The Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II has said that Nigerian politicians are responsible for the decline in societal values.
The monarch stated this on Tuesday at the 2024 Annual Conference of the Nkata Ndi Inyom Igbo (NNII) held in the nation’s capital.
He urged the country leaders to prioritise integrity over material wealth
According to the emir, a person’s true identity is not defined by their official title, wealth, or material possessions but by their character, integrity, and actions.
He said, “If you’re a senator or an emir or a governor or a rich man, it is what you are, not who you are. If you own a house, a big car or an aeroplane, it is not what you are. You are the man who owns that house. They are things outside of you.
“You can have two senators, one is an honest, good, kind and generous man and the other is a thief. They are both senators.
“Who you are is you are a good man or you’re a thief. You are honest or you’re dishonest, you’re kind or you’re cruel, or you’re trustworthy or you’re a traitor, you’re sincere or you’re a liar, that is who you are and that is the most important thing.
“Whether you own a big house or a plane or not, you can have a poor man who is a thief and you can be a rich man and you are still a thief.”
Sanusi added that public office is a privilege granted by God and a test of how leaders use their power to serve the people.
He stressed that the true legacy of any leader should be what they do for the society, not the material wealth they accumulate.
“People are given opportunities in public service to transform the lives of people for the better. God gave them that opportunity. And as we always say for those of us who are privileged, there is nothing that tells you that God loves you better than the other person he did not give that privilege. It is a test. God makes you a governor or an emir or a president or a senator and he does not make hundreds of thousands or millions…he’s testing you to see what would you do with that position to help those that he did not give. And it is a great opportunity to write your name in gold. But people don’t want to.
“You hold an office for 4 years or 8 years and all you can say is that I was a minister for so many years or I was a senator for this years or I was a President for so many years. So what if you were a president?
“What did you do with the 8 years? What do you want to be remembered for? Is it the houses that you will die and leave that your children will be fighting over? Is it the money that you hid in Swiss accounts that will never even come to your family? And sometimes the family gets it and we have seen the children become drug addicts, they become what we call ‘money miss road’. They spend it on parties and after three or four years, the money is gone,” he stated.