ABUJA, Nigeria — The Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, has issued a scathing indictment of Nigeria’s moral and governance decay, lamenting the country’s celebration of ill-gotten wealth and the continuous recycling of corrupt public office holders.
Speaking on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme aired on Wednesday, August 6, 2025, the former Central Bank Governor decried what he described as the “erosion of values” in Nigeria’s public and private life.
“The entire value system of the country has been eroded,” Sanusi said.
“A society in which material wealth, no matter how you get it, is respected and glorified… that society will continue to reproduce itself.”
Sanusi condemned the culture of rewarding individuals known to have looted public funds with fresh political appointments and access to government resources.
“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. This is what Nigeria has become.”
He warned that unless Nigeria breaks the cycle of honouring corrupt individuals, the country will remain locked in dysfunction.
Describing many political actors as “people who have no values”, Sanusi asserted that their pursuit of materialism overshadows any sense of service or legacy.
“We’ve been ruled by people who have no name behind them and no desire to leave a name after them. These are people who define themselves by what they own—how many houses, how many jets, how many billions they have in the bank.”
He added: “It is not important to them that people see them as thieves or criminals. For them, values do not matter.”
Sanusi also pointed to the destruction of the civil service by politicians, arguing that the professional bureaucracy has been weakened to the point where public servants no longer feel empowered to resist illegal orders.
“Nigeria needs to go back to strengthening its institutions and emboldening civil servants to say ‘no’ when asked to break the rules.”
Reflecting on the legacy of former Head of State Murtala Muhammed, Sanusi stressed the need for a collective regeneration of national values, placing emphasis on virtues such as honesty, diligence, compassion, and integrity.
“It is not about one person. The president, the governors, the ministers cannot alone change this country. Both the leaders and the led must participate in regenerating the values we have lost.”
