Tag: Kano

Everything you expected in a grand coronation was there. The guns boomed. The trumpets sounded. The large crowd surged and hummed as palace courtiers displayed their colourful, royal gear. At the appropriate time, Alhaji Muhammad Sanusi II was crowned as Sarkin Kano. KOLADE ADEYEMI reports

It was a day of royalty. Kings and queens were present, attended to by courtiers. A 21-gun salute sent the message far beyond the Coronation Hall built for the occasion by Kano State Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso. Dignitaries from diverse places surrounded the new Sarkin Kano, Alhaji Muhammad Sanusi as his Staff of Office was presented to him and he was proclaimed Emir of Kano.

The Emir was clad in unmistakable red and white regalia topped off with golden embroidery. On his feet were ostrich-black shoes. On his face were dark goggles hemmed in by a green-white-green turban.

The Emir was led into the Coronation Hall by the Shamaki and other royal guards in the company of high-ranking chiefs in the Emirate Council. His entourage came in at 10:10. Governor  Kwankwaso and Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III were there.

The coronation started at about 10.50am. The Chief Imam of Kano, Prof. Sani Zaharadeen administered the Oath of Office. The Emir vowed to uphold the tenets of Islam and the rich cultural heritage of the Kano kingdom. Thereafter, he was decorated with traditional regalia by the Madakin Kano, Alhaji Yusuf Nabahani Ibrahim who was supported by the Makaman Kano, Sarkin Bai Kano and Sarkin Dawaki Mai Tuta Kano.

Items presented to the new Emir by the kingmakers included a sword, spear, knife, bow and arrow. The presentation lasted 10 minutes. The decoration was heralded by cheers and shouts of joy, as the large crowd chorused Allah Akbar.

Governor Kwankwaso presented the new Emir with the Staff of Office. This was followed by the traditional 21-gun salute signifying  the authority of his royal office.

In his address during the traditional rites, the Madakin Kano, Alhaji Yusuf Chigari who chairs the kingmakers committee, thanked God for sparing the life of the Emir and members of the Emirate council to witness the coronation of the 57th Emir of Kano. He prayed for the repose of the soul of the late Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero, and also that God will grant the new Emir the grace to lead his people in truth and wisdom.

As the Madakin completed his prayers, the kingmakers, District Heads and the Tambari, Kakaaki, Algaita, Kidan Sara, came in turns to pay homage to the Emir. Elated, Sarki Muhammad Sanusi II thanked Allah for making it possible for him to witness the memorable day. He said the late Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero spent 51 years, a height which no Emir in Kano had ever attained and prayed for God to bless his soul and give the living the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss. He also prayed that Allah will give him the wisdom to lead the people of Kano in peace and harmony. He said his appointment would strengthen his resolve to discharge his obligations creditably, stressing that God in His infinite wisdom and will, is the one who gives power to whom he so wishes and expressed appreciation to all those who were responsible for his appointment as the new Emir of Kano. He also promised to do his best to protect Islam, give advice where necessary and promote the welfare of his people.

Kwankwaso described the appointment of Malam Muhammad Sanusi II as the Emir of Kano as a collective judgment of the people.  He said the selection process that led to the appointment of the Emir was rigorous, painstaking and fair.

Kwankwaso said that the late Alhaji Ado Bayero firmly stood against injustice and persecution, adding that Kano greatly missed a rare gem.

His words: “His Highness’ appointment was justified owing to the widespread acceptance from Kano community and [beyond].  The Emir is a highly knowledgeable person, a seasoned technocrat of international repute and an administrator par excellence. He has also distinguished himself as an outstanding religious scholar that is quite conversant with the dynamics of our time.

“Let me use this opportunity to underscore some of the various accomplishments we have been able to achieve in the last three and a half years or so. We began by improving our internal revenue base from N400 million to about N2billion. We also avoided frivolous expenditures by MDA’s and cut recurrent expenditures, saving up to N500 million monthly.  We have passed legislations ranging from the ban on street begging, street hawking and stray animals on our streets. We have also implemented policies and social reform programmes like the mass wedding programme, house numbering and street naming exercise and other empo-werment initiatives anchored by the Community Reorientation Committee (CRC) and our 26 manpower development institutes like the Reformatory, Corporate Security, Sports, Hospitality and Tourism etc. So far over 360 thousand women and youth have benefitted from these programmes.

“Furthermore, we established 44 garment industries, one in each of the LGA of the state and to give our young entrepreneurs access to finance; we established 37 micro-finance banks in 37 Local Government Areas. We also made available a N6 billion soft loan scheme, where the state government provided N3 billion while the Central Bank, Bank of Agriculture and Bank of Industry provided N3 billion. It is worthy to mention that our Emir Muhammad Sanusi II was instrumental in the actualization of these loan schemes.”

Former Minister of Agriculture, Alhaji Alfa Wali described the coronation as special and historic, stating that he was very happy  to have witnessed it. Alhaji Wali described the new Emir as a principled, honest and dedicated person who has the welfare of his people in his heart. He said Sarki Sanusi 11 is a peacemaker and a leader who has the fear of God.

Mr. Jumoke Fadibus, a representative of the Oshemawe of Ondo Kingdom, Oba Victor  Okulade John described Emir Sanusi II as a straight-forward and hardworking  man who has really contributed his quota to the development of the banking industry.

“I wish him long life on the throne and predict he is going to spend 50 years on this throne in good health,” he said.

The 89-year-old Sarki Bai Kano, Alhaji Murtar Adnan, said the coronation of Emir Sanusi II remained the happiest moment of his life. He added tha the selection of the new Emir was done in good faith and  that he was eminently suitable and qualified for the position.

“I congratulate the Emir on his coronation as the 57th Emir on the throne in Kano. We started from 1977 right from school of basic studies. We graduated in 1981 from Ahmadu Bello University. We have been family friends since then. He is an amiable person. He is a person that can never get lost in a crowd as he always stands out.

Dignitaries at the occasion included former Head of State and Presidential candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC), General Muhammadu Buhari, former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, APC National Leader, Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu, Governors, Adams Oshiemole (Edo), Ahmed Abdulfatai (Kwara), Ibrahim Geidam (Yobe), Abdullaziz Yari (Zamfara), Chibuike Amaechi (Rivers), Ramalan Yero (Kaduna), Babangida Aliyu (Niger), Kashim Shetima (Borno), President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, Aminu Dandata, Speaker of House of Representatives, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar 11 who was the father of the day, Senator Saminu Turaki, Senator Olusola Bukola Saraki, Emirs, traditional rulers, captains of industry and members of the diplomatic corps.

The event was wrapped up with the commissioning of the multi-million naira Coronation Hall 2015 by the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar II and a beautiful Durbar staged at Kofar Kudu, Emir’s Palace in honour of the coronation of the new Emir. The Nation reports the event was smooth and successful as security agencies were able to provide adequate security both at Government House and the Emir’s Palace.