The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Emir of Kano

  • Presidency moves to end farmers-herdsmen conflicts

    Presidency moves to end farmers-herdsmen conflicts

    The Federal government has opened nationwide consultations with opinion leaders towards ending incessant farmers – herdsmen conflict.

    Vice President Yemi Osinbajo opened the dialogue with the hosting of some traditional rulers from Adamawa at the State House in Abuja.

    The meeting was sequel to his visit to Adamawa on December 5, in the wake of the communal clashes in the area.

    The meeting had in attendance the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II; the Lamido of Adamawa, Muhammadu Barkindo Musdafa; elder statesman, Malam Ahmed Joda and other leaders of the Fulani communities.

    Subsequent meetings would focus on other interest groups.

    At the meeting, previous reports on the conflict were presented by the delegation and causes of the conflicts were analysed.

    The meeting condemned the acts of violence that had occurred, especially the killing of children and women.

    It also highlighted the need for Law Enforcement and other Government Agencies to dutifully and objectively perform their constitutional roles.

    Osinbajo assured the delegation of the Federal Government’s resolve and commitment to the entrenchment of lasting peace in all communities across the country and the resolution of all legitimate grievances.

    He said, “There is nothing much more important now, in showing our leadership beyond preventing tragedy and destruction of everything we have built as a nation.

    The entire Nigeria enterprise is bigger than other interests. The overall objective is ensuring that our nation is not enveloped by another crisis.”

    According to the Vice President “We now have an opportunity to do something. We have the opportunity to resolve the issues and to build a nation where we and our children can live in peace.”

    Following the vice president’s visit to Adamawa, several food items and relief materials had been distributed to all the affected communities in the state, including Shafaron, Kodomti, Tullum, Mzoruwe and Mararraban Bare in Numan Local Government Area.

    Other communities that received relief materials were Dong, Lawaru and Kukumso in Demsa Local Government Area of the state.

    In the next series of meetings, the vice president will meet with the Batta, Bachama and other groups from Adamawa, while meetings with stakeholders from other conflict-affected states would follow.

    Also at the meeting were Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mohammed Musa Bello.

    NAN 

  • Buhari vows to reform, decongest Prisons

    Buhari vows to reform, decongest Prisons

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday in Kano reaffirmed that prison reforms and decongestion will be pursued with greater vigor by his administration.

    Speaking at a ceremony in Kurmawa Central Prison Kano, at which 500 inmates were either pardoned or set free upon the payment of fines by the State Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, President Buhari lamented that some of the freed inmates were young and charged prison authorities to make every effort to make better citizens of prisoners.

    President Buhari, in a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and publicity, Garba Shehu, pledged that prisons reforms and decongestion would continue to receive prompt attention from his administration.

    He harped on the need for prisoners to receive proper care, support and rehabilitation to make them better citizens after serving their prisons terms.

    He said “I am pleased with this visit and I have learnt a bit more about the conditions of the prisons and inmates.

    “This building in front of us was built since 1910. Rehabilitation of prisoners and training of inmates is very important to us and we would continue to invest more on this.

    “I asked one of the inmates (released) how old he was and he told me he is only 19 years old.

    “If we have people of 18 and 19 years in the prison, and there is no continuous training, then their lives will be completely destroyed. We will invest more in education and vocational training,’’ he said.

    The 500 inmates granted pardon, including men and women, were drawn from various prisons in Kano state, including Kurmawa prisons, which has 1,398 inmates as opposed to 750, the established capacity.

    Earlier, the President who arrived Kano to a tumultuous welcome by the Government and people of the State at the start of a two-day state visit paid homage to the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II.

    At the Emir’s place, President Buhari recounted his fond memories of Kano, as a symbol of peace, trade, commerce and industry in Nigeria.

    ‘‘If there is a problem here, the whole country has a problem. I remember the industry and employment people get in Kano.

    ‘‘Before the problem in the North East, I remember the number of articulated vehicles that leave this city to Maiduguri and the Cameroons, and the number of vehicles that come in from Chad and Niger, providing millions of jobs to Nigerians.

    ‘‘A lot of people in Nigeria didn’t realise how much the instability in the North East have cost the people and the industry here ’’ he said.

    President Buhari, therefore, assured all Nigerians that the fight against the degraded Boko Haram will be sustained, in addition to the positive trends in the economy and the fight against corruption.

    ‘‘The three things we said in our campaign on security, economy and fighting corruption, nobody will be able to successfully disabuse the minds of Nigerians on our clear intentions for our country and our people,’’ he said.

  • Ex CBN deputy governor visits Emir of Kano

    Former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Deputy Governor, Financial System Stability, Prof. Kingsley Moghalu has paid a courtesy visit to the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II.

    Moghalu, who is the founder of the Institute for Governance and Economic Transformation (IGET), called on all Nigerians to place a premium on purposeful leadership and national unity. These, he said, would create better and equitable future for the country.

    “We have made this trip in the spirit of unity and friendship. As an indigene of Nnewi, Anambra State, we were all witnesses to the deep history that Anambra and Kano share: the  longstanding traditions concerning the role of royalty in maintaining unity in Nigeria. After contributing massively to the economic development of our great country, I also commend the Emir for returning home to continue this wonderful tradition,” he said.

    In Moghalu’s delegation were a former Minister of Health, Prof. A.B.C Nwosu; former  CBN Director of the Consumer Protection Department,  Faruq Shehu; Colonel Charles Onwujuba (rtd.) and Deputy Director, CBN, Muazu Lere.

    The Emir praised Moghalu for his work and success since concluding his tenure at the CBN, especially in thought leadership, the academics and public policy.

    Since leaving Nigeria’s apex bank, Moghalu has been a professor of International Business and Public Policy at the Tufts University in Massachussets, United States of America and also established IGET last year.

  • Domestic violence against women Emir of Kano expresses concern

    Domestic violence against women Emir of Kano expresses concern

    The Emir of Kano, Malam Muhammad Sanusi II, has expressed concern over the alarming rate of domestic violence in Northern Nigeria, especially against women.

    The Emir made the remark on Friday at the opening of the 32nd National Conference of the Federation of Muslim Women’s Associations of Nigeria (FOMWAN) in Kano.

    Sanusi said it was more worrisome that some people had twisted the Holy Scriptures to find a suitable excuse to justify some of the violent acts against women.

    According to him, just about a week ago, here in Kano, a man beat his wife to death and this is just one out of the many examples of the daily violent acts against women.

    He then called for collective efforts from authorities, including NGOs, to tackle violence and other social vices plaguing women and children.

    In his remarks, the state Gov., Abdullahi Ganduje, expressed dismay over how agriculture had been abandoned in the country, after the discovery of oil.

    Represented by the Commissioner for Women Affairs, Hajiya Yardada Maikano, Ganduje emphasised the need for the three levels of governments to introduce more youth empowerment programmes to revive the national economy.

    He described the youth as the asset of the nation in her quest to restore lost glory, especially when they become fully empowered for self reliance.

    NAN reports that FOMWAN’s 32nd Annual Conference has as its theme, “Nigeria’s Economy in Recession: The Islamic Solution’’.

     

  • Emir Sanusi advocates city driven economy by states

    Emir Sanusi advocates city driven economy by states

    The Emir of Kano, Malam Muhammadu Sanusi II, has called for collaboration of states in investment and economic policies and activities so as to fast-track the wheel of national development.

    The Kano Emir who was a former Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) while receiving a joint-delegation of Lagos and Kano Government officials and professionals who converged in Kano for the Preparatory Meeting of Lagos-Kano Economic and Investment Summit where a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed, noted that the partnership between Kano and Lagos states would facilitate rapid economic development in Nigeria.

    He further expressed optimism that the partnership would work for the benefit and progress of both states, particularly in the area of waste management and infrastructure.

    According to him, “we must ensure that we do our best in putting up effective mechanisms to ensure the progress of our state through the laudable cooperation, which will result to the development of our great nation generally.

    “National growth and development is now driven by cities and not by the federation; and as such, state governments should not rely on Federal Government for such development to take place.”

    Also, Emir Sanusi suggested for ways to minimize the overdependence of states on the Federal Government, emphasizing that, “Our states development should be derived from powerful city structures; for instance, cities like New York, Atlanta, Chicago, London, Paris and Tokyo.

    The Royal Father further noted that, “this technical cooperation will work for both states. It would be of mutual benefits for the participating states, coupled with the limitless opportunities.”

    Leader of the 18-man Lagos State Delegation, Mr Akinyemi Ashade, who is also the Commissioner of Economic Planning and Budget, said the recent World Bank report on Lagos and Kano, identified planning permits and multi-taxation and other variables, which requires both states to intensify cooperation, as well as on good governance, so as to record steady progress.

    According to the Commissioner, Lagos encountered challenges, particularly on infrastructure, waste management and environmental issue, which they have overcome through concerted efforts, adding that he believes that the economic cooperation would resolve similar challenges here.”

  • Why Northern leaders didn’t comment on Ife clash – Emir of Kano

    Why Northern leaders didn’t comment on Ife clash – Emir of Kano

    The Emir of Kano, Alhaji Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, explained on Monday why the Northern traditional rulers did not make public pronouncements on the March 8 violent clash between Ife indigenes and Hausa/Fulani settlers.

    He said the emirs were satisfied with the early response of Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, to the crisis and his maturity in curtailing it.

    Sanusi spoke while presenting the cheque of  N50 million donated by Aliko Dangote Foundation to 220 victims of the clash.

    The presentation took place at the Ooni’s palace in Ife.

    According to him, the swift response of the Ooni and his maturity in handling the matter was commendable.

    The Emir said there was no need to make statements on the incident since the Ooni had intervened in the matter.

    He said: “We have been asked by several people why we have not made public statement about Ife crisis. I was in Hong Kong and Sultan of Sokoto was in the United Kingdom. But Ooni informed us about it and how he had contacted the police and number of people arrested.

    “We are both convinced that as a monarch and father, Ooni had done what ought to have been done and that is why we did not make any statement so as to avoid making the issue volatile. The Ooni met me in the UK and we rode in the same car to my daughter’s graduation ceremony. We spent almost two hours during which he gave full details of what happened.

    “I was here some few weeks ago to see the Hausas, who were affected by the crisis. I felt that we should do something to assist the people. I called Aliko Dangote even I feel guilty for calling him all the time there was crisis. So when I came and saw the number of shops burnt and I called Aliko Dangote. The manner he responded to humanitarian crisis was impressive. There are many wealthy Nigerians and we should remember that our wealth given to us by God in trust.”

    In his response, the Ooni urged the government to explore collaboration between the monarchs and the private sector to foster socio-economic development and communal peace in Nigeria.

     

     

     

  • Osinbajo, Emir of Kano meet in Aso Villa

    Osinbajo, Emir of Kano meet in Aso Villa

    Acting President Yemi Osinbajo and the Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi II, yesterday afternoon met behind closed-doors at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    The meeting, which started when the emir arrived at State House around 2:42p.m., lasted till around 4:50 p.m.

    Sanusi, however, declined to speak with State House correspondents on the purpose of his visit to Aso Rock.

    He was seen exchanging pleasantries with some presidential aides and workers in the vice presidential wing of the State House.

    There was also no official statement concerning the meeting as at press time.

    But Osinbajo on Tuesday began series of meetings with stakeholders and leaders of thought from the North and Southeast over the ultimate from Arewa youths asking Igbos to leave their region by October 1.

    Osinbajo will meet with northern traditional rulers on Monday. He is also scheduled to meet with governors of the 36 states on a yet to be determined date.

    A bigger meeting with all stakeholders is scheduled to hold on Thursday June 22.

  • Sanusi fires scribe over alleged sabotage

    Sanusi fires scribe over alleged sabotage

    The Emir of Kano, Malam Muhammad Sanusi 11 Wednesday fired his Senior Private Secretary, Alhaji Isah Bayero over alleged acts of sabotage.

    Isah Bayero who was a former pilot with Kabo Airline was appointed Emir Sanusi’s aid in 2014 when the former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor mounted the throne following the death of the late Emir, Alhaji Ado Abdullahi Bayero.

    Sources close to the Kano Emirate Council confided in The Nation that the Isah Bayero was shown the exit yesterday as he was accused of being responsible for the leak of information concerning the spending of the council’s funds, which led to public outcry and subsequent investigations into the spending of the Emirate Council by the state Anti-Corruption Commission and Kano State House of Assembly.

    The Nation recalls that Emir Sanusi 11 came under public criticism when it was alleged that he inherited N4 billion from the late Emir of Kano, His Highness, Alhaji Ado Abdullahi Bayero.

    The allegation prompted a Press Conference by the Emirate where the Chief Finance Officer of the Palace, Walin Kano, Alhaji Mahe Bashir Wali, reacted to reports that the Emirate spent N4 billion left behind by the former Emir, describing the allegations as untrue.

     

  • Osinbajo, IBB, Sultan, others save Emir of Kano from Assembly probe

    Osinbajo, IBB, Sultan, others save Emir of Kano from Assembly probe

    The Kano State House of Assembly on Monday stopped further probe of the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, following a letter received from Government House and signed by Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, urging the House to halt the probe due to appeals from notable Nigerians who pleaded on behalf of the Emir.

    The Nation gathered that Ganduje who recognized the principles of separation of powers stated that his letter to that effect did not intend to threaten the independence of the House.

    According to the Speaker of the Kano state House of Assembly who read the Governor’s letter yesterday afternoon, Hon. Kabiru Alhasan Rurum, the decision to suspend the probe was prompted by a letter written by Kano state governor, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje requesting the House to halt further actions against the Royal Father.

    The letter from the Governor appealed to the state legislative arm to halt proceedings into the eight count charge against the Emir of Kano, citing mediation by prominent Nigerians, including the Governors’ Forum, Acting president, Yemi Osinbajo, Sultan of Sokoto, Alh Sahaad Abubakar, Senate President Bukola Saraki, Speaker of House of Representatives Yakubu Dogara, Aminu Dantata and Alhaji Aliko Dangote.

    Ganduje in the letter to the House buttressed his appeal for the cancellation of further investigation of the charges against the Kano monarch positing that the Emir had shown remorse during a reconciliation session organized by Northern Governors’ forum in Kaduna.

    The House after an extensive deliberation session passed a unanimous verdict approving the termination of the probe into the alleged illicit activities of the Emir.

    The Nation learned that the House before now had planned to allegedly create additional Emirates in the state.

    However, a lawmaker who spoke to The Nation on condition of anonymity expressed dissatisfaction over the abrupt intervention by prominent Nigerians.

    According to him, “I am not happy at all because we are set to make the records straight before this sudden intervention by prominent personalities in the country.”

    The Nation reports that Emir Sanusi has been in controversy lately with the allegation of financial misappropriation and alleged misconduct.

    Apart from the probe initiated by the Kano state anti-corruption agency, Emir Sanusi recently entered the black book of the state Assembly as it set up an eight-man committee to investigate the Emir.

    A member representing Nasarawa Local Government Area, Alhaji Ibrahim Gama last week raised a motion of urgent public importance.

    Gama frowned at the recent comments credited to the Emir over the proposed Kano light rail project which will soon be executed by Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.

    The Chairman of the House committee on Works insisted that, “the statement from the Emir is capable of tarnishing his image, the Government and that of the assembly.

    “The Emir during his speech in Kaduna alleged that the Kano State Governor and his entourage, including me as the Chairman of the House committee on Works wasted one month in China seeking for a loan to construct rail.”

    “The Emir’s statement was not true, we spent only four days in China, and our visit was to find out the capability of the company to handle the rail project.

    “His utterances have caused a lot of insult to me, the state government and also the house of assembly by the general public in the state, and outside the state.”

    He took a swipe at Emir Sanusi for sending his daughter to represent in one of the functions organized by Bring Back Our Girls group in Abuja, describing it as inimical to the tradition of the Emirate Council.

    “There are many responsible Emirate Council members who can represent him at the Programme. This is the first time we are seeing such in the historical traditional home,” he added.

    According to Gama, the mode of dressing by the Emir’s daughter during the Programme, was an embarrassment to the emirate council and the tradition of Kano people.

    He also accused Sanusi for introducing religious issues that are contrary to the teachings of Islam, saying such things are capable of disgracing the religion.

    Gama further accused Emir Sanusi of involvement in political issues, misappropriation of emirate Council’s fund, and making statements against President Muhammad Buhari.

  • Sanusi to Kano: safeguard pipelines

    Sanusi to Kano: safeguard pipelines

    The Emir of Kano, Mallam Muhammadu Sanusi II, has called on the people of Kano to individually assist in safeguarding the nation’s oil and gas facilities by watching out for pipeline vandals within their communities.
     
    Emir Sanusi made this call while receiving the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Dr. Maikanti Kacalla Baru, at his Palace in Kano, on Tuesday.
     
    The Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs, Mr. Ndu Ughamadu, who disclosed this in a statement yesterday, quoted the monarch as saying in Hausa that: “I want to call on all our district heads, community leaders and the entire people of Kano State to consider safeguarding the nation’s oil and gas pipelines as a personal responsibility in their respective communities.”
     
    The Emir, who stated that the Kano Emirate would set the machinery in motion to ensure that all community leaders watch out for pipeline vandals within their domain, also carpeted the economic saboteurs for their unwholesome activities.
     
    “Their actions have caused untold hardship on people’s lives and created a huge negative impact on the environment as well as the economic prosperity of our nation,” the Emir added.
     
    He particularly commended the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr. Maikanti Kacalla Baru for re-inaugurating the Kano Depot which had led to the restoration of loading operations in the state.
     
    He said as the Centre of Commerce, Kano would soon experience the positive impact of the resuscitation of the Kano depot. “It is my hope that this development will also solve the power issues of our industrial areas in Sharada, Bompai and Challawa,” he noted.
     
    The Emir also commended the GMD for bringing his personal attributes of honesty and integrity to bear on the operations of the Corporation.
     
    “As someone I have known over the years for honesty and integrity, it is no surprise that the Corporation is recording remarkable milestones under his leadership.
     
    “Whoever knows you and knows what should be done to revamp the NNPC will be happy with your appointment. We pray God to continue to guide you in the execution of this huge responsibility”, the Emir stated.
     
    Responding, the GMD said his team was in Kano to re-commission the Kano Depot which has been down since January 2014. 
     
    He also thanked the Emir for his efforts at galvanizing the Kano community to help towards safeguarding the nation’s oil and gas assets.