The Emir of Kano and former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Muhammadu Sanusi II, has revealed that he only truly understood the depth of poverty in Nigeria after ascending the throne as a traditional ruler.
Sanusi made the remarks in Abuja on Saturday during a public lecture titled “Weaponisation of Poverty as a Means of Underdevelopment: A Case Study of Nigeria,” held in honour of former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, who turned 60.
Speaking on the disconnect between Nigeria’s elite and the realities of rural life, Sanusi said, “Many of the elite in Nigeria do not know what poverty is. As an economist and former CBN Governor, I saw the numbers.
“But I did not know poverty until I became Emir. You go to the villages and see the water they drink, the houses they live in, the two-block classrooms without roofs.”
He questioned the country’s development priorities, accusing the leadership of prioritising infrastructure in urban areas over basic amenities in rural communities.
Sanusi, “Do we actually love the people or do we just love ruling over them? What are our priorities? We make overheads and underpasses for ourselves in the cities while those in the rural areas cannot reach hospitals.
“We are in crisis. The real question should be: how do we get out of it?”
Sanusi called on those in positions of authority to lead with empathy, stressing that effective leadership must begin with understanding the people’s pain.
Also speaking at the event, former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, lamented that Nigerians repeatedly elect leaders who lack the capacity for governance.
“We keep electing people who only know how to grab power but don’t know what to do with it,” El-Rufai stated bluntly.
In his contribution, a former Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Prof. Usman Yusuf, noted that most cases presenting at hospitals stem from social and economic conditions rather than medical causes.
He blamed corruption and bad governance for the rising tide of multidimensional poverty in the country.
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