 His Highness, Mohamed Sanusi II, epitomizes the three categories of greatness encapsulated in Shakespeare's famous line, quote, be not afraid of greatness, some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon him, end of quote. He was born as Sanusi Mohamed Lamidu Sanusi on 31st July 1961, as grandson of the 11th Emea of Kano Mohamed Sanusi I. His father was a career diplomat who served as Nigerian ambassador to Belgium, China, and Canada, and later as permanent secretary in the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He attended the famous Keynes College in Lagos and Ahmadubelio University Zarya, where he earned a BSc economics in 1981, and an MSc with distinction in monetary policy in 1983. He later studied at the International Investor of Africa in Khartoum, where he earned a first-class degree in Islamic law in 1997. His career began as an academic at Ahmadubelio University Zarya, where he taught economics from 1983 to 1985 before moving to the banking sector, working first with Icon-Mechan Bankers Limited and then the United Bank of Africa, where he rose to the position of general manager. He then joined the First Bank of Nigeria as executive director in charge of risk and management control, and was later appointed as group managing director of First Bank in 2009. From his position as CEO of First Bank, he was appointed as governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria on 3rd June 2009, at the height of the global financial crisis which had negatively impacted the Nigerian banking sector. As central bank governor, he took bold steps in restoring stability and resilience in the Nigerian banking sector at a critical period. He was keen on protecting debository savings in distressed banks. He initiated reforms in the electronic payment system to effect connectivity between banks, such as the bank verification number and cashless Nigeria project, which tightened controls on suspicious money transactions. The First Islamic Bank in Nigeria was licensed during his tenure. He declared 2012 as a year for women in banking in Nigeria, and set a target of 40% female representation in senior management and board membership of Nigerian banks, leading the way by actively promoting women to senior positions in the central bank, and appointed the first female director of banking supervision in the central bank's history. The International Bankers Magazine named him as 2010 Africa and Global Central Bank Governor of the Year. Time Magazine also named him as one of the world's 100 most influential people in 2011, noting that having Lamidus annunciate as central bank governor was a key reason to hope for a new Nigeria. He made public his discovery that billions of dollars in oil revenue were not paid into the Nigerian treasury and were unaccounted for. His departure from the CBN in 2014 was a consequence of his persistent campaign against high-level governmental corruption. A headline of the independent newspaper of the 21st February 2014 read, Lamidus annunciate, brave Nigerian bank governor who fought corruption is pushed out. His removal as central bank governor was greeted with dismay in financial markets, leading to a sharp fall in the stock market and a plunge in the value of the Nigerian Naira before the bank intervened to proct it up. He was elected and confirmed as the 14th Emmy of Cano on 8th June 2014, the fulfillment of his declared long-term dream, taking the name Muhammad Sanusi II after his grandfather Muhammad Sanusi I. As the Emmy of Cano, he is confowed with immense traditional powers, giving cultural leadership and playing a pivotal role in the quest for peace and stability in Nigeria. His background in economics and Islamic law has proven extremely valuable in his role, making him a figure who straddles modern and traditional Nigeria in the spheres of complex finance and Islamic thoughts. He has pursued a pragmatic reformist program as Emmy and is currently championing the enactment of a new Muslim family code for northern Nigeria, aimed at regulating the age of marriage to deal with child marriage, banning forced marriages and ensuring alimony and security for diverse women. He advocates strongly for and is a promoter of public health, girl child education and women empowerment in northern Nigeria. His active support for immunization has placed Cano in the path to being polio-free, with the absence of any new cases of polio in Cano in the last five years. His highness is a prolific writer, a social critic, an anti-corruption advocate and leader who is a bridge between the past, present and future, a leader who works to integrate tradition and modernity. He is outspoken and see part of his role as being to challenge the status quo. In his 2010 convocation lecture at Bari University, Cano, he expressed the strong view that academics should not sit on the fence at the times of socioeconomic crisis, but should actively contribute to identifying the causes and finding solutions to such problems. The economics quoted him in 2004 as saying, quote, I love controversy. If you think there has to be a change, you need to step on tools. End of quote. In his youth, he participated in street protests against the annulment of the elections in Nigeria in 1993. It is my privilege now, modern president, to present to you his highness, Muhammad Sanusi II, the emir of Cano, for the award of honorary doctor of science DSE in economics, and I invite his highness to address this assembly. In graduating class of 2019, congregation and convocation, it is a great honor for me to stand before you this morning and accept the award of honorary doctorate degree in economics from the school. It is also the deep sense of humility that I read the biography of the other honorees this year, and I thank you for considering me worthy for inclusion in such exceptional company. For us in Cano, we continue to acknowledge the role of Suez in producing some of the leading lights in academia and public policy over decades. I will give only three examples out of many. Ambassador Omar Bashir Wali studied comparative law in Suez in 1961 and 62. He had just completed his diploma when my grandfather, emir Muhammad Sanusi I, came to London and met him. He immediately appointed him the Magatakalda of chief scribe in the emir's court, being the first and only one to have studied the northern Nigerian penal code in the UK. He became the AMS principal advisor on the penal code, thus aiding the smooth transition to the implementation of a codified law in northern Nigeria. The second person I would like to mention is Professor M. K. M. Galaydenchi, who incidentally was my mother's maternal uncle. He was the first PhD from Cano in Suez in 1969, and writer of the classic text on House of Grammar. The history of House of Studies will never be complete without Professor Galaydenchi. Finally, I would like to recall Dr. Hasan Gorzo, who completed his PhD in 1972 at Suez on the 15th century Moroccan scholar Abdul Karim Al-Maghili. Al-Maghili is credited with the conversion of many of the political elite among the Hausa, Fulani, and Tuareg to Islam. Here it was who advised the Circuit of Cano Muhammad Rufa to build the palace in Cano at its present location, and he wrote for him the book, Obligations of the Princess, which is considered the first written constitution in Sub-Saharan Africa. Dr. Gorzo went on to become the Grand Cardi in Cano State Sharia courts. I am aware that the Vice Chancellor of Bairau University is in this audience, and I am sure he has a long list of academics who pass through Suez, so thank you Suez. I have only a few minutes, which keeps me on the straight and narrow. I will address a few words to the graduating students. First, let me congratulate you and your families on this achievement. My respect for this institution and what it stands for are boundless. And if I may say so, this is why I have three daughters this year, all studying for various master's programs in Suez. You are going into a world that is full of promise, but also full of challenges. Many of the values that have made the world a peaceful and happy place are under threat. And for those of you working in and on Africa, it is important to recognize the grave existential threat facing the continent. Recently, the U.S. President Donald Trump asked four U.S. Congresswomen to return to the country, to the filthy crime-infested countries they came from. The U.K. has just had a new prime minister, Boris Johnson, who is on record, as having said that Islam is responsible for the buckwadness of Muslim nations. Both statements have been widely condemned, and rightfully so, as racist and inappropriate. Mr. Johnson's article displayed a superficial understanding of Islam. But beyond the anger and indignation, it is time to reflect. In his introduction to France finance the wretched of the earth, Jean Paul Sartre noted that in the colonies, the truth stood naked, but in the fatherland, they preferred its clothes in robes. Let us assume, as Africans and as Muslims, that we locked ourselves in a room with no Americans or Europeans looking in, and spoke to ourselves the naked truth. Are many parts of the countries in Africa not filthy and crime-infested? Is Africa not projected to have 85 percent of all those living in extreme poverty in the world by 2050? Have the African elite, who took over from the colonizers and settlers not done more damage to the poor in their countries through corruption and bad policies than the imperialists? Have some Muslims not refused to acknowledge that Muslim law is situated in time and space, and certain elements of 13th century jurisprudence need updating in the 21st century? Has the refusal not led to violent extremism, domestic violence, gender injustice and general marginalization of women? And finally, are we the African elite, not now the new settler, those who seek to disguise the truth and have its sugar coated? Do we not prefer psycho-fans who tell us that all is well, that we are the blessing to the continent, that the beautiful African sun shines out of our backs, while the children die of malnutrition? Mothers die in childbirth? Millions are on the streets out of school and without a future? Is this, or is this not the naked truth of sad? We always blame the victims. When we do not build schools, we see the poor do not want to educate their goals, but the truth is one. The poor people of Africa are not responsible for their poverty. We are responsible. If this is true, then you know what you have to do. You have no choice. You are the future and the future is in your hands. Step out, take control of it, change it and stop waiting for us to do it for you, because sadly we have failed. The good news is that change is possible. We do have a number of good examples. Rwanda, Botswana, Ethiopia, a few other countries on their way, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco. These have to varying degrees shown an appreciation of the need for sound economic policy and sound social policies and investment in human capital. There is also room for great impact. Three countries in Africa, Nigeria, South Africa and Egypt, together account for 50% of Africa's GDP. Getting these countries right will go a long way towards averting the future that we now project. So having first painted this rosy picture of the world that awaits you. Let me congratulate you once more. Let me thank all those who have come here to honor me. I thank Sowers and I wish you all the best. Thank you.