“I Only Knew What Poverty Is When I Became Emir” — Sanusi Lamido

The Emir of Kano and former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, has made a stirring admission about the deep realities of poverty in Nigeria, declaring that it was only after he became Emir that he truly understood the scale and pain of poverty in the country.

Sanusi made this statement while delivering a goodwill message during a public lecture in Abuja, themed: “Weaponization of Poverty as a Means of Underdevelopment: A Case Study of Nigeria.” The event was held in honour of former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, who was marking his 60th birthday.

“Many of the elite in Nigeria do not know what poverty is,” Sanusi said. “As an economist and former CBN Governor, I saw the numbers. But I did not know poverty until I became Emir.”
He recounted firsthand experiences of visiting rural communities where residents drank contaminated water, children studied in dilapidated classrooms, and basic healthcare remained out of reach.

“We make overheads and underpasses for ourselves in the cities, but in rural areas, people cannot access hospitals. Do we really love the people or do we just love ruling over them?” Sanusi asked rhetorically, highlighting the stark disconnect between leadership and the people they serve.
He criticized misplaced development priorities and called for a deeper sense of empathy and responsibility from those in power.

Joining the conversation, former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai lamented Nigeria’s recurring leadership failures.

“We keep electing people who only know how to grab power but don’t know what to do with it,” El-Rufai said bluntly.
On his part, Prof. Usman Yusuf, former Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), emphasized that poverty in Nigeria is largely a consequence of corruption and governance failure, not just economic mismanagement. He noted that most of the problems patients face in hospitals are not purely medical but rooted in systemic neglect.

“Multidimensional poverty will persist unless citizens take charge and vote for what is right,” Yusuf warned.
Beyond Pity, Toward Structural Change
The lecture underscored a growing consensus among some of Nigeria’s most prominent public figures: poverty in Nigeria is not just an economic issue—it is political, structural, and deliberate. The weaponization of poverty, as discussed, involves using deprivation to manipulate and control the masses, reducing their ability to demand accountability or assert their rights.

Sanusi’s remarks especially carry weight, given his dual perspective as both an economist and a traditional ruler exposed to grassroots realities. His candour serves as a rallying cry for reform — not just of policy, but of the collective mindset of Nigerian leadership.

As Sanusi aptly put it, the real focus should now be:

“We are in crisis. How do we get out?”