The Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, on Saturday said Nigerians must ensure they elect into public offices, leaders who “are educated and know the value of education.”
Sanusi said Nigerians had made mistakes in the past by electing leaders without education, who subsequently could not give quality education when they got into the government.
The Emir stated this at the 6th convocation of the Nile University of Nigeria, Abuja, where he urged Nigerians not to elect leaders without quality education to public offices.
Sanusi, who was conferred with an Honorary Doctor of Science, alongside the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III, said the Federal Government must use part of the trillions of naira it spent on subsiding petroleum products to educate the youth of the country.
The Emir said, “We have to take an interest in the quality of our leaders and representatives in the level of education. If you look around this country at many levels of leadership, we have elected and we have chosen to elect people who do not have education. And because they are not educated, they cannot give education.
“We need to lay more emphasis on the quality of people we elect to executive and legislative offices and we need to make sure that those to whom we entrust policy are themselves educated and know the value of education.
“Let us invest more in education and let us give up some of the privileges that we have such as the trillions we are spending subsiding petroleum products. That money should go into educating our young people.
In a remark, the Alaafin of Oyo commended the university for the award, saying the honour would motivate him to contribute more to the country.
Vice-Chancellor, Nile University, Prof Huseyin Sert, said 21 students bagged First Class; 67 got Second Class Upper; 96 got Second Class Lower Division, and two persons got Third Class, making a total number of 365 students who graduated.
