Mallam Sanusi Lamido, a former Emir of Kano, while speaking on Thursday at a conference noted that those claiming to be fighting for their geopolitical zones are only doing so for their selfish interests.
According to the former Emir who spoke on The Platform, an annual conference organised by Convenant Christian Centre in Lagos, these set of Nigerians used ethno-religious wars to get into public offices only to serve selfish interests.
He noted that the issue with the nation is not about Nigerians, but the Nigerian elites.
Sanusi who was also a former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, was asked to speak on the ethno-religious crisis in some parts of the nation.
“We do have identities. But the construction of opposing identities is a political process. It’s basically the Nigerian elite competing among itself for a share of the national cake.
“I don’t think that the people, who say they are fighting for the Hausa, Igbo or Yoruba, are really interested. When they get there at the end of the day, it’s about them and their families.
“There is nobody out there that is really representing the North or the South or the East. I mean, they claim to be, but look out there. In the history of Nigeria, there has never been a government that does not have people from all over the country; so, the first thing to recognise is that we must get away from this sense that holding political office is what makes you a representative of the people.”
“We should have federal character, but why do we have a minister that can deliver but another that cannot deliver? Why is federal character always pursued at the expense of merit and competence?
“So, until we get out of this almost juvenile obsession with where is this person from, what religion does he practice and actually begin to ask those who want to be President, ministers and governors – what are your credentials? What do you bring to the table? What do you have to offer the people.”
Speaking about the removal of fuel subsidy, Sanusi commended the President Muhammadu Buhari’s government, saying that it was the right thing to do, adding that the removal was long overdue considering the current economic realities.
