IBUKUNOLUWA KING-OKUNEYE
Sheikh Ahmad Gumi has slammed politicians for their display of wealth in the face of poverty in the country during the wedding of President Muhammadu Buhari’s son, Yusuf, in Kano State.
He stated this during a sermon at the Sultan Bello Mosque in Kaduna on Sunday. The Islamic scholar compared the politicians to bandits, saying that both have taken advantage of Nigerians to live a life of opulence.
He also pondered where the politicians got all the money they displayed at the wedding, if not from the public purse.
First News had reported that Yusuf Buhari married Zarah Bayero, the daughter of Emir of Bichi, Nasiru Bayero, at a grand ceremony held in Bichi, Kano State.
Dignitaries at the event included Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, former President Goodluck Jonathan, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, serving and former governors, traditional rulers, as well as prominent personalities from within and outside the country.
Gumi also complained that Nigerian politicians hired private jets to attend the wedding.
“Umar bn Khattab once took 16 dinar, which is equivalent of N2,040,000 today, from the treasury as estacode to Hajj. After their return, Umar admitted to Abdallah that they wasted public funds. Somebody told me private jets in Nigeria were all hired for the wedding of Buhari’s son.
“Some people are in captivity in the bushes and cities. Hunger is everywhere. People are facing all manner of problems, yet politicians spent public funds on private jets,” he lamented.