Expose On A Cocooned Emir: How Sanusi is ruling Kano Emirate

                                      Sanusi surrounded by Royal Guards as he entered the palace

Sanusi Lamido Sanusi’s name can simply be substituted with controversy. His many controversies during his days as the Governor of  the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) made him a popular name in Nigeria and abroad.

A thorough bred intellectual, he never hid his ambition to become the Emir of Kano. Those close to him attested to the fact that becoming the emir was the last thing left for him to achieve.

Of course, Sanusi is a prince of high pedigree. His grandfather was Sir Muhammadu Sanusi. The immediate past Emir of Kano, the late Ado Bayero, who brought him up, was his uncle, and he married Ado Bayero’s daughter as his first wife.

From whatever prism one chooses to look at Sanusi, he stood out ahead of other contenders to inherit the throne of his forefathers.  So when the opportunity came on June 6, following the death of Bayero, he knew the moment had come and did everything within his power to grab the exalted seat the Sanusi lineage lost 51 years ago.

For those who moved against him, they appeared to have started late; by the time it dawned on them,  their loose and confused strategies were too weak to stop the choice of God.

In the beginning, Sanusi sought from the late emir a traditional title that brought him close to the throne.  Bayero installed him as the Dan’Majen Kano. Until he was appointed Dan’Maje by Bayero, the city dwellers had negative perception about his personality and what he represented because of the way he looked at things.

The perception, however, changed during his investiture as Dan ‘Majen Kano by Bayero who referred to him as a “worthy ambassador of the emirate”.

It was therefore not surprising that Sanusi became the man to beat when the stool of the Emir of Kano became vacant. He was calm and quiet all through leaving others to fight for him while he pulled the strings from behind.

Game changer
And when it became clear he was coasting home to victory, those opposed to his candidacy allegedly hatched a plot to use state power to kidnap him. But Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso was said to have got wind of the alleged plot and hurriedly relocated Sanusi to a secured place penultimate Saturday night making it practically impossible for anyone to play games.

Interestingly, the mood prior to the announcement of the new emir by government favored the eldest son of Bayero, Alhaji Sanusi Lamido Ado Bayero. Opinion leaders, the business class, top flight politicians, the downtrodden favored him to succeed his father. But the calculation reportedly changed when a former governor and leader of the All Progressive Congress (APC) stormed the city with a powerful lobby team and the Bayero Junior’s dream fell like a pack of cards.

The politicians were said to have exerted pressure on Kwankwaso whose word on the coveted throne was final and left Kano as soon as their candidate was announced as the new emir.

Of course, the noise generated by the selection was of less significance to the team since the end justifies the means.

Sanusi and Kwankwaso were left to contend with the chaos that trailed the selection as the new emir was forced by circumstance to begin  life as a monarch outside his palace that was not only made unsafe for him by hoodlums but was also sealed by the police for five days.

Kwankwaso, in an attempt to cushion the post-appointment headache, donated a wing of Kano palatial State House as the temporary palace for Sanusi. Inside the house, he held court, received guests and performed his traditional functions.  But his  immediate family remained in his expansive house located about 700meters away from the Government House. Each day began with early morning prayers with his retinue of aides in his parlour, The emir would then retire to his room to surf the internet before getting set for the day’s job. At about 9.00am, some traditionalists would appear to dress him in royal attire while ranking members of the palace took their seat before he arrived for the day’s job.

Each morning session started by 9.00am and terminated by the call for early afternoon prayers by 2.00pm. As at Friday, day five after his enthronement, that the new emir operated from the Government House, his family  prepared his food, while the one offered by Government House was used to entertain guests.

A roll call of those who paid Sanusi courtesy visit were politicians from the APC fold. From Governor Rochas Okorocha (Imo), Adams Oshiomhole (Edo), Murtala Nyako (Adamawa), Geidam (Yobe), no politician of note from the ruling PDP came to pay homage. The new emir spoke to his guests through an interpreter in compliance with tradition that forbids him to speak English Language or any foreign language other than his father’s own.

No recognition yet
Sanusi’s emirship is also yet to receive recognition of first class emirs or chiefs as none, either from the North or South had shown up in Kano on solidarity visit, and the story is basically the same on the home front.

The man who basically holds the key to the stability of Sanusi’s reign as Emir of Kano, the eldest son of the late emir, and the hottest contender for the throne, Sanusi Ado Bayero, the Chiroman Kano, and his powerful younger brothers are yet to pay homage. The Chiroman Kano’s refusal to pay homage to Sanusi is indeed holding the city from the victory dance of the new emir.

On Friday, the new emir led the prayers at the Government House where special prayers were offered for the repose of the late emir, Alhaji Ado Abdullahi Bayero. His majestically steps at the outing was a pointer that the new emir is learning fast.

Whether Ado Bayero’s children would demonstrate the spirit of good sportsmanship in weeks to come remains a subject of speculation.  But it is only then the acceptability problem bedeviling the Sanusi reign would disappear and the new emir would walk the streets free in the city divided by succession war.