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Tag: Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi II

  • Sanusi: No man can take what God has given

    Sanusi: No man can take what God has given

    • Why I reinstated deposed monarch, by Kano governor

    • Yusuf vows to report judge who granted restraining order

    The re-instated Emir of Kano Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi II yesterday led the Jumat prayers at the Government House Kano moment after receiving his letter of appointment from Governor Abba Yusuf.

    God, he said in his first public reaction to his re-instatement, gives leadership to whom he wants and at the time he wants.

    “When He gives, no one can take it away, and when he takes it away, nobody can take it back,” he said.

    Governor Yusuf said Sanusi’s re-instatement was meant to correct his ‘victimization’ (dethronement) in 2019.

    Former Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso, who had first installed Sanusi in June 2014, denied giving directive for the reinstatement while some protesters, the Concerned Patriots of Nigeria, yesterday stormed the National Assembly and called on its leadership to intervene in the ongoing crisis in Kano Emirate.

    Sanusi, speaking yesterday after receiving his appointment letter, said the unfolding events in Kano underscored the Arab saying that “in everything that we are going to witness, there is a lesson that shows us that God is there.”

    He added: Whatever is happening to an individual is preordained by Allah, and to those who are sensible enough, it’s a lesson.

    “God is one and whatever He does, nobody can change and what He doesn’t do, nobody can.

    “Time will not permit for long talks. Whatever we will say, we have said it when we were leaving.

    “We made it clear that God has preordained time and cause for everything and everyone. He gave leadership to whom he wanted and at the time he wanted.

    “When He gives, no one can take it away, and when he takes it away, nobody can take it back.”

    Addressing the governor and members of the State Assembly in particular, Sanusi said: “My Governor and our assembly members, you will not understand the gravity of what you did for the history of Kano and the country at large.

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    “Among Kano Emirs, it started from Bagauda over 1,000 years ago. In this year, it was once that we had Emir Muhammadu Koguna who was overthrown and he came back after some days. This shows that in 1,000 years, there has been no case like what happened now.

    “In the northern part of this country, we have seen it in different states how politicians balkanised emirates with a state with one Emir becoming 20, some 19. In states of northern Nigeria, there are local governments with two or three first-class emirs all because the system has been destroyed.

    “This thing that has been brought to Kano, had it been it was allowed, one day we will wake up with Emir of Kumbotso, Bichi, Fagge and 44 Emirs. So what the government and the assembly did is a rescue mission.”

    Why we brought him back — Governor

    Governor Yusuf said his action in re-instating the Emir was borne out of his (Yusuf’s) conviction that Sanusi was victimised in 2019 when he was dethroned.

    “So, we had a feeling that we had to bring back what is due to the good people of the state. And by doing that, the bill was signed around after 5pm and there was no problem.

    “We signed the bill into law and it has become our law; nobody will change it,” the governor said.

    He said his decision was guided by collective and careful judgment about his (Sanusi’s) confidence, credibility and proven intellect that he will, by the grace of Allah, at this trying period of the emirate, deploy his wealth of experience to provide the required visionary and purposeful leadership to reunite and rebuild the traditional institution.

    He said: “Yesterday (Thursday) we gathered here in Government House and had series of meetings with the kingmakers. We also had extensive discussions with the Speaker and members of the State House of Assembly. We also had time to sit with the heads of security agencies in the state.

    “At the end of the day, we all sat down at that chamber, where I received the bill that repealed the former law and I signed the bill into law.

    “By the powers conferred on me by the Kano State Emirates Council of Chiefs, the Kano State Appointment and Deposition Law of 1984, in consonance  with the Kano State Emirate Council Repealed Law 2024 and supported by the recommendation of the Kano State Emirates Council kingmakers who are here with us, I, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of Kano State have the singular pleasure to confirm the appointment of Sanusi Lamido Aminu Sanusi as the 16th emir of Kano and the head of Kano emirates council.”

    He thanked the Speaker and State Assembly members for their “doggedness, commitment and respect for the rule of law,” saying what the lawmakers had done was a testament of their interest in the welfare of the people of the state.

    The governor alleged that Justice Mohammed Liman of the Federal High Court Kano,  who granted the Thursday order restraining the Kano State Government from  enforcing the Kano State Emirate Council Repeal Law and removing the emirs installed in five emirates in Kano following the dethronement of Sanusi, was in far away United States of America (USA).

    He said he signed the law at exactly 5:14pm before the court order case.

    “It means they were already armed with the motion ex-parte even before he gave assent to the bill passed by the State House of Assembly. Or at what time did they approach the court to obtain the order?” he asked.

    Governor Yusuf added: “The judge is in America. How could he sit in America and give order in Nigeria to stop a legitimate process?”

    He said Sanusi’s reinstatement was delayed because due process was being followed.

    According to the new law, “All traditional office holders and title holders elevated or appointed to office created under the repealed Principal Law, dated 5th December, 2019 shall revert to their position where such positions previously existed under recognised custom and traditions prior to the enactment of the repealed Principal Law dated 5th December, 2019.”

    Yusuf said: “It is not a new stool; neither is Sanusi a new emir. The king has only returned home to his throne after it was balkanised. It has all along been his throne.”

    The governor said Kano was peaceful and calm, and he appealed to the people to go about their businesses.

    Justice Mohammed Liman had given the order following an application by a kingmaker, Alhaji Aminu Babba Dan Agundi.

    Kano State Government, Kano Assembly, the Speaker, the Attorney-General, Commissioner of Police, Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the State Security Service (SSS) are respondents.

     The governor said Sanusi would return to his lodge with members of his emirate council after the Jumat prayers to continue with the business of the emirate council.

    “An announcement shall be made later as to when he will move to the palace,” the governor said.

    He charged the emir, an Islamic scholar, to use his wisdom to unite all the Islamic sects in the state.

    As soon as he received his appointment letter and confirmation as Emir of Kano, all the district heads and senior council chiefs bowed and paid allegiance to him at the Africa House.

    Group protests Sanusi’s reinstatement

    The Concerned Patriots of Nigeria accused Governor Yusuf of taking what they called his abuse of office to another level by dissolving the traditional council.

    They carried placards expressing their concern.

    They urged the NASS leadership to resolve the crisis and ensure the restoration of peace and stability in the state.

    Coordinator of the group, Abdullahi Muhammed Saleh, said: “A lot has been going wrong in the state but the Concerned Patriots of Nigeria had thought it best to allow Kano State to sort out its thorny issues.

    “However, Thursday’s brash actions of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of Kano State, who sacked five emirs to reappoint Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi as the 14th Emir of Kano has awoken us to the urgency of raising the alarm about the destructive excesses of the state governor.

    “Since being sworn into office, Governor Abba Yusuf has a string of loutish acts that runs like a hardened criminal’s rap sheet. All in the name of rubbishing his predecessor, he started with a demolition spree that has served to impoverish the people whose lives he took an oath to improve. Thus he proved himself to be anti-people.

    “The Governor then attempted to destroy the structures of political parties in the state. The impish fanaticism with which he pursued this illicit mission saw him intruding into the structure of other political parties, including hiring some charlatans who purportedly suspended the national chairman of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, who is interestingly his predecessor. Thus he proved himself to be anti-democratic.

    Kwankwaso: Re-instatement not my directive

    Responding to the allegation that Sanusi’s reinstatement followed his 2023 statement that the 2019 dethronement would be reviewed, Kwankwaso said on BBC Hausa yesterday that he heard, like other people, that the State Assembly had repealed the law on the creation of more emirates in Kano.

    He said: “When I said we would revisit the case, I didn’t say the direction to follow.

    “I just said it would be reviewed… When I go there, I will hear what happened, and I am sure they will tell me whatever happened. And whatever they tell me, we just pray for them. I heard the Assembly members had repealed the law.

    “What we were telling them was they should go and investigate whether what happened was done out of goodwill or not. What happened appears to be a vendetta or cheating. It’s just a matter of did Ganduje do right or wrong. It’s not about going against him.

    “I will go to Kano very soon and I will speak with some of the assembly members, especially the speaker and the Governor, on what is happening.”

    He added: “Those that are looking at it from the perspective of whether it’s going to be tenure-based are somehow right. But who started it?

    “When I came back as Governor in 2011, everybody knew that the late Emir of Kano, Ado Bayero, was not supporting us; he was supporting (Ex-Gov Ibrahim Shekarau).

    “But when we got into power we didn’t even think of dethroning him. This is why we are telling people that everybody should sit down where he belongs.”

  • Emir Sanusi urges Gov. Ganduje to forgive all

    The Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi II on Saturday organised a special prayer session at the Kano Central Mosque for Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje’s administration as he is about to enter into his second term in office.

    The session was attended by District Heads, Chief Imam of Kano, scholars, members of the  State Executive Council, Special Advisers among others.

    This was contained in a statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Malam Abba Anwar and made available to newsmen on Saturday in Kano.

    ‎According to the Emir,  the prayer is to seek for Allah’s protection and guidance for the governor’s second term in office and the country as a whole.

    Sanusi explained that forgiveness was necessary in anything that has to do with governance and social relationship, insisting that “misunderstanding is sometime caused by sycophants.

    “It is not bad for anyone to hold on to his or her opinion about happenings in the society. But what is necessary is the fact that after election, all people should come together and see to the successful tenure of government in power.

    Read also: Kano Emir organises special prayer for Ganduje’s second term

    “Because of that, it is necessary that Ganduje administration deserves all necessary support and cooperation for the development of our dear state.

    “We must all come together and make Kano greater. We must work hard and pray incessantly for the rightful development of our state and the nation in general,” the monarch added.

    Sanusi, who prayed for Allah’s protection from the handiwork of sycophants, also said that political , traditional, religious and leaders of the business community should not allow any misunderstanding come in between them.

    “Whoever wants to create confusion and misunderstanding between these categories of leadership, is somebody who goes astray.

    “Such a person doesn’t want the development of our state at all,” he cautioned.

    While calling on the governor to always investigate any story that goes to him, he explains that, sometime people would just fabricate stories and start spreading rumour, with the intention of causing confusion.

    “Sometimes some people will do something without your consent. But some individuals will just go ahead and start spreading rumor that it was you who planned for that. While that thing happens without even your knowledge.

    “So we will keep on praying for a peaceful Kano and for a successful tenure and you to be a leader with large heart, who embraces all.” (NAN )

  • Fashola decries illegal sand mining at Tamburawa River in Kano

    Fashola decries illegal sand mining at Tamburawa River in Kano

    The Minister of Power Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, has decried illegal sand mining in Tamburawa River in Kano state, urging the state government and the Emirate Council to ban the mining activities.

    Fashola made the call in Kano when he visited Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State and the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi II.

    He said continued sand mining at the site would not sustain the Federal Government’s ongoing project of reinstating and protecting the bridge constructed over the river as a result of the earlier exposure of its foundation.

    “There was an erosion problem caused by illegal sand mining which had exposed the foundation of the bridge and endangering the entire structure.

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    “The Federal Government has responded to the problem and in another five months from now, the contractor will complete his work.
    “But we need the Kano State Government to assist us in ensuring that the sand mining activities in the river is moved away from the proximity of the bridge.

    “If it continues, it will continue to endanger that bridge in spite of our efforts, so I am appealing to you, the government and the people of Kano to help us protect the asset.

    “The contractor has recommended that no mining should take place within three kilometres on either sides of the bridge,” he said.

    Fashola told the governor and the emir separately that the Federal Government had awarded the rehabilitation of the 360 kilometres Abuja-Kano road to Julius Berger.

    He said two contractors; Metropolitan Construction Company and MotherCat had been deployed to provide routine maintenance on the Kano-Zaria section of the road.
    The minister said this was to ensure that the road remained passable pending the commencement of the rehabilitation work.

    Fashola said he was in the state ahead of the top management retreat of the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing holding in the state capital on Friday and Saturday.

    In his response, Sanusi commended the minister for the visit and the choice of Kano State as the venue of the retreat.

    He applauded the minister for the award of Abuja-Kano road rehabilitation and other ongoing Federal Government projects in the state.

    The monarch, however, solicited for more and assured the minister that the emirate council would support the Federal Government to ensure a stop to sand mining in Tamburawa River.

    In a related development, Prof Hafiz Abubarkar, the Deputy Governor of Kano State, who received the minister, also solicited for more of the Federal Government presence in the state.

    NAN

     

  • ACF warns those behind Ganduje, Emir Sanusi rift to desist

    ACF warns those behind Ganduje, Emir Sanusi rift to desist

    ..as Anthony Sani becomes ACF Sec Gen

     

    Mouthpiece of Northern Nigeria, the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has warned those fanning the ember of crisis between Kano State Governor, Alhaji Abdullahi Umar Ganduje and the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi II to desist.

    ACF while commending the efforts of Northern States Governors Forum for the peace it brokered between the duo, urged that the agreement reached should be respected in the interest of peace and stability of Northern Nigeria.

    The forum in a communique issued at the end of its joint meeting of the Board of Trustees and the National Executive Council said, “the attention of the leadership of Arewa Consultative Forum has been drawn to the simmering crisis between the Kano State Government and the Kano Emirate Council.

    “However, ACF is aware of the peace initiative brokered by the Northern States Governors Forum (NSGF) in Kaduna and hope that the decisions taken would continue to be respected in the interest of peace and stability of the North and Nigeria in general.

    “ACF urges all outside interest groups to desist from fanning the embers of discord”, it said.

    The communiqué signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Muhammad Ibrahim Biu also revealed that the forum, now has a new Secretary General, Mr. Anthony N. Z Sani.

    Anthony Sani who is a one time National Publicity Secretary of ACF is taking over from Col. John I. P Ubah, who resigned the position.

    Meanwhile, Alhaji Ibrahim Ahmadu Coomassie, IGP rtd, has been reelected as the Chairman National Executive Committee of the forum.

    According to the communiqué, “The Joint Meeting of the Board of Trustees and the National Executive Council of Arewa Consultative Forum under the Chairmanship of Alhaji Adamu M. Fika (Wazirin Fika), Chairman BOT, was held on the 10th of May, 2017,at the ACF Headquarters, No. 11A Sokoto Road, Kaduna.

    “In attendance were the Chairman NEC, Alhaji Ibrahim A. Coomassie, IGP rtd, GCON, mni, Sardauna Katsina, Deputy Chairman BOT, AVM Mukhtar Mohammed Wazirin Dutse, Lt. Gen MI Wushishi rtd),and other members of both the BOT and NEC from the 19 Northern States and Abuja.

    “The meeting received and adopted the report of the 2017 Leadership Selection Committee for officials of the National Working Committee of NEC. The recommendations of the Committee were discussed and accepted as follows;

    “The re-election of the Chairman NEC, IGP Ibrahim A. Coomassie and all other members of the National Working Committee for another tenure of three 3 years. The acceptance of resignation letter of Col JIP Ubah, rtd, as the Secretary General of the Forum. The election of Mr. Anthony N. Z. Sani as the new Secretary General of the Forum.

    “Others are: the election of Brig. Gen Sen. John Shagaya as Vice-Chairman of the BOT. That henceforth the practice of restricting recruitment of leaders to specific geo-political zones be discontinued in respect of the Chairman of BOT, Chairman of NEC and Secretary General. It shall now be opened to all interested persons from the North. However, for the lower level leadership positions of both the BOT and the NWC, they should continue to be distributed to the geo-political zones on rotational basis.

    “The tenure of all officials in the NEC shall run for only one single term of three (3) years. The tenure of the leadership of the BOT shall run for only one single term of four (4) years. The meeting reaffirmed its belief in the unity of the North and the peaceful coexistence of its people.

    “Towards this end, the forum appeals to all Nigerians to come to terms with the reality that the current socio-economic challenges the nation is passing through are not beyond redemption and can become history under purposeful leadership”, the communiqué read.

     

  • Sanusi to BBOG, include all young victims of insurgency in campaign

    Sanusi to BBOG, include all young victims of insurgency in campaign

    The Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi II has urged the Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) movement to broaden their campaign to include all young victims of insurgency in Nigeria.

    Sanusi made the call in Abuja on Friday at the inaugural annual lecture to mark the third anniversary of the abduction of the Chibok Girls with the theme: ‘Where goes our girl-child, our nation goes.’

    According to him, BBOG should always endeavour to draw the attention of the Federal Government and other stakeholders to the plight of girls and women in the society following activities of Boko Haram terrorists.

    The emir, who was represented by his daughter, Hajiya Shahida Sanusi, explained that as at today in Dalori II Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp near Maiduguri alone, more than  1,500 girls were either pregnant or nursing babies.

    Sanusi noted that due to society’s neglect hundreds of orphans are being carried away to unknown destinations and they are thrown into oblivion.

    “Our interest should be in bringing back all our girls but after these girls are brought back, we need to ask ourselves as well where are they being brought back to? What kind of society?

    “How much better is the normal environment we take for granted than Boko Haram’s camps,” he asked.
    The traditional ruler stressed the need for the BBOG to shift its focus to the broader social reality of women in Africa, Nigeria and especially the North.

    “We all claimed to be horrified by what terrorists have done and we all call this primitive and barbaric but what about the situation where your girls out of schools were forced into marriages against their consent.”

    “Such girls are often turned into mothers at a young age and exposed them to serious health risks and sometimes inflict beatings and verbal abuse on them.”

    “It is often not the fault of girls or their parents, what do they do if there are no educational and health system made available for the poor?” he asked.

    Also speaking, the Chairperson of the occasion, Prof Alele Williams urged the government to equip the military to rescue the remaining Chibok girls.

    Williams said that it had taken too long and the government had no excuse not to rescue the remaining 195 girls in captivity.

    One of the parents of the abducted girls, Mrs Rebekah Samuel who broke down in tears, appealed to government and the international community to redouble their efforts at rescuing their children in captivity.

    ” Three years not three days neither three weeks nor three months, Government help us, President Buhari help us.”

    Samuel commended the effort of BBOG movement for their tireless efforts at ensuring the abducted girls are returned to their families.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 276 girls were abducted from Government Secondary School (GGSS)Chibok in Borno state on April 14, 2014.

    NAN reports that 57  escaped while 24 were later freed through military effort and Federal Government’s negotiation with the terrorist group.

  • Genital mutilation: Police arrest victim’s father, 3 others

    Genital mutilation: Police arrest victim’s father, 3 others

    The Police Command in Kano State has arrested one Ibrahim Maikaji, the father of the girl who was circumcised by some local barbers at Sabuwar Kaura village in Doguwa Local Government Area.

    The Public Relations officer of the command, DSP Magaji Majiya, disclosed this while briefing newsmen shortly after presenting the suspects to newsmen in Kano on Tuesday.

    Majiya said the command had also arrested the three traditional barbers who forcefully held her and used sharp object to operate on her, thereby causing grievous injury to her.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi II, had handed over the case to the Police Commissioner, Mr Rabi’u Yusuf, after the girl was brought to the palace.

    “We have arrested the father who mishandled his biological daughter to local barbers for genital mutilation.

    “This operation was cruelly carried out and it caused grievous injury to the genital organ of the victim,” the police spokesman said.

    He gave the names of the three suspected barbers as Shu’aibu Wanzam, Muhammadu Garba and Aminu Ali.

    Majiya said all the suspects were undergoing interrogation for criminal conspiracy and causing grievous hurt, and assured that they would soon be arraigned in court for proper prosecution.

    He warned parents to desist from such illegal acts as anyone caught would be arrested and prosecuted.

  • Return of Hobbes

    Return of Hobbes

    It is the era of self-help: against violence by terrorists; and impunity by the government

    Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi II, told the people to defend themselves from terror attacks, even if that is the fundamental and legal duty of the state.

    Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, told the people to defend themselves against brazen rights’ violation by the Goodluck Jonathan Presidency, even if the Constitution compels the government to rule by law, not by arbitrary power.

    Welcome, the society of self-help: Boko Haram slays the people; the government slays their rights, even as the government fights Boko Haram.  The Nigerian citizen appears trapped between the devil (terrorists) and the deep blue sea (government)!

    Thomas Hobbes’s state of nature beckons, where life is nasty, brutish and short!  Transplanted to a modern setting, Boko Haram marks an era of acute insecurity that makes nonsense of the concept of the modern state.  Brazen abuse of citizens’ rights, in a supposed democracy, hallmarks creeping fascism.

    It is a dash into the past, on the wings of anomie, with disastrous consequences.  In any case, that appears the grave submission of the combined opinions of these two eminent Nigerian citizens.

    On November 15, Emir Sanusi, speaking at a prayer meeting, told his Kano subjects to defend themselves.  “These people, when they attack towns, they kill boys and enslave girls … People must stand resolute.  People,” he warned, apparently targeting Nigerians beyond the reach of Boko Haram violence for now, “must not assume that the crisis will not reach their area.”

    In an apparent thumbs-down for Nigerian security agencies, the Emir declared: “People must not wait for soldiers to protect them.  There are even instances where soldiers on ground ran away in the face of attack.”

    The Emir’s comment was after the November 14 terrorist bombing at the Magarsiku Filling Station at Hotoro, Kano, with casualties: six dead, five injured.

    But on November 28 Boko Haram, perhaps provoked by the Emir’s virtual call to arms, returned with a blistering attack on Friday worshippers at the Kano Central Mosque’s Jumat, where the Emir himself usually leads prayers.  The Economist, the London weekly, headlined the attack, in its story: “Banker Vs Boko: From inflation targeter [reference to Sanusi’s tenure as CBN governor] to insurgent target.”

    The casualties: no less than 130 worshippers dead; killed by suicide bombers and gunmen; and scores of others injured.  Though the Police had earlier reacted to the Emir’s earlier call for citizen self-defence as a “call to anarchy”, according to The Economist’s report, the attack on the Kano Central Mosque, perhaps targeting Sanusi himself, had justified such a call.  The state appears unable to guarantee security, as clearly compelled by Section 14(2)(B) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.

    On December 3, Prof. Soyinka dismissed President Jonathan as “worse than Nebuchadnezzar”, for the fascist inclination of his presidency; and called Nigerian citizens to defend themselves against the present government’s penchant to assault citizens’ rights and subvert state institutions.

    He named two specific examples: the police invasion of the National Assembly; and shameful tear-gassing of House of Representatives members, to prevent Speaker Aminu Tambuwal from gaining access; and the destruction of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF), simply because the president’s man lost its chairmanship, 16-19 votes.

    He particularly came down hard on the empty conceit of Inspector-General of Police, Suleiman Abba: his hasty withdrawal of the Speaker’s security details; his arrogant misinterpretation of the law to justify his illegality, and his obduracy, before a parliamentary panel, of defending his rash actions — particularly the desecration of the National Assembly grounds — which not a few feel is not only lawless but brazen.

    “Let’s not beat about the bush: the line has been drawn,” the Nobelist and social critic thundered.  “The people must decide — whether to submit or resist.  We may be no-count plebeians in the sight of the new-born patricians of Aso Rock and their apologists,” he added with biting sarcasm, “but must we revert to the Abachanian status of glorified slaves?”

    Evoking the iconic Ladi as powerful symbol of people’s resistance  — Ladi, the female hunter among men who mauled Boko Haram at Mubi, Adamawa State, even after the army had melted before the Islamists — he called on Nigerians to resist the creeping fascism of President Jonathan, insisting that Nigerians would not vanquish the Abacha military dictatorship only to  succumb to Jonathan’s civilian fascism.

    “Defend yourself!” Soyinka again thundered.  “That is what the perceptive have preached and groups like the so-called [Civilian] Joint Task Force translated into action, the real heroes of the defence of the tattered Nigeria sovereignty.”

    Still, aside from Nigerians’ right to security and legal rights, the self-defence on which Sanusi and Soyinka have harped, not a few Nigerians have since made their peace with self-help  in key areas like water-supplies (public mains are rare and far-between, leaving citizens to dig own wells and make boreholes) and electricity (electricity generating sets and inverters have taken over from scandalously inefficient public power supply, despite the ballyhooed privatisation of the power sector).

    In the field of education and health, it is at best a split scorecard: citizens who have the financial muscles take charge of their own education and health needs, while only the poor tend to leave their fate to government schools and hospitals.

    How does the government justify its existence when it fails in these very basic chores?

    These are the sober posers the Sanusi-Soyinka intervention have brought to the fore.  They bring out, in bold relief, the stark failure of governance; and the gradual collapse of the state — which must bother every rational Nigerian.

    So, rather than resort to vulgar abuse on the social media as many government supporters and other misguided citizens have done, the two eminent citizens deserve praise for hitting the problem right on the head; and challenging the Jonathan government to correct its glaring lapses.

    Nigeria and Nigerians would be better for it, if it did.