Prominent Nigeria figures have condemned the growing disconnect between the country’s leaders and its struggling population.
Diaspora Digital Media (DDM) reports that they spoke during a lecture in Abuja marking former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi’s 60th birthday.
The lecture was themed “Weaponisation of Poverty as a Tool for Underdevelopment: The Nigerian Experience.”
Former Emir of Kano and ex-CBN Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, gave a blunt assessment of Nigeria’s leadership.
He stated that most decision-makers have no genuine understanding of what poor Nigerians endure daily.
Sanusi admitted his perception of poverty changed dramatically after becoming a traditional ruler.
“As CBN Governor, poverty was data and statistics,” Sanusi said during his address.
“As Emir, I saw poverty in people’s faces, in their pain, and in their tears.”
He described visiting communities with no clean water, safe housing, or basic school infrastructure.
“Children study under broken roofs and drink from dirty streams,” he recalled somberly.
Sanusi questioned whether Nigerian leaders truly care for the people or just enjoy being in control.
“We build luxurious urban infrastructure, but ignore rural clinics and schools,” he observed.
He urged economic managers to act with compassion and genuine human empathy.
According to him, development must prioritize people, not vanity projects in cities.
Also speaking, former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai attacked Nigeria’s culture of poor electoral choices.
“We elect people who have no clue about governance,” El-Rufai declared.
He accused voters of empowering politicians who seek office solely for personal enrichment.
“Our biggest mistake is trusting those good at taking power, not using it well,” he said.
El-Rufai warned that the cycle of bad leadership would persist without a change in public behavior.
In his remarks, Professor Usman Yusuf blamed the state of Nigeria’s healthcare on systemic failure.
The former NHIS Executive Secretary argued that hospitals are collapsing due to broken governance.
“Our healthcare workers are skilled, but the system they operate in is rotten,” he stated.
He said Nigeria’s worsening poverty is rooted in deep-seated corruption and long-term leadership failure.
“Until we elect people with integrity, nothing will change,” Yusuf warned.
He urged Nigerians to stop voting based on sentiment or tribal loyalty.
“Do we love the people or just love ruling over them?” he asked pointedly.
Yusuf condemned the imbalance in infrastructure between urban and rural areas.
“We build bridges in cities while villagers can’t reach hospitals,” he noted.
He stressed the urgency of national reflection and reform.
The speakers unanimously called for a leadership overhaul across all levels of government.
They emphasized that Nigeria’s future depends on values-based leadership and people-driven governance.
Until poverty stops being a political weapon, Nigeria’s crisis will only deepen, they concluded.
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