Sanusi Accuses Political Elite Of Sabotaging Nigeria’s Progress

Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi, has accused Nigeria’s political elite of deliberately undermining the country’s development by treating public office as a personal and family enterprise.

Speaking in Lagos on Wednesday at the 15th anniversary of Enough is Enough (EiE) Nigeria, Sanusi said the political class has consistently missed — and at times intentionally ignored — opportunities to advance national growth because their focus remains on personal gain rather than service to citizens.

“We have done enough damage and maybe we need to stop,” he said. “The reason we miss these opportunities is because we have people who think public office is about themselves, their families, and people close to them. But public office is about the citizens.”

The former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) urged young Nigerians to reject the dysfunctional system created for them and work together to build a nation that fulfils its true potential.

He described the current structure as one driven by ethnic rivalries, religious conflict, and competition for personal aggrandisement, calling on youths to unite, develop a shared vision, and take ownership of the country.

“The nation belongs to us. It does not belong to the government; it does not belong to politicians,” he said. “Wherever we find ourselves, we must remember that we have a duty to contribute our own quota to this country.”

Sanusi added that Nigerians must imagine and work toward a future fundamentally different from the one shaped by decades of division and self-interest, insisting that the country can only achieve its rightful place globally through collective responsibility and clear ideological direction.