I remember the only time i had ever seen deposed Emir Sanusi Lamido Sanusi in person.I had just discovered a mechanic in April 2017 who told me of a work-around i had never before heard of to elevate the rear of my car. The whole process cost just a fraction of what i would have ordinarily spent and i was ecstatic. I left the car with him and couldn’t wait because i had some where else to go so i boarded a tricycle.I didn’t notice anything special happening along the Murtala Mohammed Jumaat Mosque Road in Hausawa,Kano though they actually was.It was only when we got to the entrance of the mosque that i noticed Emir Sanusi doing an open top procession.
Whether or not it was a calculated move to bond with his people i still cannot say but he wasn’t heavily guarded by either conventional law enforcement agents or his palace guards.He was so unlatched,pulling up to his side was very easy but no one seemed the least interested in doing that.No one was cheering and as a matter of fact,no one was as much as giving a second look.It dawned on me more than ever that Sanusi wasn’t adored by his people.
I read an African Report article on Thursday and it told me more than anything else, just how far the story of the incoming NNPP government’s promise to review Emir Sanusi’s dethronement had travelled and just how keen even those outside these shores were to watch it unravel.Whatever the incoming Abba Yusuf administration does,it must put the interest of Kano people first.I wrote an article calling on the outgoing administration to do same when it suspended the probe of Sanusi for misappropriation of funds due to the intervention of ‘prominent persons’ and i am sure Ganduje regrets back-tracking on that today.
He cannot convince anyone he did not create additional emirates and placed them at par with that of Kano just to spite Sanusi when they fell out before of course, Sanusi’s eventual dethronement.It doesn’t matter what Ganduje has to say in his defence,that is what everyone believes and as far as they are concerned,Kano funds that could be better utilized are now used to operate a structure put in place only to belittle an Emir.I may not be the most knowledgeable in matters of tradition but i know for a fact that the North has the highest reverence for traditional institutions in Nigeria.The turban of an Emir being tied to drop low and cover his mouth emblematizes the need to guard his utterances.
A monarch must never place himself in a position where he will engage in a back and forth; via the media or otherwise, with a political office holder or his aide.He must be heard advising a government as a father of all and not criticizing it.Like i always say,there is no such thing as a modern day traditional ruler.Governors and Presidents go to bow at their palaces despite having the power to unseat them when the sanctity of the institution has not been desecrated.
I supported Sanusi’s enthronement on the basis of equity and the need to spread it across the ruling families whenever the chance presents itself but i was quite vocal also in the need for him to conform to the demands of the position and relinquish it if at all he can’t.Those of us that supported him then were no doubt in the minority as reference to the ensuing protests that greeted his appointment would prove.People eventually let go because the deed was done by a very popular Kwankwaso administration that had endeared itself to the people of Kano.The consequences of that act were felt most after Kwankwaso had left office.
It is a well documented fact that Sanusi sent his daughter Shahida to represent him at the inaugural Chibok Girls Lecture in Abuja in 2017 instead of any member of his council.She did not only brag openly about being the first female to represent an Emir,her father via a video message,eulogized her before the audience for slapping a boy once.It is no secret,this is in the public realm.
Ganduje may have gotten it wrong with the creation of emirates but he got Sanusi’s dethronement spot on.Just like there cannot be a digital Hawar Daushe horse procession for Sallah,there cannot be an activist or feminist Emir.
I call on the Abba Yusuf administration to in addition to feeling the pulse of Kano indigenes regarding Sanusi and also considering the imprioriety of switching Emirs in their lifetime,to also thoroughly scrutinize the corruption allegations against Sanusi.He did not appear before the committee set up to probe him to defend himself neither did he send it a written defence.
The innocent; especially those passionate about exposing corruption and waxing sanctimonious about fixing societal issues would ordinarily jump at a chance to defend themselves against such damning allegations.Why didn’t Sanusi do that?.Very basic questions as to how N113M was spent on travels not budgeted for amongst other expenditures totalling N3.4bn were left unanswered.At the very least,government has to consider the costs of maintaining the expensive lifestyle of an Emir.Such blatant flamboyance amidst so much suffering is never a good look.
Engr. Abba Yusuf must shed whatever personal sentiments he or any one he is loyal to may have and worry about what is best for Kano people. They deserve it.They voted for him en masse against a party in power and stood so solidly behind him after voting had ended,it would have been practically suicidal to rig the results.Let the best interests of Kano people come first.
Umar Sa’ad Hassan is based in Kano
Twitter-@Alaye_100
Email-uhassan077@gmail.com
