The Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, has stated that many Nigerian elites are disconnected from the true realities of poverty, urging those in leadership and economic management roles to demonstrate empathy toward the citizens they serve.
Sanusi, a former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, made the statement in a goodwill message delivered at a public lecture in Abuja, held in honour of former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi’s 60th birthday. The lecture, themed “Weaponisation of Poverty as a Means of Underdevelopment: A Case Study of Nigeria,” brought together prominent figures from across the country.
“Many of the elite in Nigeria do not know what poverty is,” Sanusi remarked. “As an economist and former CBN Governor, I saw the numbers. But I did not know poverty until I became Emir.”
Describing firsthand encounters with rural deprivation, the Emir noted, “You go to the village and see the water they drink, the houses they live in, the two-block classrooms without roofs.”
He questioned the priorities of Nigeria’s ruling class, asking, “Do we love the people, or do we just love ruling over them? We make overheads and underpasses for ourselves in the cities, while rural areas cannot reach hospitals.”
Joining the conversation, former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai criticized the electorate’s repeated choice of unfit leaders, stating, “We keep electing people who only know how to grab power but don’t know what to do with it.”
Also speaking at the event, former Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme, Prof. Usman Yusuf, linked the country’s deepening poverty crisis to corruption and poor governance. He stressed that many issues brought to hospitals are non-medical, stemming instead from systemic social failure.
Yusuf called for greater civic responsibility, urging citizens to vote with conscience and hold leaders accountable.
The event served as a platform for reflection on Nigeria’s socio-economic trajectory, with speakers underscoring the urgent need for responsive and compassionate governance to address the nation’s persistent poverty and inequality.
