From Mustapha Adamu, Kano
The 16th emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi ll has said that the first and second Africa’s richest men, Aliko Dangote and Abdussamad Isyaku Rabiu, also known as BUA, are products of Kano state, not Lagos as claimed by others.
Sanusi was reacting to a remark reportedly made by the Vice President, Kashim Shettima during an investment summit in Lagos recently, that Lagos made Dangote and BUA, not Kano.
But, speaking at the 60th anniversary of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria (ICSAN) in Kano on Thursday, Emir Sanusi threw jab at the Lagos, saying; “Kano produced Aliko and BUA. They went to Lagos to tach them how to do business.”
“I have been informed that some are saying Lagos produced Aliko and BUA. Kano produced them. They go to Lagos and do business and conquered,” the Emir remarked.
While delivering the speech, the former CBN governor called on the ICSAN to take lead in campaign on ethical rejuvenation and reawakening.
Sanusi said the institute should strive to ensure it members be ringleaders and foot soldiers for the campaign for ethical standards.
According to the Monarch, the reason the country has been going downhill is because it has not paid enough attention to values, noting that nothing can last without an ethical foundation.
“If you take our civil service when we were growing up, I mean, there was a reason the chief executives were called permanent secretaries. They were the ones who held the ministries together. They were the ones who made sure that civil service rules were applied. They were the ones who held politicians to account. They would refuse to take instructions that were in violation of legal and regulatory guidelines.
“Then some smart people decided that, no, the permanent secretaries should not be the chief executives, they should be called directors-general, they should be politicized, and that was the beginning of the deterioration of our civil service.
“Because the civil service is the backbone of government. It is where you have institutional memory, it is a custodian of ethics and values. Politicians come and go, but civil servants are the glue that hold policy together across electoral cycles, across generations.
“Therefore, this institute has a role, and I do hope that beyond the private sector, you will get in your members from the public service, and I hope that wherever your members are, be they in banks, in companies, in ministries, they will be a source of inspiration for everyone, and they will be the ringleaders, the foot soldiers for a campaign of a return to ethical standards.
“I hope that this institute will take the lead in this campaign for ethical rejuvenation, ethical reawakening across the entire country,” Emir Sanusi said.
The Guest Lecturer, Prof. Abdulmumini Bala-Ahmed while delivering his keynote address, emphasized that the institute occupies a unique and strategic position in the architecture of good governance.
Earlier, in her welcome address, the Institute’s President and Chairman of the governing council, Uto Ukpanah said the institute remains committed to positioning Nigeria as a leader in governance excellence not only within Africa but on the global stage.
She charged members to continue to champion integrity, transparency, professionalism, accountability and excellence.
She said the institute will continuously equip current and future generations of governance professionals with knowledge, skills and values required to succeed in an increasingly complex environment.
