Nigeria Has Suffered from ‘Lousy Leadership’ for Years, Says Emir Sanusi
By Joseph Iyaji | Akahi News
The Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, has lamented Nigeria’s prolonged misfortune with what he described as “lousy leadership,” stating that the country has endured leaders who lack the vision and capacity to transform its fortunes for decades. Speaking at the second edition of the Kano International Poetry Festival (KAPFEST) organised by the Poetic Wednesdays Initiative (PWI) on Saturday, the influential monarch said Nigeria’s current challenges stem largely from poor governance, misplaced priorities, and leadership failure at multiple levels.
“You Rise and Fall with the Quality of Leadership”
Addressing participants at the festival themed “Poetry in a Time of Crisis”, Emir Sanusi stressed that leadership quality ultimately determines a nation’s progress or regression.
“You rise and fall with the quality of your leadership, and Nigeria has had lousy leadership for a long time,” the Emir declared. “You cannot give what you do not have. Until we begin to critically evaluate the people we choose to lead us, nothing will change.”
The outspoken monarch lamented the backward debates dominating Nigeria’s political and legislative space, contrasting them with conversations in more advanced nations.
“You look at people leading you and you ask, ‘Oh God, is this really the person? How did we end up here?’ You see it every day in the news, in the legislature — the kind of debates we have, the time wasted on petty and unimportant issues.
“While the world discusses climate change and artificial intelligence, we are still fixated on ethnic and religious divisions: Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa, Northern, Christian, Muslim — the same conversations we had in the 1960s. It is sad,” he said.
Youths Urged to Take Over Leadership
Emir Sanusi further challenged Nigerian youths to break the cycle of poor leadership by organising themselves to take charge of the country’s political future.
“With will and determination, Nigerian youths can retire the old political class and take over. This country belongs to you, and the change we desire cannot happen without a new generation rising to the occasion,” he stressed.
Fuel Subsidy and Economic Sustainability
Speaking on economic reforms, the Emir backed President Bola Tinubu’s decision to remove fuel subsidy, describing the policy as a necessary step to prevent national bankruptcy.
“If you look at the billions spent on subsidy, if that money had been invested in building refineries, we would be refining our own fuel today,” he argued.
“I have nothing against subsidies when they support production. My objection is to subsidy on consumption because we are keeping refineries in Europe running while our own collapse. We are exporting jobs abroad. It was unsustainable. By now, government revenue would not have been enough to pay salaries if subsidy had continued.”
Sanusi also criticised the reckless borrowing habits of successive administrations, warning that accumulating debts without strategic investments would cripple the economy in the long term.
Poetry and Advocacy for Peace
Earlier, Nasiba Babale, the Creative Director of PWI, said KAPFEST aimed to inspire poets and artists to use their craft as tools for peacebuilding, especially in Northern Nigeria, which has faced prolonged insecurity and social crises.
“Our theme, ‘Poetry in a Time of Crisis’, is a call for artists to rise above the noise and use words to foster unity, justice, and solutions to the problems facing our communities,” Babale explained.
A Call for Leadership with Vision
Emir Sanusi’s remarks have reignited debates on Nigeria’s leadership trajectory, with many observers noting that his criticism mirrors the frustrations of millions of Nigerians yearning for good governance, economic reforms, and national cohesion.
The monarch’s message comes at a time when the nation faces pressing economic, political, and social challenges, underscoring the urgent need for visionary leadership to steer the country toward sustainable progress.
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