The Emir of Kano and former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, has said that his experience as a traditional ruler exposed him to the true depth of poverty in Nigeria — a reality that even his previous high-profile roles had not fully revealed.
Speaking in Abuja on Saturday, May 31, during a public lecture held to mark the 60th birthday of former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi, Sanusi shared personal reflections on the theme: “Weaponization of Poverty as a Means of Underdevelopment: A Case Study of Nigeria.”
“Many of the Nigerian elite do not know what poverty is,” Sanusi said. “As an economist and former CBN Governor, I saw the numbers. But I did not truly understand poverty until I became Emir.”
He described witnessing the dire living conditions in rural communities — from families lacking proper shelter and access to clean water to schools with broken infrastructure. “You go to the village and see the water they drink, the houses they live in, the two-block classrooms with no roofs,” he recalled.
Sanusi questioned the country’s priorities, comparing lavish urban infrastructure projects to the neglect of basic needs in rural areas. “We build overhead bridges and underpasses in the cities for ourselves, while people in the villages can’t reach hospitals. Do we love the people — or do we just love ruling them?”
He urged political leaders to embrace compassionate and people-centered governance, calling for a national shift from self-serving leadership to policies that genuinely address the struggles of the majority.
Also speaking at the event, former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai criticized the electorate for repeatedly choosing unqualified leaders. “We keep electing people who know how to win power but don’t know what to do with it,” he said, warning that such leadership fails to meet Nigeria’s development needs.
Professor Usman Yusuf, former Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme, added that many hospital cases stem not from illness but from deeper socio-economic dysfunction. He blamed systemic corruption and poor governance for the country’s persistent poverty and urged voters to make more informed choices.
“The problems in our hospitals are often social, not medical,” Yusuf said. “Until Nigerians become wiser in choosing leaders, we’ll remain stuck in this cycle of underdevelopment.”
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