Fellow Nigerians, the story you are about to read is out of
the script of the latest melodrama in our dear beloved
country. The setting is the famous city of Kano but the stage
extends to different parts of the beleaguered nation. Let’s
give a little background to the play and its author. This is
what is referred to as the sociological approach in Literature.
My interest in Kano is more than casual or accidental. As a
young man, I was titillated endlessly about its groundnut
pyramids. Then I read so much about its most famous
politician, Mallam Aminu Kano, the proverbial friend of the
poor. Then I met and fell in love with one of the City’s most
charismatic and incredibly handsome politicians, Alhaji
Abubakar Rimi. I would later know and interact with its most
celebrated and richest citizen, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, who
practically dragged me to be the Master of Ceremony at his
daughter’s wedding. I also visited Kano several times at the
invitation of the icon of Diplomacy, Ambassador
Plenipotentiary Chief Antonio Deinde Fernandez (aka Ajinijini
Ogun, and The Garsan Fulani) whose wife Halima, The
Baroness of Dudley, hails from Kano. Of course, I am friends
with one of the Princes, Nasiru Ado Bayero, and met his
powerful dad, The Emir Alhaji Ado Bayero, at home and
abroad. My last but not the least attachment to Kano was in
the choice of my Vice Presidential candidate in 2011. I picked
Dr Yunusa Tanko, now Chairman of Inter-Party Advisory
Council of Nigeria.
Naturally, the death of The Emir of Kano would attract
attention and generate feverish interest because of the special
place Kano occupies in Nigeria. I did a tribute as soon as the
news broke last week. I also tried to reach out to my friends
in Kano. By last Saturday, the race for the selection of the
new Emir had started in earnest. I knew it was going to be a
straight fight between the children of Alhaji Ado Bayero and
Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, the man who never pretended
about his interest in ascending the throne. It had long been
foretold that this was his ultimate dream in life. Someone
called me to ask if I knew whether the APC had sympathy
towards SLS and if Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso was going to
favour him. Since I didn’t have an immediate knowledge of
what was going on, I called a few contacts to pick their
brains.
Anyone who has followed my column would have known that I
have never been a big fan of SLS. I respect his brains but
found his bullish nature a bit off the wall. I had stated this
clearly in my write-ups and his acolytes had descended
mercilessly on me for daring to challenge their idol. That is
not unexpected in a country like ours. But I later realised that
while his supporters were ready to fight his enemies, the man
himself was a gentleman whose only weakness is being too
emotive. I experienced this side of him when we ran into each
other a few months ago in the elevator at the Lagos
Intercontinental Hotel and we exchanged pleasantries. He
couldn’t help saying “Dele, your pen is too wicked!” but in a
friendly manner. He even asked his personal assistant to give
me his complimentary card. This preamble is intended to
make a personal confession that I thought an Ado Bayero
would be less controversial and probably more likely to get
selected since the traditional institution is usually
conservative.
By Sunday morning, all ears awaited the announcement from
the Kano State Governor. At a stage tweets started flying that
Governor Kwankwaso had picked the Ciroma of Kano, Alhaji
Lamido Sanusi Bayero. I refused to retweet until I was
absolutely sure. As if to complicate the suspense, a tweet
came from the PDP congratulating the Ciroma as the new
Emir. To worsen the matter, a tweet also purportedly came
from the Twitter handle of Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi
congratulating the Ciroma as well. There was total confusion
and pandemonium at that stage. But I got different vibes and
feelers from different sources. I was told some influential APC
members including Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Lion
Heart Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, had mobilised
comprehensively behind SLS, for obvious reasons. Kano
controls the largest voting population in Nigeria ahead of even
Lagos. Whichever party controls the soul of Kano would most
likely reap bountiful harvest at the polls. It is plainly useful to
have the Governor as a member of your party and a
sympathetic Emir as your quintessential father figure.
I succeeded in speaking to Nasiru Bayero in the middle of this
hullabaloo. And he was his usual calm and affable self. I
commiserated with him on the death of his father and asked
about the rumour that was spreading like wildfire. He assured
me no announcement had been made and that his family
would abide by whatever decision though he wished his most
senior brother would win the tussle. He talked about
something that I always believed in, Destiny. He said it was
impossible to be an Emir unless you were destined to be. And
that the good of Kano was top priority and not personal
ambition. We said our goodbyes and promised to catch up
soon. I was indeed touched by his uncommon simplicity and
candour in the face of what must have been a very difficult
moment for his family.
I spoke to another friend who told me the delay in announcing
the new Emir was because the Federal Government was
definitely interested in the matter and was ready to wield the
big stick against both Kwankwaso and SLS. I asked what
would happen to them and the person said all cards were on
the table including the impeachment of the Governor as well
as the dethronement of SLS. I felt my friend was carrying the
joke too far and told him so. I said though I was not
particularly keen about SLS, I will fully support him if he wins
and will openly oppose any attempt by the Federal
Government to destabilise Kano and the North by moving
against SLS.
My position is predicated on the fact that I
believe power belongs always and ultimately to God. I hate
when humans oppress, suppress, harass, intimidate and
generally coerce fellow human beings into absolute
submission. I love under-dogs and despise tyrants and
aspiring dictators. I possess a natural proclivity for defending
the oppressed. This was the reason I agreed to march on the
streets of Abuja with others when the then Vice President,
Goodluck Jonathan suffered his own oppression in 2010.
In this case, I saw SLS as the victim and was ready to
jettison our past hostilities to support him. I was particularly
worried and saddened by the fact that Nigeria had bigger
problems to confront. I couldn’t imagine the fact that a
government that had the issue of Chibok and the abducted
girls in its hands would find time to fight the installation of an
Emir in Kano. I will never get tired of pleading with our
President to discard the many hawks around him who believe
he should fight every war no matter how dirty and petty. A
strong man should never waste his arsenal on minor
skirmishes when there are bigger battles ahead. The President
of Nigeria is too big to be duelling with subordinates at the
flimsiest excuse. The President should just concentrate on his
job and let his good works speak volumes for him. If he truly
performs no one can deny him his glory because truth may be
delayed but it is constant.
I was undergoing this internal monologue when the news
broke that SLS was the choice of the Kano Government out of
the three names submitted to the Governor. I expected our
President, as father of the nation, to be the first to officially
congratulate The Emir of Kano designate but the message of
felicitation never came. Instead there were staccato messages
coming from Abuja that confirmed the earlier threats that the
Federal Government was ready to hit back in full force. If I still
imagined it was a stupid joke, I heard protests had broken out
in some parts of Kano and the police had barricaded roads
leading to the Emir’s Palace.
What instantly struck me was that this was similar to how
the President had refused to congratulate Governor Rotimi
Amaechi after winning the Nigeria Governors Forum election
for a second term in office. Had he embraced Amaechi then in
the spirit of no victor and no vanquished perhaps PDP would
be intact today. But our President chose to support the
breakup of the forum for whatever gain, I still don’t know.
Anyone who knows Amaechi well would have known that
contrary to the perception of being arrogant, he was just a
stickler for principle and justice. He had spoken to a group of
publishers last year about his readiness to reunite with the
President after Nduka Obaigbena asked him frontally about it
but those profiting from their fight made it impossible for him
to do so.
It’s the same way, as I understand, SLS was fond of the
President. This was demonstrated during the fuel subsidy riots
in 2012 when he went all out to defend the full subsidy
withdrawal attracting abuse to himself from many. I had also
witnessed the way he promptly jumped up to pick a call from
the President while we lunched at the Oriental Hotel years
back hosted by the erstwhile Managing Director of Bank of
Industry, Evelyn Oputu, with the then American Ambassador,
the extraordinary Robin Renee Sanders, in attendance. SLS
spoke fondly of his “boss”. What could have gone wrong?
Your guess is as good as mine. SLS apparently stepped on
powerful toes by alleging stupendous mismanagement of our
oil revenues. He had touched the tiger by the tail and the
gladiators made sure he was booted out.
For the past six months, SLS had been practically floating in
the Nigerian polity and was uncharacteristically taciturn. This
should have shown his enemies that the man had eaten and
swallowed humble pie after being rubbished by them. But
these warriors never know when to stop fighting. They were
out to draw blood and pummel him mercilessly. His passport
was confiscated. A barrage of allegations surfaced in national
newspapers chronicling his horrendous financial
mismanagement and reckless spending. All they did was to
criminalise him in the media but he was never tried or
convicted except in their own courts. Unknown to us all, God
was going to unleash His joker on us all.
This week, SLS ascended the throne of his forefathers
unexpectedly. The import of it must have caught his traducers
unawares. Rather than bow to the will of God, they chose to
fight and flex their muscles. On Monday, I got through to the
Prince of Ile-Ife, Adetokunbo Sijuwade, who had left Kano
Sunday evening. We spoke at length about the unfolding saga.
He was very sad about the turn of events. The late Emir was
his dad’s best friend and he wished for the spirit of the great
man to rest in peace. I told him his influential and highly
respected father needed to step in immediately before
politicians rubbish the memory of his good friend of several
decades.
By Tuesday, I knew many forces were trying to intervene and
resolve the debacle. Everyone was worried that if Kano was
set ablaze, it may spread to many parts.
I was elated when I saw the picture of Alhaji Aliko Dangote
paying homage to the new Emir. I thought as someone very
close to the President, that should have opened a line of
dialogue and doused the tension. But the standoff persisted
until yesterday when I ran into Prince Adetokunbo Sijuwade
and he informed me of efforts to achieve peace in Kano. Later
in the afternoon, reports came that the matter had been
resolved amicably between The President and The Emir. The
Emir was allowed to move into his palace. But later in the
evening, a serving Minister was said to have made fresh
allegations against the appointment of SLS. Things are as
volatile as ever and only God knows how this would end.
I only wish this government understands that the price of
peace is often cheaper than the cost of war. Let’s appreciate
all those who are working for peace and pray that the
warmongers will eventually cool temper.
Long live the King. Long live SLS, the charming Emir of Kano.
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