The 16th Emir of Kano, Malam Muhammadu Sanusi II, has said that many members of Nigeria’s elite are out of touch with the reality of poverty in the country.
He added that real leadership must be rooted in empathy and service to the people.
Making this known on Saturday during a public lecture to mark the 60th birthday of former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, Sanusi said it wasn’t until he became Emir that he saw firsthand the harsh conditions many Nigerians live in.
According to him, “Many of the elite in Nigeria do not know what poverty is. As an economist, former CBN Governor, I see the numbers. I did not know poverty until I became Emir.”
He lamented that “And you go to the village and see the water they drink, the houses they live in, the two-block classrooms without roofs.”
He then asked, “Do we love the people, or do we just love ruling over them? What are our priorities?
It was saddened and pathetic” We make overheads and underpasses for ourselves in the cities, while in the rural areas they cannot reach hospitals. We are in crisis; how do we get out should be our focus.”
However, the lecture, themed “Weaponisation of Poverty as a Means of Underdevelopment: A Case Study of Nigeria,” drew attention to how poverty has not only persisted but also been used as a political tool to control and suppress citizens.
Credit: Nigerian Tribune