The Emir of Kano Muhammadu Sanusi has blamed Nigerian politicians for allegedly intentionally sabotaging the country’s progress.
According to Sanusi, the elite see and operate public office as a “family business,” hurting Nigeria’s development potential.
He made the announcement on Wednesday during the 15th anniversary of Enough is Enough (EiE) Nigeria in Lagos.
Sanusi claimed that the political class squandered possibilities for national growth because “public office is about themselves, their families, and people close to them, not about the country or its citizens.”
Sanusi further explained, “We have done enough damage, and maybe we need to stop. And I think this is the point Omobola is making about missed opportunities. Not just missed opportunities, I think sometimes deliberately missed opportunities.
“The reason we miss these opportunities is that we have people who think public office is about themselves, it’s about their families, it’s about people close to them, and it’s not about the country. But public office is about the citizens.”
He called on young Nigerians to reject the dysfunctional country that has been “manufactured” for them and build one that fulfills its true potential.
Sanusi stated that the current system is one built on “ethnic rivalries, religious conflicts, and competition for personal aggrandizement,” adding that Nigerian youths must unite across all strata and articulate a clear, achievable vision for a different nation.
“The important thing for me is that as citizens, every one of us will remember that the nation belongs to us. It does not belong to the government, it does not belong to politicians, it belongs to us,” he said.
The monarch added, “We own this country, and wherever we find ourselves, we must remember that we are holding one small part of Nigeria, and we have a duty to do what we must to contribute our own quota to this country.
“What we need to do is try to come together and articulate a clear and achievable ideological position, a vision for what kind of Nigeria we want to have.
“And it has to be a Nigeria different from the Nigeria that has been manufactured for us, a Nigeria of ethnic rivalries, religious conflicts, race seeking, and competition for aggrandizement.
“It has to be a country that realizes its potential in the committee of nations.”
