The Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi II, has decried the use of religion by politicians, particularly from the north, of exploiting their people.
He warned that the North is presently having a larger population of destitute compared to the southern.
The Emir was speaking at the International Youth Graduation and Annual Lecture of the Katsina Vocational Training Centre, Katsina.
The centre, founded by the late M.D Yusuf, focuses on empowering the youths, particularly the physically-challenged, through vocational skills and grants to enable them become self-reliant.
Sanusi, who spoke on “Youth, Security and National Development in Nigeria”, lamented that the north had, in the last two decades, lost its focus due to the politicisation of region and culture.
He said: “Politicians had turned Islam into a vehicle for political campaign, thereby exploiting the religious character and ignorance of the people.
“Rather than solving problems in education and health, governors were busy promising to deliver religion, which led to the underdevelopment of many states in the north. It was no surprise that states, which lay too much emphasis on religion over development, were those found to lag behind in socio-economic advantages.”
The emir lamented that due to the problem, the people no longer demanded education for their children, nor demanded for healthcare, but were satisfied with slogans and pilgrimages that have become jamborees
He, however, said the state alone should not be blamed for the present predicament, as it was a collective responsibility to find solution to challenges facing the region and country in general.
Sanusi, therefore, called on organisations like the vocational centre to play important advocacy roles by making “informed suggestions to policy makers based on scientific studies because of the soft power you possess.”
He also called on the government to invest more in agriculture to absorb the youths, as this was what some Asian countries did before they became what they are today.
The monarch also urged political leaders to sign peace pacts before the 2019 elections which would ensure peaceful elections and discourage the use of youths to perpetuate violence.
