Forgotten Dairies
The Kano Emirate Crisis Is Buhari’s Baby -By SKC Ogbonnia
The mess
The crisis is a long time coming. It is a clear case of shrewd gerrymandering designed to diminish the influence of the Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi. A unique kind of king, Sanusi is a voluble and charismatic figure, who is globally celebrated as a maverick anti-corruption advocate. He is also well-known for speaking truth to power and has never shied away from criticizing any government, where necessary. The problem, however, is that his criticism of Buhari has been eloquently potent and goes far and wide. But Buhari’s sees opposing views as
This pattern of selective justice and vendetta politics was exemplified by Buhari’s apparent shenanigans in the most dramatic bribery incident in the recent Nigerian memory. The central character was the Governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Ganduje, the same man babysitting the emirate mess. Lest we forget, Ganduje was caught on camera allegedly receiving bribes in multiple billions of naira. The evidence was overwhelming. The witnesses did not bulge. The whole scene provoked worldwide outrage, as well as mockery for the war against corruption under Buhari. And the situation demanded action from both the state and federal levels.
Very stunningly, instead of condemning the incident, President Muhammadu Buhari shocked the world by showering massive encomiums on the rogue governor. This action or inaction by a sitting president represents the shameless juncture where the evil trajectory in Kano took a dramatic rise. Even the Kano State House of Assembly, which had commenced
It did not take long before the Chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole, landed in Kano to pass a vote of confidence on Ganduje, to the chagrin of the Nigerian masses. Only in Nigeria! Only in Nigeria
In simple terms, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi is facing a political double whammy: one from his state governor and the other from the president of the country. Though Buhari’s side of the equation is understandably more intense, fronting Ganduje to tame the
Therefore, the splitting of the Kano Emirate Council by Governor Ganduje has nothing to do with development or the common good. While the traditional institution remains a worthwhile societal phenomenon, it is not ennobling where balkanized and
Many have argued that the royal and religious fathers should not dabble into partisan politics. But that is another idle talk. Societal status must not always deny people the freedom of speech, especially where expressed for the greater good. Moreover, there is the need sometimes to resist the temptation of allowing sycophancy or hypocrisy to breed selective amnesia into national political discourse. It is a common knowledge that, before his ascension to the throne in 2014, the same Sanusi, as the Governor of Central Bank, was hailed within the then opposition ranks for busting the pandora box that contributed to the downfall of President Goodluck Jonathan. As Emir, Sanusi equally did not hide his sympathy for Buhari’s opposition candidacy in 2015. Ditto for the Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu, who openly endorsed Buhari in both 2015 and 2019 elections and is always in the news attacking the perceived political foes of Buhari. Needless to mention Catholic Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka whose fervent support for the president is legendary.
The Kano emirate crisis portends a troubling future. It is Kano today. But it can be any other Nigerian kingdom tomorrow. Unless President Buhari is crisis-happy, he should hasten and call Governor Abdullahi Ganduje to order. The swirling notion that the emirate crisis is a state matter is pure baloney. And stoic silence ought to be viewed as Buhari’s acquiescence to the quandary.
SKC Ogbonnia, a former 2019 APC presidential aspirant, is the author of Effective Leadership Formula