41-year-old news headline shows how history is repeated in Kano emirate crisis

A 41-year-old newspaper headline has proven that the disaster over the Kano emirate system is a repetition of an earlier disaster recorded over 4 many years in the past.

The state Home of Meeting, on 14 Could, repealed the Kano State Emirate Council Regulation 2019, which Governor Abba Yusuf signed the next day.

The event led to the scrapping of the state’s 5 emirate councils created underneath the repealed regulation in 2019, the deposition of their emirs and the reinstatement of Lamido Sanusi as the only real emir of the state.

The 4 emirates which have been dissolved are Gaya, Karaye, Rano and Bichi.

Nevertheless, a information report in 1983 confirmed similarities within the growth to when the state’s first elected governor, Abubakar Rimi, created 4 further emirates and the way they had been later scrapped by his successor, Sabo Bakin-zuwo.

The 4 emirates that Mr Rimi created had been Dutse (now the capital of Jigawa State), Auyo, Gaya and Rano. The 4 had been created along with the prevailing Kano, Hadejia, Gumel and Kazaure emirates.

Mr Bakin-zuwo, who defeated Governor Rimi within the bitterly fought governorship election of 1983, instantly scrapped the 4 new councils and demoted their emirs to district heads.

In additional similarities of occasions that occurred over 4 many years later, Messrs Rimi and Bakin-zuwo had been members of the Folks’s Redemption Social gathering (PRP) till the governor fell out with their occasion’s chief, Aminu Kano.

He defected to the Nigerian Folks’s Social gathering (NPP) and stepped down from workplace to hunt reelection on the ticket of his new occasion, whereas the PRP gave its ticket to Mr Bakinzuwo, who was then a senator.

Within the normal election, the PRP retook the governorship seat within the controversial normal elections of that 12 months.

However following the creation of Jigawa State by the army regime of Ibrahim Babangida in 1991 and with three of the emirates shifting to the brand new state, Kano turned a single emirate state, till former Governor Abdullahi Ganduje once more broke it into 5 emirates in 2019.

A information report by the defunct New Nigerian Newspaper, of 21 October 1983, not too long ago posted on Fb by a journalist, Jaafar Jaafar, highlighted how historical past has been repeated in Kano, many years after in 2024.

“4 emirs appointed by the defunct Rimi/Tofa administration in Kano State have been downgraded as district heads. They’re Alhaji Abdullahi Maikano (Dutse) Alhaji Aliyu Sambo (Auyo), Alhaji Adamu Gaya (Gaya),” the New Nigeria newspaper reported in 1983.

“No new emir has, nevertheless, been appointed for Rano because the demise of Alhaji Abubakar Ita who was additionally appointed by the defunct administration because of a courtroom restraint.

“The state governor, Sabo Bakin-zuwo downgraded the emirs on Thursday following the repealing of the chiefs appointment and deposition (Modification) Regulation 1982 and the Council of Chiefs Regulation 1981 underneath which they had been appointed, it said.

“In accordance with the brand new regulation, the 4 emirs have been reverted to their former standing of district heads and have additionally ceased to be members of the council of chiefs. Different faraway from the council are the Chief Imams of Auyo, Dutse, Gaya, Gumel, Hadejia, Kano, Kazaure, and Itano, a consultant of the enterprise neighborhood and 5 individuals of confirmed integrity.

“The council is now manufactured from the emirs of Kano Hadejia, Gumel, and Kazaure, in addition to the secretary to the federal government, native authorities chairmen and one individual discovered in Islamic regulation.

“In a speech after assenting to the invoice, Governor Bakin-zuwo noticed that the legislature was completely so as in repealing the regulation because the go well with regarding it had been disposed of.

“He stated by repealing the regulation, it might be potential for the state council of chiefs to work effectively via the appointment of the proper individuals. He added that the secretary to the state authorities had already signed a authorized discover of revoking the sooner one which authorised the appointment of the deposed emirs.

“With the signing of the regulation, all affected emirs reverted to their former place as district heads with impact from yesterday (Thursday 20, October 1983), the governor stated.

“Conventional kingmakers of Kano had withdrawn their go well with in opposition to the appointment of the deposed emirs from Kano Excessive Courtroom on Monday thus bringing to an finish the protracted authorized tussle between the kingmakers and the state authorities.

“The governor has additionally made good promise to revoke the appointment of the emirs as quickly because it was out of courtroom,” the report said.

Deja Vu

PREMIUM TIMES’ evaluation of the 2 incidents reveals that the creation and subsequent scrapping of the emirates in each circumstances had been carried out for political causes – both to spite allies turned opponents or to punish an emir for supporting the federal government’s political opponents.

Each Messrs Rimi and Bakin-zuwo, had been followers of Aminu Kano, whose political aim was the emancipation of the widespread individuals of Northern Nigeria.

In Could 1983, Mr Rimi fell out with Mr Kano and deserted the PRP for the NPP in preparation for the 1983 normal elections.

Nevertheless, he misplaced the election to Mr Bakin-zuwo. Though the brand new governor lasted solely three months in workplace earlier than the Second Republic was overthrown by the army coup of December 31, 1983; it was sufficient time to reverse most of Mr Rimi’s insurance policies, together with the dissolution of the emirates.

Like within the 1983 scenario, former governor Ganduje additionally fell out with Mr Kwankwaso, the chief of their political household, which adopted Aminu Kano’s crimson cap as its insignia.

Since Mr Ganduje’s occasion misplaced the 2023 election, his successor, Mr Yusuf of the NNPP has reversed a number of of his insurance policies, together with the Emirate Council Regulation 2019 that created the extra 4 emirates.

Mockingly, in 1982, Emir Ado Bayero was stoutly against the balkanisation of the Kano Emirate and benefitted from a brand new state authorities reversing the coverage.

However in 2020, his son, Aminu Ado-Bayero, turned emir after the emirate was break up into 5 and misplaced the throne 4 years later after a brand new state authorities reunited the emirate.

The Kano emirate disaster led to a riot in July 1981 after former Governor Rimi suspended Emir Ado Bayero. Mr Rimi’s political adviser, Bala Mohammed, was brutally assassinated and the workplaces of the state-owned Triumph Newspapers; Radio Kano, and a number of other ministries burnt down within the upheaval.

Each Messrs Kwankwakso and Ganduje had been in energetic politics when the bloody disaster occurred within the Second Republic.

Forty years later, they’re the protagonist and antagonist because the disaster reoccurred in a state with one of many highest numbers of out-of-school youngsters, a healthcare supply disaster and uneven growth between the the capital metropolis and different elements of the state.

Many observers have requested the query: when will Kano political leaders rise above ego-driven petty politics to face their state’s vital developmental challenges?