“We Reward Thieves With Government Appointments” — Emir Sanusi Decries Collapse of Moral Values in Nigeria
Former CBN Governor warns that value system decay fuels corruption, breeds leaders without legacy
By HeadlineNews.News Staff Writer
The Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, has raised alarm over what he described as the erosion of moral values in Nigerian society, particularly in the public sector. He lamented that the country has become a place where corrupt individuals are not only tolerated but rewarded with positions of power.
Speaking during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday, Sanusi—who is also a former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)—offered a scathing critique of Nigeria’s prevailing political culture, where material success is celebrated regardless of how it is acquired.
“The entire value system of the country has been eroded,” Sanusi said.
The monarch condemned the tendency of the Nigerian society to continue giving public appointments to individuals who have been known to loot public funds, thereby institutionalizing corruption and normalizing unethical leadership.
“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,” he stated emphatically.
Sanusi further bemoaned the lack of collective outrage against public officeholders who enrich themselves at the nation’s expense, insisting that the culture of impunity must be confronted if the country is to move forward.
“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,” he added.
The Emir did not mince words about the character and motivations of many individuals currently in government, asserting that a significant number lack both upbringing and moral foundation.
“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. Many people go into government to make money, but you don’t go into government to make money,” he warned.
Sanusi also criticized the self-serving mentality of some Nigerian leaders, describing them as individuals who derive their sense of worth solely from material possessions.
“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,” the Emir said.
“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.”
He concluded by stressing that for such individuals, moral perception and legacy hold no value.
“It is not important to them that people look at them and they only see thieves, they see criminals, they see people who have taken the commonwealth. It is simply not important because for them, values do not matter,” he declared.
Sanusi’s remarks have reignited public discourse around leadership ethics, accountability, and the moral foundations of governance in Nigeria—a conversation many believe is long overdue.
