Emir Sanusi - Governors should take responsibility for Nigeria's devt

Muhammadu Sanusi II

The Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, said yesterday that governors, rather than the Federal Government, have a greater responsibility to develop the country, since they are closer to the grassroots. Sanusi, who spoke at the commissioning of Olam International’s Feed Mill Poultry, said: “Development is now being driven by cities and not by the federation. Everywhere in the world now, it is the city of New York, City of Atlanta, City of Chicago, City of London, City of Paris, City of Tokyo.

“So, governors are far more important in development in Nigeria than the Federal Government and the only way to bring development to the grassroots is for every governor to go out internationally and locally to encourage private investment and create jobs in his state.” 

The monarch also noted that he often got himself into trouble whenever he delivered a speech in Kaduna State.

According to him, since agriculture was the way to go as far as diversification of the economy was concerned, governors should invest heavily in the sector. Sanusi lauded the efforts of Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State in encouraging investments in agriculture and urged other governors to emulate him.

His words: “It is always a pleasure to associate with the giant stride driven by my friend, the governor of Kaduna State. The problem, of course, is that every time I give a speech in Kaduna, I get myself into trouble. “Nigeria has a population of 170 million. In the next 20 years, we are going to have 85 million Nigerians within the ages of 20 and 40. That is more than the population of Germany, the world’s third largest economy. “The only way we are going to provide for this mass of young men is to invest in agriculture and industry. So, this is not just about food security, it is about the security of our nation.”

Source: Vanguardngr