The Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, has decried the practice of rewarding public office holders who stole the nation’s commonwealth with more appointments.
This was as he noted that politicians have succeeded in destroying the civil service, and insisted that the country urgently needs to go back to strengthening the system to embolden civil servants to say ‘no’ when directed by politicians to jettison the rules.
The former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), particularly expressed revulsion at how people who hold public office and are known to have amassed wealth, are again rewarded with appointments in public offices, thereby granting them more opportunities to further amass wealth.
Emir Sanusi, who stated while denouncing what he described as the erosion of values among different strata of the Nigerian society, noted that the entire system of the country been eroded.
Sanusi, who featured on Channels Television programme; ‘Politics Today’ on Wednesday, August 6, 2025, said that a society that adores material wealth irrespective of how it was acquired, will continue to reproduce itself.
“I think we need an entire regeneration of values. It is not about one person, the president or the governors, or the ministers cannot on their change this country,” he stated.
In his words; “A society in which material wealth, no matter how you get it, is respected and glorified, where people who are known to have stolen money get rewarded with ministerial appointments, that society will continue to reproduce itself.
“Many people in public offices were not well brought up, and that accounts for their misbehaviour and faulty orientation of the essence of being in public offices.
“We have been ruled by people who have no values; they have no name behind them, and they 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 bank accounts. And they think that is something.
“It is not important to them that people look at them and only see thieves, criminals, who have taken their commonwealth. It is simply not important because for them, values do not matter,” Sanusi stressed.
The former Central Bank of Nigeria Governor reflected on the memories of late former military head of state, General Murtala Muhammed 50 years after, saying that the Nigerian society needs a regeneration of values.
He however, noted leaders and followers are responsible for the regeneration of values in the country, emphasising that material wealth should not be elevated beyond core values such as honesty, diligence, compassion, among others.
