• Decries growing insecurity, closure of key firms in the north
Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja
The Emir of Katsina, Abdulmumini Usman, has warned the All Progressives Congress (APC) against making promises to Nigerians without the intention of fulfilling them, saying those who deceive the people for political gains would answer to God on the Day of Judgment.
The emir, who spoke when he received the Director General of the APC Campaign and former Zamfara State Governor, Abdulaziz Yari, and his team at his palace, also decried growing insecurity in the North-west.
In the remarks translated from Hausa to English, Usman also lamented the restrictions on farming and the collapse of major industrial establishments that once provided jobs and economic opportunities in the northern region.
Addressing Yari and his entourage, the traditional ruler said political leaders must understand that leadership comes with the responsibility to serve the people honestly, warning that making promises without intending to fulfil them was a form of deception that would attract divine judgment.
“You speak nicely so that you can live peaceably with your wife; you speak kindly to a sick person so that they may find relief. You are even permitted to tell a strategic lie during wartime, such as saying you are going east when you intend to go west.
“But this kind of falsehood where you knowingly make promises about what you claim you will do, yet you have no intention of doing it. Allah will surely question you about it on Judgment Day, I swear by Allah,” the monarch said.
The emir urged politicians to embrace sincerity, compassion and service, stressing that politics should be about persuading people to accept one’s ideas rather than engaging in hostility, character assassination and hypocrisy.
“Politics is not madness. What is politics? It is convincing someone into your convictions. It is about drawing people to your perspective. That is politics, not fighting, castigation, hypocrisy, envy, castigation, and wickedness,” he said.
He added that political leaders and elders had a duty to speak the truth, irrespective of whose interests might be affected, insisting that genuine leadership required putting the welfare of others ahead of personal ambition.
“I swear by Allah, it is only when you genuinely love people, help them, and stand by them that Allah will love you, help you, and stand by you,” the emir said.
He cautioned against the growing tendency to use politics to undermine opponents and spread damaging allegations, arguing that such conduct was inconsistent with the moral obligations of leadership.
According to him, the country’s problems would persist unless Nigerians changed their attitudes and returned to the path of justice, unity and mutual assistance.
“Allah says He will not change our condition until we change ourselves. We have nothing left to do except to engage in castigation, ruining this person, ruining that person, and spreading evil tales about them. Why all this?” he asked.
The traditional ruler also warned against divisions among Nigerians, citing religious teachings that encourage unity and the protection of common interests.
He illustrated the danger of division with a Hausa proverb, saying: “It is only when the wall cracks that the lizard finds a way to enter.” He added that the situation had become even more dangerous, declaring: “But in our own case, it is not even a lizard trying to enter, it is a whole camel!”
The emir’s concerns extended to the worsening security situation in the North-west, where he said farming had become increasingly difficult, depriving communities of a major source of livelihood and undermining the region’s economic prospects.
He questioned the silence of political leaders and elders over the insecurity and the disappearance of major industrial establishments that once supported economic activity in the northern states.
“If you go to Kaduna, where is the Peugeot Automobile company? They have all collapsed. Why? And yet we remain silent. Where are the elders? We have to speak up,” he said.
The emir maintained that public office holders and community leaders should be more concerned about improving the lives of ordinary Nigerians than pursuing personal wealth, luxury and status.
“We must rise up not just so that I can climb a skyscraper or buy a billion-naira car, travel to England, or go wherever. Helping another person is greater than helping yourself,” he said.
The emir urged leaders to recognise that generosity and service to others were central to their responsibilities, warning that those who withheld assistance from people in need should not expect divine favour. “Give, and Allah will give to you. Withhold, and Allah will withhold from you,” he pointed out.
He said traditional rulers could only advise political leaders and call them to account morally, but stressed that they would not abandon their responsibility to speak out against injustice, dishonesty and the deterioration of conditions in their communities.