New Kano Emirates and the Raving Opposition, By Muhammad Garba
POLITICS DIGEST – History was made in Kano last week when Kano state Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje submitted to the will of the people and signed into law, the bill that gave full legal backing to the establishment of Bichi, Rano, Gaya and Karaye Emirates in the state, a development that elicited joy and excitement among the people who have longed for a time like this when our rich cultural heritage would be reformed and expanded, to pave way for development and improved cultural tourism.
Though the good people of Kano state appreciated this uncommon step taken by Governor Ganduje, few self-serving individuals, have gone to town spreading falsehood in their attempt to instigate the people against the creation of four new Emirates which followed due process. Unknown to them, Governor Ganduje did a thorough home work by consulting all stakeholders in the state before commencing the process of creating the Bichi, Rano, Gaya and Karaye emirates.
In their failed attempt to blackmail Governor Ganduje and Kano state government, shortly after the establishment of the new Emirates, they sprang up a phantom group christened Advocates for United Kano, with the sole aim of fighting Governor Ganduje in the guise of Kano elders!
In as much as we have not heard of a group going by the name Advocates of United Kano, we believe that it is a Committee of people with the collective interest of bringing down the administration Governor Ganduje, for reasons best known to them. Contrary to their personal views that ‘citizens of Kano state are against attempts at destroying their 1000 year old heritage,’ millions of Kano residents who understand the dynamism of change and its positive impact on development, have continued to express appreciation and gratitude to Governor Ganduje for taking this bold step which previous administrations could not do, perhaps, because of the over-bearing influence and interest of this very few people who believe Kano begins and ends with them. And still, while the people of Kano, whose interest Advocates for United Kano claim to promote, have not been told what that millennium heritage is all about, the gibbering Elders still want us to believe that the new Emirates have no history to tell.
These group of people, in their slumber, became unaware of the fact that we are living in the 21st century where civilization and socio-economic changes have taken the centre stage. Indeed, change remains the only consistent thing in life. We, as a people can not be stagnant or move backward, while others are moving in pace with modernity.
For tradition to stand the test of time and move in the same pace with the global world, it must be fine-tuned and restructured in such a way that it can accommodate the development and socio-economic needs of the people. We cannot expect what is obtainable a thousand years ago to remain en vogue today. We must move on, we must be in the same page with the world of today.
Indeed, these are the same group of people who have closed their eyes and refused to appreciate the modest achievementsbeing recorded by the Ganduje administration. We, therefore, challenge them to come up with facts on their claims that Kano people are complaining on the policies and programmes of the Ganduje administration of which they are even benefiting from. Instead of building empty Castle in the sky, we appeal to the Advocates for United Kano to keep aside, whatever personal grevience they have against Governor Ganduje and contribute positively to the development of Kano state, because the four new Emirates in Kano have come to stay. The process was very clear and in conformity with the law.
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Similar to the ranting of the Advocates for United Kano, is a sponsored article published in Daily Trust of Friday, December 6. The ill-conceived articled entitled ‘Kano Emirate: the Dangers of playing politics with institutions,” was written by a serial attacker of Governor Ganduje, Jibrin Ibrahim. Apart from outrightly calling for break down of law and order in Kano, what dominated Jubrin’s article was the propagation of Sheikh Dahiru Bauchi’s prophesy of doom and his myopic opinion that the four new Emirates were the pet projects of Governor Ganduje.
Recalling my reply to Jubrin’s ‘Open Letter To Governor Ganduje,’ of which he made reference to in his latest article, these Emirates did not just emanate from Governor Ganduje. They have been in existence and what Governor Ganduje did was to give them freedom as desired by the people.
Indeed, it is not only sad, but very unfortunate that somebody like Jibrin Ibrahim has become a mouthpiece for calls for breach of the peace and violence in Kano. Contrary to his claim that there is tension following the creation of the new emirates, residents and visitors to the ancient commercial city will attest to the fact that Kano has remained peaceful and tension-free, as it has been since the inception of Governor Ganduje’s administration on May 29, 2015, and Kano will continue to maintain its rightful position as one of the most peaceful and violent-free states in the federation in recent times. Jibrin Ibrahim should come to terms with the realities because gone are the days when people like him use our hapless youths to cause violence, while their own children are studying abroad.
There is no gainsaying the fact the these new Emirates will add value to various youth empowerment progarmmes, free-education and compulsory basic and secondary education policy, scholarship programmes and various human development initiatives embarked upon by Governor Ganduje’s administration. More so, if creation of new Emirates
Jibrin Ibrahim should grapple with the fact that this is 21st century and Kano must move along with the tides of the times. The creation of new emirates in Kano should not be misconstrued as a move to ‘dismantle’ the Kano Emirate and its rich cultural heritage, rather, it is a well-articulated move to expand Kano cultural heritage and take development directly to the people. These new four Emirates of Bichi, Gaya, Rano and Karaye have come to stay. There is nothing Governor Ganduje can do now to revert it. This is a matter of law and due process. As a law-abiding leader and citizen, Governor Ganduje does not have the powers to revert the already created and established Emirates of Bichi, Karaye, Rano and Gaya.
Governor Ganduje has no personal grudges against the Emir of Kano, His Highness, Muhammad Sanusi II. He has continued to maintain a cordial relationship with him, and to demonstrate this in all sincerity, Governor Ganduje has graciously appointed the Emir of Kano as the chairman, Kano Council of Chiefs.
Regrettably, however, people being sponsored to spread falsehood on the creation of the new Emirates are taking the issue personal, raining all sorts of abuses and casting aspersion on the integrity of the Governor. The most unfortunate thing is that, one of the authors of such piece, whom I have known his style of writing, though on this not bold enough to ‘intellectually’ write under his name, a former Editor and now a lecturer in one of the Federal Universities in the country, could go down so low to pretentiously make such derogatory comment. The exercise to me, is a matter of policy and should be seen and treated as such
We urge the good people of Kano state to continue to remain law-abiding and resist any move by a person or group of persons to plunge the state into undue tension.
Governor Ganduje will continue to deliver on his mandated promise to take development to the nooks and crannies of our great Kano state, which is one of the reasons the four new Emirates were established.
Muhammad Garba is the Commissioner, Information, Kano State
