Tinubu administration for stabilising Nigeria’s economy through improved fiscal discipline and more coherent monetary policy coordination.
“In terms of monetary policy and stability, I have nothing but commendation for the government. On the fiscal side, we have had an improvement in revenue-to-GDP ratios, improvement in debt service ratios, and a contraction in the deficit. These are positive steps, but we still have a long way to go,” he said.
While applauding progress in revenue generation, the former CBN governor urged the federal government to prioritise the quality and efficiency of public expenditure.
“We’re still spending too much money on government—on the cost of governance, too many political appointees, too many officers,” Sanusi said.
“If we do not improve the quality of spending and put a rein on expenditure, we’re going to continue borrowing.”
Sanusi warned that Nigeria risks falling back into a debt trap if savings from the removal of fuel subsidies are not managed prudently.
“After saving money from these expensive subsidies, after building up the government balance sheet, you go and spend it, and then you have to borrow again,” he cautioned.
On food security, the Emir criticised the recent wave of food importation, arguing that it undermines local farmers and threatens long-term agricultural development.
“I would like to see that we put a stop to the mass importation of food. I know it was driven by a desire to bring down food prices, but it is, in the end, very counterproductive to domestic production and domestic producer prices,” he said.
Sanusi urged the government to strengthen the agricultural value chain and invest in domestic production to achieve sustainable food security.
“Hopefully, we will get to a point where we go back on track with the reforms in the agricultural sector—fixing the agricultural value chain and relying on domestic production to feed the nation,” he added.
Summing up his assessment, Sanusi said the Tinubu administration had made significant strides despite the country’s ongoing economic challenges.
