The Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, has raised serious concerns over the decay of moral and societal values in Nigeria, blaming both leaders and citizens for enabling a system that rewards corruption.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday, the former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor stated that Nigeria has continued to honour individuals who looted public funds by offering them even more political opportunities.
Sanusi stated, “The entire value system of the country has been eroded.”
Sanusi didn’t hold back in his criticism of Nigeria’s leadership culture, stating that many people in public office lack proper upbringing and moral grounding, which is evident in their conduct and poor sense of service.
He said, “Many people go into government to make money but you don’t go into government to make money.
“We have been ruled by people who have no values; they have no name behind them, and they have no desire to leave a name after them.”
He described such individuals as being obsessed with materialism, valuing wealth and luxury over integrity and legacy.
The emir further stated, “These are people who define themselves by what they own, how many houses, how many private jets, how many billions they have in bank accounts.”
“It is not important to them that people look at them and they only see thieves… They see people who have taken the commonwealth. It is simply not important because for them, values do not matter.”
Reflecting on the legacy of the late Head of State, Murtala Muhammed, Sanusi called for a collective regeneration of values, insisting that true progress cannot come from political leaders alone.
He said, “I think we need an entire regeneration of values. It is not about one person, the president or the governors or the ministers cannot on their own change this country.”
He warned that as long as society continues to admire and promote wealth regardless of its source, corruption would remain systemic.
Sanusi noted, “A society in which material wealth, no matter how you get it, is respected… where people known to have stolen money get rewarded with ministerial appointments… that society will continue to reproduce itself.”
“We don’t have a sense of disgust for people who hold public office and amass wealth. We reward them with appointments, with more public offices, and more opportunities to amass wealth, and this is what Nigeria has become.”
Sanusi also accused politicians of destroying the integrity of the civil service, noting that Nigeria must strengthen public institutions to protect civil servants from undue political pressure.
“We need to go back to strengthening the system, such that a civil servant is emboldened to say ‘no’ when asked to break the rules,” he added.
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