The Emir of Kano, His Royal Highness, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, said yesterday that the high rate of kidnapping, thuggery and corruption, among other criminal activities in the country, are caused by the political class.
Sanusi also said the judiciary has been destroyed by the political class.
He spoke in Abuja as the keynote speaker at the Ansar-ud-deen Society of Nigeria’s 9th Triennial National Conference with the theme: Justice, equity and peaceful co-existence: ideals and reality in a multi-religious nation.
The former Central Bank Governor (CBN), who was represented by the a senior lecturer, Department of Islamic Studies, Bayero University Kano, Dr. Bashiru Umar, said Nigeria needs people who are committed to justice, adding that all hand must be on deck for a positive change.
He lamented the rate at which corruption is thriving, calling on Nigerians to stop celebrating corrupt people.
He said: “The political class has destroyed so many things in this country. The health system has been destroyed. People now travel abroad for medical attention.
“This political class has instituted thuggery, election malpractices, has institutionalised corruption. They have also destroyed the judiciary.
“Institutions have been destroyed. And the unfortunate thing is that it is meant to be perpetual, and the manipulation of these things has been the source of criminal violence, insecurity in our society, tribal clashes, religious crisis. One crisis will reduce, another one will spring up.
“There is now kidnapping among other crimes as a result of the elites. This has to change. We should learn from our creator.
“We need to save this our society from imminent destruction. We must support those championing the cause of justice. We must stand up to fight corruption on earth.
“We need people who are committed to justice. Corrupt people in the society should not be celebrated. Let us deny the exploiters their selfish interest.
“May God save us from these problems.”
The Vice President of Ansar-ud-deen Society of Nigeria, Alhaji Yusuf Ibrahim, said there cannot be peace without equity and justice.
Ibrahim appealed to politicians to “desist from exploiting our fault lines to further their political interests. It is not healthy for the growth and development of Nigeria.”
He said: “If we have lived peacefully in Nigeria in the past despite our religious differences, it is possible to co-exist peacefully today.
“Poverty and hunger has neither face nor ability to know who is a Muslim or not. It is therefore a clarion call this year to imbibe peace for the overall development of our dear country and humanity in general.”
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