Stop Rewarding Looters with Public Office – Emir Sanusi Slams FG Over Ministerial Appointments

• The Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, said many public office holders today lack proper upbringing and loot the treasury without remorse, reflecting the country’s declining moral standards.

• He stressed the need to stop rewarding those who have looted public funds with more government positions.

The Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, has criticised the federal government for appointing individuals with questionable integrity to ministerial positions.

He said many public office holders today lack proper upbringing and loot the treasury without remorse, reflecting the country’s declining moral standards.

He said:

“I think what has failed in this country is upbringing. The truth is that many people you have in public office today were simply not well brought up. When I was in Kings college in form 1 and 2, we had a class called Civics and it was taught by the principal himself.

So from a very young age you were taught certain values. You were taught the importance of honesty and integrity, you were taught the importance of human rights, you know it’s important to live a good name, you know that when you go into public office, it is an opportunity to serve. You do not go into public office to make money.

Many of the people that have assumed office simply did not have that upbringing, they did not have that training. Many people go into government for the wrong reasons.”

He stressed the need to stop rewarding those who have looted public funds with more government positions.

“The entire value system of the country has been eroded. We have been ruled by people with no values, they have no names behind them and have no desire to leave a name after them. These are people who define themselves by what they own, how many houses they have, how many private jets they have, how many billions they have in their bank accounts,” he said.

He further added:

“A society in which material wealth, no matter how you get it, is respected, is glorified, where people who are known to have stolen money get rewarded with ministerial appointments, that society will continue to reproduce itself.

We don’t have a sense of disgust for people who hold public office and amass wealth; we reward them with appointments, with more public offices, and more opportunities to amass wealth, and this is what Nigeria has become.”