Stop fighting over 2019: Sultan, Emir Sanusi tell politicians

THE Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Abubakar Saad and Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II  took a critical look at the political crisis between the Executive, Legislative and Judicial arms of government and appealed to them to closed ranks and  stop fighting over 2019.

Speaking at the Kaduna Investment forum tagged KADIVEST 2.0 organised by the Kaduna state government on Wednesday both the royal fathers lamented that while we are talking and thinking of how to come out of the difficult economic environment facing the country, the executive, national assembly and the judiciary are busy fighting each other on political issue ahead of 2019.

The Sultan counselled politicians that ‘We are still in 2017 and they should start thinking of addressing the multifaceted problems facing the country instead of engaging in personality war.

He said the time to act is now, saying, ‘the politicians have to put things right before it is too late.

While, the Emir who delivered a keynote address reminded his audience that “if you have been reading and watching news for the last one month, the big and concerned news politically is about leadership” but unfortunately, “the conversation is not about electricity, infrastructure, education, and health-care.

“All the conversation is about the national assembly, the executive, the judiciary, conflict between this politician and that politician as well as confirmation of EFCC boss”.

While regretting that within the period “there has been no serious conversation around the people”, Sanusi said the problem with that political development is that “it has created noise” at the expense of good efforts.

He counselled that no matter what one is doing, “if you create to make noise, nobody is seeing your progress on security, the fight against corruption. All we see is a constant struggle between certain politicians and others holding this country to ransom and all of us have been sucked into it”.

To this end, “I joined the Sultan by calling on our political leaders at national and sub-national levels to please remember that elections are not in 2017, therefore let us stop playing politics and talk about education and health care . When we get to late 2018, you stop working and politicise, we will understand that but for now it is too early.

“You can’t be in politics for four years. This is a big problem when we are talking about economic difficult environment, a lot of which is self-inflicted”. Sanusi argued.

The Emir congratulated Gov Nasir El-Rufai for organizing the forum which he described as timely and said it is because of the importance of the event to Kaduna state and the nation in general that he decided to be in attendance, more so that “this is the first conversation” that has to do with grow and development and “not politician fighting one politician.