A statement attributed to the Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi II,, allegedly responding to President Bola Tinubu’s assertion that he inherited a dilapidated Nigeria from former President Muhammadu Buhari, has surfaced online.
Tinubu, during a courtesy visit to Anambra in May 2025, had stated that he inherited a near-insolvent treasury and a chaotic economic structure upon assuming office in 2023. He said his administration had since undertaken bold and painful reforms to stabilise the country.
A Facebook user, Mary Idonibiye Freeborn, posted the lengthy message claiming it was from the Emir responding to Tinubu’s assertaion.
According to the statement, he disagreed with the assertion and criticised the president for extravagant public spending, listing several multi-billion-naira allocations for government renovations, luxury vehicles, allowances for top officials, and controversial infrastructure projects.
The message concluded by describing Tinubu’s cabinet as the largest ever and questioned the government’s spending pattern, given the president’s earlier claim of inheriting an empty treasury.
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The post read:
Since it was posted on Tuesday, July 15, 2025, the claim has attracted significant engagement on social media. It can also be seen here and here.
CLAIM
Sanusi criticised President Tinubu over his claim of inheriting a dilapidated Nigeria from Buhari.
THE FINDINGSÂ
Findings by The FactCheckHub reveal that the claim is FALSE!
A keyword search on Google did not reveal any credible report or evidence showing that the Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi II, made such a statement criticising President Tinubu.
Similarly, no reputable Nigerian media outlet published the claim, which is unusual for a figure of Sanusi’s stature, whose public comments typically receive wide coverage.
Further checks showed that the quote being circulated was from Nigerian entertainer Charles Oputa, popularly known as Charly Boy. He posted the statement via X (archived here) on August 4, 2024.
This statement was also reported by BusinessDay and attributed to him.
READ ALSO:Â Video of Sanusi criticising Nigerian government is not recent
In addition, a review of Sanusi’s known social media platforms, including his verified Instagram page, provided no record or related post referencing President Tinubu or the allegations of extravagant spending.
There was also no evidence of any recent public commentary matching the viral quote.
The FactCheckHub has previously debunked multiple misattributed quotes and statements to Sanusi in the past, which can be seen here and here.
THE VERDICT
The claim that Emir Sanusi criticised President Tinubu over his claim of inheriting a dilapidated Nigeria from Buhari is false; the quote was originally authored by Charly Boy in August 2024.
Seasoned fact-checker and researcher Fatimah Quadri has written numerous fact-checks, explainers, and media literacy pieces for The FactCheckHub in an effort to combat information disorder. She can be reached at sunmibola_q on X or fquadri@icirnigeria.org.
