“From Throne to Lecture Hall!” Emir Sanusi Becomes a Student Again, Says He’s Happiest in the Classroom

Forget the royal palace for a moment the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, is finding his true joy on a university campus. In a move that has surprised many and inspired even more, the influential monarch has officially resumed his studies as a 200-level Law student at Northwest University, Kano.

Dressed in his traditional white turban but sitting among students decades younger than him, the Emir shared that the classroom has always been his “default” happy place. Whether he is the one standing at the front of the room giving a lecture or sitting at a desk taking notes, Sanusi says the process of learning is what keeps him truly satisfied.

This isn’t just a hobby for the former Central Bank Governor. He is taking his Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) degree very seriously, balancing his royal duties with a strict academic schedule. He spends his mornings in lectures from Tuesday to Thursday and returns to his traditional duties as Emir in the afternoons. He even sits with younger students on campus, noting that while he sat on hard wooden benches during his first degree in the 1970s, he’s quite enjoying the “comfortable seats” of modern-day classrooms.

Why would a man with a PhD and years of high-level experience go back to undergraduate studies? For Sanusi, it’s about the power of the law. He described law as the foundation of a stable society, governing everything from how we drive to how we handle property. And in a light-hearted moment that drew laughs from reporters, he joked that his new legal knowledge might give him the upper hand against his critics, saying he might finally have the tools to “give them some trouble” in court.

The Emir’s return to school is sending a powerful message across Nigeria: you are never too old or too important to learn. By choosing a state-owned university in Kano, he is also challenging Nigerians to value their own institutions and teachers. For now, the “Student-Emir” is proving that even with a crown on your head, there’s always room for a few more books in your hand.