Irked by the series of criticism that followed his comment about President Bola Tinubu’s administration’s the 16th Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi II, Saturday said he was quoted out of context.
The emir blamed the media for sensationalising his message, which was actually in support of the current administration.
Media reports from a memorial lecture organized in honour of the late human rights lawyer Chief Gani Fawehinmi on Wednesday had quoted Emir Sanusi as saying that he had decided not to speak about the economy or the reforms as doing so would only benefit the Tinubu government and he would not want to aid it.
The comments had drawn angry reactions from some quarters, including the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Idris Mohammed, who accused the emir of prioritising personal interests over national duty.
“We find it amusing that a leader, more so one from an institution that ennobles forthrightness, fairness and justice, would publicly admit to shuffling off telling the truth because of personal interest hinged on imaginary antagonism,” Mohammed had said in a statement on Thursday.
But the emir in a post on his X (formerly Twitter) handle yesterday, Sanusi clarified that his remarks were taken out of context.
Sanusi II said: “They took one paragraph out of context and sensationalised it; nothing about the nuanced support given to the government. That there are arguments supporting the reforms. That we are paying a price for decades of mismanagement before Tinubu. That there is light at the end of the tunnel. That we should all pray and support the system and talk about the good things happening.”
