Tread softly in Kano
On Wednesday last week, the Kano State House of Assembly caused a stir when it set up a seven member panel to investigate the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II. The assembly’s probe became the second official one targeted at the emir and the Kano Emirate Council with an on-going one by the state’s Public Complaints and AntiCorruption Commission.
It all began when the member representing Nasarawa constituency, Ibrahim Gama, came under matters of urgent public importance and accused the emir of allegedly committing many offences. He alleged for example that the Emir allegedly spent monies belonging to the emirate council without the governor’s approval; of attacking the policies of President Muhammadu Buhari ’s administration; of sending his daughter to represent him at a public event, contrary to the emirate’s traditions; and that he lowered the prestige and estimation of the emirate in the eyes of the public.
According to Gama, Emir Sanusi alleged in Kaduna that Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje and his entourage, which included Gama as Chairman of the House Committee on Works, spent one month in China seeking for a loan to construct a rail line whereas they spent only four days in China and were in China “to find out the capability of the company to handle the rail project.” He then moved a motion to probe the emir, which was seconded by Baffa Babba-Dan’Agundi, member from Kano Municipal. It was unanimously adopted, after which Speaker Alhassan Rurum set up a 7-member committee chaired by the Chief Whip Labaran Abdul Madari [Ajingi] to probe the allegations. Other committee members are Baffa Babba-Dan’Agundi, Kabiru Dachi [Kiru], Abba Garko [Garko], Sani Maidaji [Danbatta] and two officials from Assembly’s legal department. The speaker told the committee to study the law establishing the traditional institution for possible amendment and report to the House within two weeks.
In the wake of the assembly’s probe, chairman of the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Agency Muhuyi Magaji Rimingado announced that the agency was suspending its own probe of the emir. That probe, mainly centred on charges of financial impropriety, had already been on for a month and top emirate council officials had appeared at the agency to defend themselves. Rimin Gado said the agency is “prevented by the law from investigating any matter that is before the State Assembly, executive or court of law.”
This was cold comfort because whereas the agency’s probe was restricted to financial matters, which are easier to prove or disprove, the state assembly has greatly widened the probe to include political and cultural matters which are less amenable to factual proof. From all indications, members of the state assembly, all of whom belong to Governor Ganduje’s faction of the ruling All Progressives Congress [APC], have teamed up with the executive to settle scores with Emir Sanusi. This is unfortunate because the impression across Kano State, the North and Nigeria as a whole was that the intervention by five Northern governors two weeks ago had achieved an amicable settlement. It was also reported that Acting President Yemi Osinbajo put in a word with Ganduje and urged that nothing should be done to disturb the peace in Kano.
Without prejudice to the outcome of the probes, we agree with the Kano State government and the assembly that Emir Sanusi’s conduct, utterances and practices have substantially departed from what the society expects of its emir. He has been outspoken where emirs are known to be wisely silent and he has ignited controversy on social, economic, religious and political matters where emirs ideally work behind the scenes to build community consensus. Still, since the emir reportedly admitted his faults during the Northern governors’ mediation and promised to make amends, we urge the state government and the assembly to tread cautiously and with wisdom given all the sensitivities and sensibilities involved. Kano is far too central to the peace, stability and prosperity of this part of the country. Nothing should be done to upset this peace, please.