The Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, has said that Nigerian politicians are responsible for the decline in social values.
The King said this at the 2024 annual conference of Nkata Ndi Inyom Igbo (NNII) held in the capital on Tuesday.
He urged world leaders to prioritize integrity over material wealth.
According to the sheikh, a person’s true identity is defined not by his office, wealth, or material possessions, but by his character, integrity, and actions.
He said, “If you’re a senator or a chief or a governor or a rich man, it’s not who you are, it’s what you are. If you own a house or a big car or a plane.” But they are not you. You are the owner of the house. They are outside of you.
“You can have two senators, one honest, good, kind and generous, and the other a thief. They are both senators.
“Who you are is a good man or a thief. You are honest or dishonest, kind or cruel, trustworthy or traitorous, honest or a liar, that is who you are, that is who you are. The most important thing.
“Poor people can be thieves, and even rich people can be thieves, regardless of whether they own a big house or a plane.”
Sanusi added that public office is a God-given privilege that tests how leaders use their power to serve the people.
He stressed that a leader's true legacy should be what they did for society, not the material wealth they accumulated.
“People have the opportunity to do public service to change people’s lives for the better. God has given them that opportunity, and for those of us who have the privilege, As I always say, nothing says that God loves you more than someone who didn’t give you that privilege. God makes you a governor, a chief, a president, a senator, but he doesn’t make you hundreds of thousands or millions…What do you do with that position to help people that God didn’t give you? It’s testing you. And it’s a great opportunity to write your name in gold. But people don’t want that.
“Your terms are either four years or eight years, but all I can say is, how many years have I been a minister, how many years have I been a senator, how many years have I been president? What would you do?
“What did you do for eight years? What do you want to be remembered for? Will your children be fighting over the house you leave behind when you die? And sometimes families figure it out, and we’ve seen kids become addicted to drugs and become so-called “money mislords.” They spend it on parties, but after three or four years, the money is gone,” he said.
