Nigeria ‘dangerously’ divided by ethnicity, religion, says Sanusi

A former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Muhammad Sanusi, said Nigeria has been ‘dangerously’ divided by ethnicity and religion.

Sanusi, in a statement on Tuesday, said the situation has put the integrity of public institutions in question.

The former Emir of Kano pointed out that the country is more divided than it was during the civil war.

“In October 2022, speaking at the Kaduna Investment Forum, I told Nigerians that if anyone told them that dealing with Nigeria post-2023 would be easy, they should not vote for that person. I meant it,” Sanusi said.

“I don’t think Nigeria has been in a place as difficult as this since the civil war. We have a challenge of nation-building. We have a country that has been divided dangerously along ethnic and religious lines.”

Sanusi added that there is a need to define the kind of leaders the country needs and he noted that the process in which they emerged should also be scrutinised.

“We need to have a system where one cannot just go to participate in party primaries without being exposed to public scrutiny. This is what happens everywhere. People need to know what they are voting for. In other climes, they are compelled by law to participate in public debates to discuss issues of policy,” Sanusi said.

“You can actually get to the presidency without Nigerians knowing whether you have the capacity or the vision to do the job.

“I think when we do that, the parties will be forced to give us candidates that can do the work.”