Muhammadu Sanusi II, the 16th Emir of Kano and former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, has accused the country’s political elite of deliberately sabotaging Nigeria’s development by treating public office as a private family enterprise rather than a public trust.
Speaking on Wednesday at the 15th anniversary lecture of Enough is Enough Nigeria (EiE) in Lagos, the outspoken monarch delivered a blistering critique of governance in Africa’s most populous nation.
“Many of those in power see public office as family business,” Sanusi declared.
“They are not there to serve the people; they are there to inherit it, to pass it on to their children, to their cousins, to their in-laws. That is why progress is deliberately sabotaged.”
The former central banker, known for his fearless commentary on economic and political issues, said opportunities for national advancement are routinely missed not because of incompetence, but because they do not serve the personal or familial interests of those in authority.
“We have seen it over and over again: policies that would transform this country are killed quietly because they threaten the private empires being built with public funds,” he said.
Sanusi urged young Nigerians to reject the ethnic and religious divisions often exploited by the political class and to unite around a common vision for the country.
“This nation does not belong to a few families in Abuja or in the state capitals,” he told the audience. “This nation belongs to us – to you and me. And we must take it back.”
The Emir’s remarks, delivered with his trademark blend of intellectual rigor and moral indignation, drew sustained applause from the crowd, which included civil society leaders, youth activists, and members of the diplomatic community.
Since his controversial dethronement as Emir in 2020 and subsequent reinstatement in 2024, Sanusi has continued to speak truth to power, often at personal risk.
His tenure as CBN governor (2009–2014) was marked by sweeping banking reforms and public exposure of financial misconduct in high places, actions that earned him both admirers and powerful enemies.
Wednesday’s lecture, titled “Reclaiming Our Future,” comes at a time of growing youth discontent with governance in Nigeria, amid soaring inflation, unemployment, and insecurity.
Civil society group Enough is Enough Nigeria described the event as a “defining moment” in the ongoing struggle for accountable leadership in the country.
As he spoke, Sanusi’s words echoed beyond the hall in Lagos, quickly trending on social media platforms, with many young Nigerians sharing clips of his speech under hashtags like #NigeriaIsNotFamilyBusiness and #TakeItBack.
Whether Sanusi’s latest intervention will spark the national reckoning he called for remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: the Emir of Kano has once again thrown down the gauntlet to Nigeria’s ruling class.
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