Africa Policy Dialogue Series: Impact of Religion on Public Policy & Governance in Nigeria

His Highness Muhammad Sanusi II is the 14th Emir of Kano and Khalifa of the Tijanniya Islamic Movement in Nigeria. He is an award-winning banker and former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria. Prior to his role as Governor, he served as the Group Managing Director of First Bank of Nigeria. HH Sanusi II attended St. Anne’s Catholic Primary School, Kaduna for his primary education, and Kings College, Lagos for his secondary education. He obtained his Bachelor of Science as well as Master’s degree in Economics from the prestigious Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in Kaduna State. He is also known for his knowledge of Islamic History, Tort and Law, having earned a degree in Islamic Studies and Fiqh from the African International University in Khartoum, Sudan. HH Sanusi II is a recipient of several global awards following his role as the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria where he instituted policy measures that helped to safeguard the Nigerian banking sector in 2011. He is a frequent speaker at International Forums on Banking, Politics, Religion and Society. He is also the author of many papers published in Academic Journals, Books and Newspapers. He is currently a research fellow at the African Study Centre and an academic visitor at St Anthony’s College in Oxford University

Dr Leena Koni HOFFMANN is an associate fellow of the Africa Programme at Chatham House and lead researcher for the Programme’s Social Norms and Accountable Governance (SNAG) Project. She is an Honorary Senior Fellow of the Global Evergreening Alliance. Dr Hoffmann was a technical adviser to the Permanent Inter-State Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel from 2016-20. She was also a Marie Curie research fellow at the Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research (LISER) and an anti-corruption investigator at Nigeria’s Independent Commission for Corrupt Practices (ICPC). She studied Sociology at the University of Jos and obtained a Master’s in International Relations at the University of Lancaster and her doctorate in African Studies from the University of Birmingham. Leena researches and writes on informal institutions, politics, governance, corruption, food security and regional trade in West Africa.

Bishop Kukah is the current Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sokoto in Nigeria. He previously served as the Secretary General of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria and Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Kaduna until he was ordained as Bishop on September 8, 2011.
He is the Chairman of the Inter-religious Dialogue Committees for both the Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria and West Africa. He is also a member of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue, Vatican City.
Bishop Kukah holds a Bachelor degree in Divinity from St. Augustine’s Seminary. He earned a Master’s Degree in Peace Studies at the University of Bradford (1980) and a Doctorate Degree from the School of Oriental and African Studies (1990). He was a Senior Rhodes scholar at St. Antony’s College (2001-2003), Oxford, and a Mason Fellow at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, where he earned a Master’s Degree in Public Policy.
He is also the founder of the Kukah Centre, a Public Policy Think Tank in Abuja that examines the role of faith on Public Policy.