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Kano Emirate: ‘You are power drunk’ – Arewa youths attack Ganduje over
feud with Emir Sanusi
The Arewa Youth
Consultative Forum, AYCF, has accused the Kano State Governor, Abdullahi
Ganduje, of being “power drunk.”
Speaking with newsmen, AYCF President General, Yerima Shettima, who was reacting to the feud
between the Ganduje-led state government and Sanusi, described the face-off as
unnecessary.
The Ganduje-led
administration had queried Sanusi for allegedly misappropriating the Emirate
Council’s N3.4 billion.
It was gathered
that the Emir was queried after the submission of a report by the State office
of the anti-corruption and Public Complaint Commission who investigated him on
the alleged squandering of the Emirate Council’s funds.
The report, which
was submitted to the state government last week Tuesday was said to have
recommended for the immediate suspension of the Emir.
The government has
consequently handed down a query to the Emir through the Office of the
Secretary to the Government, Usman Alhaji.
We had
reported that the government was planning on the complete deposition of the
Emir when a final report of its forthcoming panel of inquiry comes out indicting
Sanusi.
However, Shettima
warned that the deposition of Emir Sanusi would lead to crisis in Kano State.
According to
Shettima: “The issue is totally unnecessary; but I thank God for the ongoing
interventions and reconciliation at the instance of well-meaning Nigerians.
“I thank God
because the alleged move won’t happen because if it happens, Kano would have
gone into crisis and we all know how Kano is when it comes to the issue of
violence.
“It’s really a
terrible place to experience violence. I thank God for those who intervened
also you can’t undermine the place of a traditional ruler. The Kano traditional
Emirate has been there for over five centuries and Ganduje thinks he can just
wake up one day because he has four years and undermine that institution that
would amount to calamity.
“Ganduje is power
drunk and he is abusing it in this matter. He can’t be fighting everybody at
the same time no matter how powerful he is. Ganduje is nothing but a common
mortal. He can’t be fighting everybody, its so embarrassing there was no reason
for the crisis, he just went about creating unnecessary panic everywhere. In
the nearest future he is going to bear the cross for so many things he has
done.”
Kano emirate: New Emir of Rano suspends district heads, strips them of
titles
The Emir of Rano,
Alhaji Tafida Ila Autan Bawo on Thursday suspended two district heads over
alleged insubordination by shunning the Sallah activities of the emirate.
The two suspended
district heads are Bebeji , Alhaji Haruna Sanusi and Tudun Wada, Dr. Bashir
Muhammad who are said to have their loyalty to Emir Muhammadu Sanusi ll and not
to Rano new emirate.
The suspension was
announced in a letter issued by the emirate Secretary, Muhammad Idris Rano and
sent to the district heads., which also stripped them of their titles.
The Letter reads, “The
suspension was due to the insubordination of the two titleholders to
constituted authority as they refused to participate in the just concluded
Sallah festivities of Rano first Class Emir despite invitations sent to them”.
The Emir also
withdrew the titles of Dan Galadima Kano from Haruna Sanusi and Dan Kadai Tudun
Wada from Dr. Bashir Muhammad.
According to the
emirate Secretary, the state ministry of local government and their respective
local government councils have been informed of their suspension.
Sanusi: Kano Emirate reveals next action on Ganduje’s query
The Kano Emirate
Council has revealed its next action on the query sent to the Emir Muhammadu
Sanusi ll by the Ganduje Government over alleged misappropriation of N3.4
billion.
Alhaji Mahe Bashir
Wali, the Walin Kano and senior member of the emirate council, confirmed the
development in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kano on
Friday.
He explained that
the council would have to meet and deliberate on the query before responding.
“Yes, we (Emirate
Council) received the query yesterday (Thursday, June 6), but the council could
not respond to it immediately because we have to look into the content of the
query before we respond.
“The government
wants to hear the response of the emir about the allegation but there is no way
we can respond to the query without looking at it critically,” he said.
He assured that the
emirate council would respond appropriately as requested by the government,
“but we have to sit with the emir and analyse it before responding”.
The cabinet office
confirmed serving the query in its letter with reference number
SSG/off/03/03/V.1, signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji
Usman Alhaji.
According to the
letter, the Emir was expected to respond to the issues raised within 48 hours
of receipt of the letter to government to enable it take appropriate action.
“In the light of
the foregoing, therefore, I am to request you to give satisfactory explanations
on the allegations raised within 48 hours of the receipt of this letter to
government to take appropriate decision on the issue,” it said.
The State Public
Complaints and Anti-corruption Commission had on June 3, recommended the
suspension of the emir over alleged misappropriation of N3.4 billion by the
Emirate Council under the present Emir.
The Commission had
in its interim report of investigation with reference number PCAC/GEN/6/VOL.1,
addressed to Cabinet Office, recommended that the Emir and all aides inDicted
by the findings be suspended so as not to interfere with further
investigations.
Elder statesman and
Second Republic politician, Alhaji Tanko Yakassai, has charged Emir Muhammadu
Sanusi II, to be bold and answer the query issued him by investigators of the
alleged financial mismanagement of Kano Emirate Council.
Reacting
to the reported query that was issued to the Emir of Kano, the elder
statesman maintained that a query should not be a cause of worry or surprise as
it is a normal process of establishing the truth in any matter.
Yakasai, however,
urged the investigators to be objective and impartial in the discharge of their
responsibilities.
He urged the emir
to go through the content of the allegations against him and provide answers to
the issues raised.
According to him,
“if someone raises a complaint against one, the correct thing to do is to give
the respondent a chance to answer and defend himself.
“Emir Sanusi’s
refusal to submit himself to their investigation would certainly not be helpful
in this case as silence both in the Common Law and in Islam is deemed as
consent,” he told Sun Newspaper.
He recalled that
part of the submissions of the Kano State Public Complaint and Anti-Corruption
Commission in its interim report was that the emir was not cooperating with
their investigation.
Meanwhile, the
elder statesman dismissed the suggestions that the Emir of Kano should resign
at this stage.
“Resignation would
surely not solve the problem as the accusations leveled against him would still
be there even if he is no longer there as the Emir of Kano,” he said.
Kano emirate: Why
Gov. Ganduje fell apart with Emir Sanusi – Garba, Commissioner for Information
The Commissioner
for Information in Kano State, Comrade Mohammed Garba, has offered explanations
as to why the Governor of the State, Abdullahi Ganduje, fell apart with the
Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi II.
He also explained
the vision that informed the creation of additional emirate councils in the
state in an interview with Sun.
Garba said that the
revered monarch got involved in partisan politics contrary to the tradition of
the throne.
According to him,
“What happened actually as a result of the creation of the new emirates.. you
should remember that it was not the governor that initiated the petition. It
was a group of lawyers who felt that there was the need for them to have
additional emirate in their own area.
“And they wrote to
the Kano State House of Assembly and the State House of Assembly, from the
information available to us, read the petition or whatever submission that was
submitted to them and they felt that all the issues raised by the concerned
citizens and lawyers are serious issues that should be looked into.
“The State Assembly
decided to do their own constitutional responsibility by looking at it,
initiating a bill, did one or two corrections, went through the normal process
of the Assembly. At the end of third reading, they presented it to the
executive.
“If you remember
the pronouncement of the Speaker when they were presenting this bill to the
state governor.
“He said that they
strongly believed in the bill, that should the governor fail to assent to the
bill, they would come back to the House and use a two third majority to pass
the bill, which means that the Assembly is completely convinced.
“And they came to
the State House and made a presentation to us and the governor looked at it
critically and we felt that in the interest of the people of Kano, especially
those who are living in some of these local government areas and the rural
areas, we felt that it is something that would further develop these areas
bearing in mind that some of the local governments in our neigbouring states
like Jigawa – look at Ringim emirate for example.
“I remember when
Kano was with Jigawa State, Dutse was a hamlet. I know Duste then because I
schooled in Sumaila.
“There was no light
, there was nothing in Dutse. But when Duste became an emirate and eventually a
state, look at the level of development!
“Look at the
creation of Ringim which was the last of the emirates that were created. Go to
Ringim today and see the level of development.
“So when the late
Abubakar Rimi attempted to have these emirates in 1981 /82, if these emirates
were recognised, especially the three emirates of Gaya, Karaye and the other
one, if they were recognized by that time, believe you me, by now in terms of
development of these areas, you will be very surprised.
“Another area we
looked at was the challenges of the present day. And we looked at our own area
and the level of insecurity that Nigeria is facing today.
“We have read from
the newspapers , we have heard from the security agencies that most of the
bandits, quite a number of them, have relocated to Kano.
“And we know that
the traditional rulers have a crucial role to play in terms of checking the
movements, the access of people and what have you.
“And we felt that
in order to have an effective monitoring system of people, there is need for us
to ensure that we have traditional institutions that are much more closer to
the people than what is obtained with the centralized traditional system.
“The governor
looked at it and the issue of how they can advise him in terms of
infrastructural development, road networks, in terms of water resources , in
terms of education – we are lacking in education.
“The number of out-
of- school children is quite alarming in Kano. And we felt that these
traditional rulers have a serious role to play.
“Honestly, we
looked at all the advantages of having the emirates recognized and we felt that
there is no need to waste time. So the governor decided to assent to it.
“But unfortunately
while the process was ongoing, some people felt that there was no need to
decentralize, some people felt that there was a personal problem or even a
political problem between the Emir of Kano and the governor of Kano.
“The Emir as a
person, we believe that he has the right of choice.
“But by virtue of
his current position, he has to be cautious in whatever he is doing because he
is now a father to everybody. He is a religious leader and he is a community
leader now.
“Where there is a
problem, even if it is between the governor and some prominent people in the
state, it is the Emir that is expected to invite them and intervene.
“That is what is
meant to be the father of all. But when the Emir is partisan, practically partisan,
I think that that is the problem.
“But we don’t even
see it from that way and that is not even the reason.. We are more concerned
about the development of the state.
“Honestly, even his
partisanship has no meaning because even with his partisanship, we were able to
win the elections.
“And after winning
the election, the governor was very unhappy because there was no reason why he
should be partisan against him.
“This is because
their relationship has been very cordial. He has not offered a single advice
which the governor refused to implement.
“The governor felt
that if there was any problem, if there was any crisis, if there was anywhere
the Emir wanted changes, in terms of advice, he has a lot of access.
“The governor has a
lot of respect for him. Whenever the Emir comes to the Government House, the
governor would escort him to his car. When he comes to programs late-ideally,
the Emir should be there before the governor.
“But in most cases
the governor would be there before the Emir . And whenever he comes the
governor would stand up and greet the Emir.
“So as far as we
are concerned, whatever is due to the Emir as a father and as a traditional
ruler has been given to him.
“Even after the
election, despite the fact that we know that this man has fought us seriously,
the governor accommodated him.
“He went to the
palace twice. At a time when we were told that he was indisposed the governor
went there at a personal level.
“He went there also
for a special prayer for peace and then, he went for the weeding of 1500
couples. The governor was able to forget his partisan role.
“As far as we are
concerned we did not do it (create emirates) in order to destroy any history or
any legacy or whatever the forefathers of these Emirs built.
“We want it to be
more effective, we want to make sure that the traditional institutions are more
involved in terms of the administration of the state.”
