Ime Akpan
The government of Kano State has advised those who cannot stay in the four newly created emirates to relocate to Kano Emirate.
The commissioner for information, youth and culture, Mr. Muhammad Garba, stated this while reacting to a call by a group under the aegis of the Renaissance Coalition, in collaboration with Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and other stakeholders in Kano.
The group had called on the state governor, Mr. Abdullahi Ganduje, to scrap the newly created emirates in Kano.
The coalition claimed that the state government neither followed due process nor consulted major stakeholders before creating Bichi, Rano, Karaye and Gaya emirates.
The leader of the group, Abdurrahman Bappa-Yola made the call while addressing a news conference in Kano on Monday. He said the call became necessary because there was a flagrant disregard for due process in the creation of the four additional Emirates. According to him, the state government should put the people’s priority above anything else as there are a lot of socio-economic challenges bedevilling the state. He said that the state currently harbours more than two million Almajiris that are roaming the streets, without any tangible and sustainable intervention to checkmate the ugly trend.
He said, in addition, the state has the highest number of maternal-mortality while there are over two million girl-child that are not attending formal schools and 3.5 million unemployed youths in the state.
“Instead of the state government to concentrate on addressing these challenges and other social vices, but it went ahead to create additional emirates which are not the priority of the people of the state, “he said.
Bappa-Yola said the group which represents over five million indigenes of the state, called on the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III intervene in the issue, as it was done without consulting the stakeholders as well as following the due process.
“We are calling on the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, being the leader of the Danfodio Caliphate to denounce the creation of additional Emirates, because it was done in complete violation of due process, “he said.
However, Garba, described the group as “sponsored elements.”
He alleged that the group was being used to destabilise peace and cause tension in the state.
“We are not surprised because the so-called civil society organisations are speaking out of ignorance. In fact, they are being used by a few elite in Kano to cause problem.
“The creation of the four emirates followed due process. The matter is already in court.
“My advice to them is that any of them who does not want to stay in Rano, Bichi, Karaye and Gaya emirates can relocate to Kano,” he said.
It would be recalled that the state governor, Mr. Abdullahi Ganduje had installed Aminu Ado Bayero as Emir of Bichi; Tafida Abubakar as Emir of Rano; Ibrahim Abubakar as Emir of Karaye; and Ibrahim Abdulkadir as Emir of Gaya, thus whittling down the powers of the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II.
