The Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi II, says political elites have manipulated restructuring for their selfish interest.
Sanusi II, represented by Dr Bashir Umar of the Ado Bayero University, Kano, said this on Friday at the 9th Triennial National Conference of Ansar-Ud-Deen Society of Nigeria in Abuja.
The theme of the conference is “Justice, Equity and Peaceful Coexistence: Ideas and Reality in a Multi-Religious Nation.“
According to him, the manipulation of fault lines by elites has been the source of communal violence and insecurity in the society.
He said that the elites’ blind thirst for power has resulted in tribal and religious clashes,“even though they are reducing in most part of the nation, but one type of crisis will reduce then another one will spring up.
“It is not as if we are pro- or anti-restructuring, but rather the restructuring has been turned into a fault line that is been manipulated and exploited by the elites.
“We have elite in the society that have received the best of care from the resources of the society. People of my age and those before me attended public schools from primary to university.
“Unfortunately, the elites that benefited from the system in the past have left public institutions to become vandalised, dilapidated and substituted it with a private education system that is affordable only to a very few.
“The health system has also been vandalised and now people have to go on medical tourism in India, Egypt, and Europe. The unfortunate thing is sometimes before you get the air ambulance the will of Allah will take place,“ he said.
The monarch said the elites that got power after the military created a political class that instituted thuggery, election malpractices, corruption and destroyed the Judiciary, Civil Service and security agencies.
“These are all the result of the work of the political class and the unfortunate thing is that it is made to become something that is perpetual.
“This has to be changed and our duty as Muslims is to learn from the ideals of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) to save the society from eminent danger that is facing it.“
Alhaji Yusuf Adebayo, National Vice-President, Ansar-Ud-Deen Society of Nigeria, appealed to politicians to desist from exploiting fault lines for their political interest.
According to Adebayo, such attitude is not healthy for the growth and development of the country.
He, therefore, advised the youth to stop making themselves tools for agent provocateurs who always profit from religious violence in the country.
He urged Nigerians to imbibe peace for the overall development of the country and humanity in general.
National President of the society, Dr Lateef Okunnu, said the organisation retained it premier position among all Muslim missions and societies through the propagation of Islam.
He said in fulfilment of one of the two principal objectives of the society, the National Universities Commission issued full certificate of operation to the Ansar-Ud-Deen University named Summit University, Offa, Kwara State.
