Northern Nigeria Has Been Left Behind, Emir Sanusi II Laments

The 16th Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, has lamented the Northern Nigeria’s failure to capitalise on its vast population for development, urging stakeholders to prioritise investments in education and agriculture to uplift the region.

Speaking as the guest speaker at the 50th anniversary of the visit of the founder of Faidha Tijjaniyya in West Africa, Sheikh Ibrahim Nyass, in Jos, Plateau State, the monarch noted that a significant population from the region practise subsistence farming and lacked access to modern agricultural technologies. He stressed the urgent need for the North to modernise its agricultural practices and improve educational standards, adding that the “North must wake up.”

In a lecture titled ‘The Imperative of Harmonious Coexistence in a Multi-Ethnic and Multi-Religious Setting’, the Emir drew on historical examples of peacebuilding, recalling the visit of the renowned Senegalese Islamic scholar Sheikh Ibrahim Nyass to Nigeria 50 years ago to promote peaceful coexistence between Muslims and non-Muslims in the then Benue-Plateau State.

Emir Sanusi II noted that his grandfather, late Emir Muhammadu Sanusi I, received Sheikh Nyass with the approval of the then Benue-Plateau Governor, J. D. Gomwalk, a gesture that emphasised tolerance.

The Kano Emir, therefore, called on Muslims in Plateau State to complement the governor’s efforts in promoting sustainable peace and development.