Muhammadu Sanusi, emir of Kano, says the north will “destroy itself if it doesn’t change”.
The emir spoke on Monday at the Kaduna state government house during a programme to commemorate the 60th birthday celebration of Nasir el-Rufai, governor of Kaduna.
Sanusi said as a leader, repeating the same thing and expecting a different result shows that something is wrong.
He noted that the real change can only occur in the north through those who do things differently.
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He commended el-Rufai’s reforms in the education sector, noting that what the governor is doing in the sector is what will save the north.
“It is almost correct now to say that, if you are seen as normal, if you are a governor in the north or a leader in the north, and you are seen as normal in the sense that you continue to do what your predecessors have been doing, doing the same thing, which has been normalised, then, there is something wrong with you. You are part of the problem, ” Sanusi said.
“The real change in the north will come from those who are considered mad people, because you look around and say if this is the way we have been doing things, and this is where we have ended up, maybe we need to do things differently.
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“If the north does not change, the north will destroy itself. The country is moving on… If we don’t listen, there would be a day when there would be a constitutional amendment that addresses these issues of quota system and federal character.
“The rest of the country cannot be investing, educating its children, producing graduates and then they watch us, they can’t get jobs because they come from the wrong state, when we have not invested in the future of our own children.”
The emir said no northern leader can afford to be happy in the midst of problems facing the region.
“Nobody who is a leader in northern Nigeria today can afford to be happy,” Sanusi said.
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“You cannot be happy about 87 percent of poverty in Nigeria being in the north. You can’t be happy with millions of northern out-of-school children. You can’t be happy with nine states in the north contributing almost 50 percent of the entire malnutrition burden in the country.
“You can’t be happy with the Boko Haram problem. You can’t be happy with all the issues.
“So, we wish Nasir a happy birthday, but we do not want him to be happy as a leader. Because you are happy when you think you have reached a state of delivering and taking your people to where you want them to be.”
He also said el-Rufai should be celebrated as a public officer who is addressing the core problems of his constituency.
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“If you look at what Nasir is doing in Kaduna, with 40 percent of his budget in education, that is the only thing that is going to safe the north. I know that, when we say these things, they don’t go down well,” he said.
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2 comments
You are the one to destroyed not North!!
Sanusi you contributed in north downfall and make our economic malodorouness.
You should have started addressing the North problems when you are CBN Governor, just like how Godwin Emifiele is coming up with policies that will help the common man. I challenge you to tell the northerns any project initiated by you that positively affected the life of the common man directly.
All noth problems are as a result of deliberate attempt by north leaders who has no concern to the well being of a common man, to maintain the status quo, by looting the fortune of the people & doing nothing other than talking. Consequently, lack of good leadership.
What steps did you as the richest emir as well as emir of the most economically advantaged state in the North taking to prevent that? You are at the best position to start implementing what you have in mind.
You’ve never been of use to us. You never will.
Hello Mr. Yakasai,
Permit me to remind you that Sanusi was a CBN Governor and not directly responsible for any particular region of the country in his capacity at the time. It may interest to know that most of beautiful policies that shaped and reformed our banking system were made in his regime. Truth is bitter but we should not shy away from it whenever it has to be told. Nigeria is one and as such we must create an enabling atmosphere for peaceful and healthy co-habitation regardless as some of the issues pointed out in the emir’s are the ones that largely contributes to our deliberations that could soon lead to out separations a d we must guide against this to remain as one true and peace loving nation.