Kano Emir Sanusi II Gains Direct Entry Admission To Study Common Law At North-West Varsity

The 16th Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, has been granted special admission into North-West University, Kano, to study Common Law, the institution has announced.

According to an official letter signed by Jafaru Sule Muhammad, Head of the Directorate of Examinations, Admissions and Records, on behalf of the Registrar, the monarch has been admitted into the LL.B Common Law and Sharia degree programme in the Faculty of Law at Level 200, beginning from the 2024/2025 academic session.

The letter, addressed to the Emir at Gidan Rumfa, Kano, stated that the admission followed his application for special consideration and confirmation that he met the university’s academic requirements.

“I am directed to inform Your Highness that the University Management has approved your admission into the LL.B Common Law and Sharia programme after due consideration of your application and credentials,” the letter read in part.

It added that the admission was subject to compliance with the university’s rules and regulations, while urging the Emir to proceed with registration in the appropriate academic units.

The university also congratulated the Emir on his admission and wished him success in the programme.

“We extend our congratulations to Your Highness and wish you success in your academic pursuit,” the Registrar stated.

Emir Sanusi II, a former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), is widely regarded as one of the country’s most erudite traditional rulers, with a distinguished academic and professional records.

He obtained his bachelor’s degree in Economics from Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, in 1981 and completed his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Yola, Adamawa State, where he served as a teacher. He later returned to ABU for a master’s degree in Economics in 1983 and subsequently lectured at the university for two years.

Sanusi II later advanced his Islamic scholarship at the International University of Africa in Khartoum, Sudan, gaining fluency in Arabic and deep expertise in Qur’anic studies, Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh), philosophy (falsafa), and comparative intellectual traditions.

In 2024, the Emir obtained a PhD in Islamic Law from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London. His doctoral thesis, titled “Codification of Islamic Family Law as an Instrument of Social Reform: A Case Study of the Emirate of Kano and a Comparison with the Kingdom of Morocco,” examined the intersection of law and social reform in Islamic societies.