According to the report from the Vanguard, The 16th Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, has expressed optimism about Nigeria’s ability to overcome its current challenges. He emphasized that with the right commitment, attitude, and leadership, the country can make significant progress.
Sanusi shared these views while receiving the Kano State Commissioner of Information, Baba Halilu Dantiye, and the Commissioner of Science, Technology, and Innovation, Alhaji Mohammed Tajuddeen Othman, at his palace. He noted that other nations have faced and surmounted worse situations.
"The nation as a whole faces challenges that are inherited as well as the state," Sanusi stated. "But the solution is not to go into lamentation over what happened in the past; we cannot continue lamenting and do nothing about it."
The Emir expressed confidence in the resilience and attitude of the people of Kano, stating, "I’m confident that the people of Kano, with our history, our resilience, and attitude, can overcome these challenges and make them a thing of the past. It is important to let the leadership know they can stand on their feet and not remain on their knees. I believe that we can lift them up together, and all this will be history."
Sanusi underscored the importance of adopting a proactive approach: "If we just keep looking at the problems (poverty, hunger, malnutrition, out-of-school children, illiteracy) and think there is nothing we can do, the reality is, with the right attitude, commitment, leadership, and support of all, these are not insurmountable problems. Nations have gone through worse, and they have come out of it."
He cited examples within Nigeria, saying, "Even in this country, look at parts of the country ravaged by terrorism, which Allah has guided us to, and we hope Allah spares this and also spares those parts of the country and releases them. But people just have to stand up and rebuild. I’m confident that we can rebuild."
Sanusi praised the Kano State government for its efforts in education, particularly girl child education, which he believes is crucial to solving many of the nation’s problems. He pointed out that addressing girl child education can mitigate issues such as child marriage, antenatal care, malnutrition, and intergenerational poverty.
He also called on the private sector and philanthropists to support government initiatives in building schools, providing school feeding programs, and investing in transportation. He commended the current administration under Governor Abba Yusuf for settling the pension and gratuity of pensioners, amounting to N11 billion, which alleviated the hardship and poverty previously faced by unpaid pensioners.
During the courtesy visit, Commissioner Dantiye highlighted the administration's achievements in education, health, and the payment of retirement benefits. The visit reinforced the collaborative efforts between traditional leaders and the government to address key issues affecting the well-being of Kano's citizens.