Emir Sanusi accuses political class of sabotaging Nigeria’s progress
The Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, has accused Nigeria’s political leaders of deliberately undermining the nation’s development.
The monarch, said many members of the elite treat public office as a “family business” rather than a public trust, a mindset he described as fundamentally damaging to Nigeria’s progress.
Mr Sanusi made the remarks in Lagos during the 15th anniversary celebration of Enough is Enough, EiE, Nigeria.
He lamented that the political leadership has repeatedly sidestepped opportunities for national growth because their priorities are self-serving.
“We have done enough damage, and maybe we need to stop,” he said.
“These are not just missed opportunities—sometimes they are deliberately missed opportunities. The reason we miss them is because we have people who think public office is about themselves, their families, and those close to them. But public office is about the citizens.”
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He urged young Nigerians to reject the “dysfunctional” country that has been “manufactured” for them and instead work to build a nation that fulfils its potential.
According to him, the system currently in place is one built on ethnic rivalries, religious conflicts, and a relentless struggle for personal aggrandisement.
“The nation belongs to us. It does not belong to the government or politicians,” he said.
“Wherever we find ourselves, we are holding one small part of Nigeria, and we have a duty to contribute our quota.”
Mr Sanusi called on youths across all divides to unite and articulate a clear, achievable vision for the kind of Nigeria they want—one different from the one shaped by decades of elite mismanagement.
“It has to be a Nigeria that rises above ethnic rivalries, religious conflicts, and rent-seeking,” he said.
“It has to be a country that finally realises its potential in the committee of nations.”
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