Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, has delivered a scathing verdict on Nigeria’s political class, declaring that the country has been trapped for decades under the weight of “lousy leadership.”
Speaking at the Kano International Poetry Festival on Saturday, Sanusi said Nigeria’s woes are rooted in the poor quality of leaders who waste time on petty issues instead of tackling urgent national challenges.
“How did we end up here?”
“You rise and fall with the quality of your leadership — and Nigeria has had lousy leadership for a long time,” S
Sanusi said. “Every day you see it in the legislature: trivial debates, petty arguments, time wasted on things that don’t matter.
“While the world is discussing climate change and artificial intelligence, we are still fighting over Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa, North, South, Christian, Muslim. These are the same conversations we were having in the 1960s. How did we end up here?”
Youth must retire old politicians
Sanusi challenged Nigeria’s young population to “take back the country” from politicians who have squandered its future. “The youth can easily retire all of them if they have the will. The time has come,” he declared.
Subsidy removal “saved Nigeria from bankruptcy”
On economic policy, the former Central Bank governor defended the controversial removal of fuel subsidy by President Bola Tinubu, warning that the country would have gone bankrupt if it had continued.
“Subsidy on consumption is madness. Billions were spent keeping European refineries open while ours collapsed. By 2012, I warned that government revenues would no longer be enough to pay subsidy — we would have to borrow just to fund it. That is exactly what happened,” he said.
Reckless borrowing, squandered wealth
Sanusi further warned that the reckless pace of government borrowing will haunt Nigeria’s future. “The way our governments borrow and squander money today will have a devastating effect on the economy in years to come,” he cautioned.
