Kano Emir Muhammadu Sanusi II says the National Assembly is not fulfilling its constitutional oversight role, accusing lawmakers of allowing successive federal governments to breach Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) borrowing limits. Speaking over the weekend, Sanusi argues that the borrowing framework set in law requires the federal government to borrow only up to five percent of the previous year’s revenue from the CBN. He alleges that this limit is repeatedly exceeded “with impunity” and that the legislature does not intervene when the rule is violated.
Sanusi links the issue to broader concerns about institutional weakness and accountability. He says lawmakers summoned him more than 20 times during his period in office over minor matters, but he claims they did not act when the borrowing restriction was consistently ignored. He warns that if the National Assembly cannot enforce laws or hold government accountable, it risks becoming an extension of the executive rather than an independent oversight body.
Both accounts present the accusation as a call for stronger democratic structures, better enforcement of fiscal rules, and tighter legislative oversight to help limit harm from governance and economic policy failures.
