Former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor and current Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, has offered a sobering reflection on Nigeria’s poverty crisis, stating that he only truly understood the depth of deprivation after ascending the throne as Emir.
Sanusi made the remarks while speaking at a public lecture titled “Weaponization of Poverty as a Means of Underdevelopment: A Case Study of Nigeria.” The event drew attention to how poverty is not only widespread in Nigeria but also systematically sustained through political and economic structures.
“As an economist and former CBN Governor, I saw poverty in numbers,” Sanusi said. “But I didn’t understand it until I became Emir. When you visit villages and see the water they drink, the dilapidated schools, and the absence of basic infrastructure—it hits differently.”
He described his experience travelling through rural communities where access to clean water, education, and healthcare is virtually non-existent. According to him, those encounters reshaped his understanding of the scale and human cost of poverty in the country.
Sanusi also took aim at what he called the misplaced priorities of Nigeria’s ruling class. He questioned why urban centers are lavished with infrastructure projects while basic services in rural areas remain grossly inadequate.
“Do we love the people or do we just love ruling over them?” he asked. “While cities are celebrating flyovers and underpasses, rural communities can’t access hospitals or safe drinking water. We are in a development crisis, and our focus must urgently shift to inclusion and equity.”
He warned that unless leaders begin to approach governance with empathy and sincerity, the growing divide between the privileged and the poor could have long-term consequences for national stability.
“Leadership must go beyond rhetoric,” he said. “We must be willing to step into the shoes of the average Nigerian and understand what it means to live without the basics.”
The Emir called for a national conversation centered on dignity, justice, and human development, stressing that real progress can only begin when leaders stop viewing poverty as an abstraction and start treating it as a personal and collective failure.
Sanusi’s remarks have since resonated widely online, with many Nigerians praising his candor and firsthand perspective on the country’s socioeconomic realities.
Stay informed, Stay ahead with The Ameh News
Discover more from Ameh News
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
