Economic Confidential, June, 2009

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Still on Sanusi Lamido’s Suitability

By Abbas Liman (limanabbas@yahoo.co.uk)

I have been prompted to make a few comments following the one made by one George a member of Trustwriters Forum. His comment was on Sanusi Lamido Sanusi as Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar’adua’s nominee then for the replacement of Prof Charles Soludo as Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). He expressed an opinion that a former Deputy Governor of the Bank, Dr Obadiah Mailafiya is more suitable.

As far as I see it, Professors are not better than their Senior Lecturer colleagues save in one aspect. It is that the Professor is smarter. On many occasions there are lecturers who are junior to the Professor and who have attended international conferences and workshops thereby making them as exposed if not more than the Prof in the advancement attained in the various areas of human development. I know some lecturers in foreign universities who submitted application for promotion to the rank of Senior Lecturer but external assessors returned the recommendation that they were above the Senior Lecturer position they were seeking to be promoted to. The recommendation stated that they were to be elevated to the rank of Professor. The Senate of their respective universities had no option than to do act accordingly.

Furthermore, it is well known that the highest level one could reach while learning in an institution where he/she would take instruction from a teacher in form of tutoring or lectures is the Masters degree. PhD is earned by research.

In exceptional cases people with Masters Degree who have no PhD have become Professors. One of those in this category is Adamu Baikie. He became a Professor of Education and was appointed Vice Chancellor at the University of Benin and then later Vice Chancellor at the University of Lesotho in Southern Africa.

There are those who did not even have a Masters degree yet did extremely well in their chosen carriers. These include the Black (African) American George Washington Carver. He was a Botanist/Agricultural Chemist. He developed hundred uses of Peanuts (Groundnuts), Soyabeans and Potatoes.

Another in this category also was Grunville Woods, also a Black (African) American who developed synchronous Multiplex Railway Telegraphs among others. The Telegraph system helps to prevent collision of trains traveling on the same track in opposite direction. He did not have a university degree. All he had was formal schooling till the age of 10 years. Gregory Mendel, the Austrian monk who carried out his extensive work in genetics that is still applicable in various branches of modern science like Food Technology, Genetic Engineering etc. He was neither a Professor nor a PhD.

In the category of those who had no exposure to western education but still did very well in their carriers are Lamidi Fakeye the Sculptor from Ila Orangun in Western Nigeria. From his little workshop where he was making his wood carvings, he rose to become a Visiting Professor of Art at the University of Michigan in the United States. Mallam (Dr) Aliyu Namangi, Zaria was another man in this category. He became blind at a very tender age following an illness (?Measles). He authored three books, one of which was used one time for undergraduate students of Hausa at the Ahmadu Bello University.

In my opinion what makes the difference between the person who has a degree and the person who has not is that the acquisition of degree widens the horizons of intellectual ability hence the person is able to do or achieve more. Sanusi Lamido has a first and a second degree. In addition to that he was a lecturer before he joined the Banking industry. He rose to the position of Executive Director of one of the largest and strongest banks in this country, the First Bank of Nigeria. I believe, quite rightly, that he has gained sufficient experience for his new job and would be equal to the task.

In conclusion, all the new CBN Governor requires is our prayers and support for him to join Mr President’s economic team in order to bring us out of the present economic predicament in this country. Perhaps Mr. George has apathy for the Northern Nigerians similar to what the Whites in Jamaica had for the Black rural dwellers in that country like Bob Marley so much so that they commented "Can anything good come out of Trenchtown?" in his music titled Trenchtown (in the album "Confrontation"). Or perhaps George has doubt in the capability of Northern Nigerians. Who knows? Sanusi Lamido might turn out to be a "Kashimawo" like the late Alhaji MKO Abiola whose parents probably thought that he might not even live. He surprised them by not just remaining alive but also becoming a very successful International Businessman.

Abbas Liman

Abuja, Nigeria