Appointing incompetent persons into office is worst form of corruption —Ex-emir Sanusi

Nigeria’s former Central Bank governor, and erstwhile Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, on Friday blamed the rising incidence of corruption on the appointment of incompetent individuals into positions of authority in the country.

Sanusi spoke while fielding questions from a team of Arise Television journalists.

“I think the highest level of corruption is appointing incompetent people into offices,” Sanusi said without referencing any particular administration in the country.

Read also: Zoning the presidency in 2023 will produce ‘useless’ candidates —Sanusi

Among other issues, the deposed royal also expressed deep concerns that the leadership the country may throw up in 2023 would not be capable to see Nigeria through its present challenges.

Sanusi said, “If the names being speculated are the sort of individuals that would emerge in 2023, then I do not see us emerging from our present challenges.”

The ousted traditional ruler maintained that sometimes it is not just a matter of corruption, but elected public holders not knowing what their responsibilities are.

“When you deal with corruption, you also have to look at creating opportunities for corruption. Corruption often thrives when you create an opportunity for people to take advantage of. People who do not know why they are there. People who do not have the sense that at the end of their efforts there is a human being.

“Now if every public officer starts thinking about how his actions and his decisions affect a human being, and how he can contribute positively to the life of a human being, you’ll begin to address these issues and then you’ll begin to ask, does this person even understands why he is there?

“People want to be governors, they want to be presidents, and they want to be ministers. You’ve been a minister for eight years and at the end of eight years, all you have to show is that you were a minister for eight years. How did you affect people’s lives? You’ve not completed your roads, you’ve not built your hospitals, and you’ve not built your schools.

“I think really, this is our biggest problem and that is why we need to begin to interrogate the way we’ve done things.”

Among other issues, Sanusi also expressed deep concerns that the leadership the country may throw up in 2023 would not be capable to see Nigeria through its present challenges.

Sanusi said, “I mean these are the questions we need to ask ourselves as Nigerians. Should we allow these guys to be playing games with us? Let the governors come out and tell us, instead of saying we want a southern president, let them tell us, this is our candidate for the presidency and let’s look at him.

“What is his age? What is the condition of his health? What is his record? What is his capacity? We haven’t even heard their names. We are speculating, it may be this, it may be that, but from the names we are speculating, as far as I’m concerned, at least most of the names people are talking about, whether from the north or the south, if those are the names that come out, we are going to end up with people who do not have the ability to fix these problems.”

Also, Sanusi canvassed for more involvement of women in leadership positions in the country at both the federal and state levels.

“How many women are in the cabinet? Not just this cabinet or the previous cabinet. Today in Rwanda 50% of the cabinet is women. In Ethiopia 50% of the cabinet is female. The Parliament in Rwanda has 64 per cent female representation. It has the highest parliament of female representation all over the world. They have overtaken Sweden.

“We don’t have to go anywhere else. Who is telling us four examples that he is going to have more women in government at the national and state level? Who is moving to have more women in the Senate and the House of Reps? Where are the youths?” he added.

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