THE SOUL OF KANO IS NOT FOR SALE:
A SOLEMN APPEAL TO GOVERNOR ABBA KABIR YUSUF ON THE PRESERVATION OF TRADITION, HISTORY, AND THE DANGERS OF POLITICAL CONVENIENCE.
By Tijjani Sarki
Your Excellency,
I write to you with a heart weighed down by deep concern and a profound sense of responsibility. As a Good Governance Advocate and Public Policy Analyst, I have carefully observed the recent political developments in our dear state,, particularly your decamping to the ruling party and the renewed political alignment with your predecessor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.
While politics may thrive on numbers, alignments, and strategic calculations, the Kano Emirate is far beyond politics. It is the living soul of our people, the anchor of our history, and the heartbeat of Hausa culture and Islamic tradition. It must never be reduced to a bargaining chip in the quest for political survival or accommodation.
The Kano Emirate, a centuries-old institution built on sacred customs, continuity, and reverence, has in recent years been treated less as a revered heritage and more as a political chessboard. To fully grasp the gravity of the current tension, one must look beyond legal technicalities and confront the painful reality that many Kano citizens have come to accept, that this crisis was largely engineered as a political vendetta under the previous administration.
The crisis that engulfed our traditional institution was midwifed and delivered by Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, not out of service to the people, but out of personal grievance. It was a calculated assault on a thousand-year-old legacy.
Historically, the appointment or removal of an Emir followed sacred rituals, consultations with kingmakers, and a process deeply rooted in tradition, dating back to the era when the Sultan held overarching authority. That sacred process was recklessly discarded.
The Dasuki Reform Committee guidelines on discipline and civil service decorum were ignored. Emir Muhammadu Sanusi II was dethroned and banished in a manner that left an indelible stain on our collective history. Within a frantic 24-hour period, laws were enacted to fragment the Kano Emirate, leading to the creation of entities such as the Bichi Emirate,an arrangement with no historical precedent as an independent Emirship, unlike Karaye and Gaya, which possess long-standing traditional roots.
Your decision to reinstate Emir Muhammadu Sanusi II was widely seen as an effort to correct a historical wrong and restore dignity to the throne. Yet, curiously, the displaced Emir, Aminu Ado Bayero, has not pursued his case with the vigor expected of a personal struggle for justice.
Instead, there is a growing and troubling sentiment among the people of Kano that he is being politically restrained“caged,” as many describe it and used by Dr. Ganduje and his allies as a tool to keep legal and social tension alive.
This manufactured storm appears designed to distract your administration, weaken governance, and create a perpetual state of instability.
Your Excellency, the tension surrounding the Emirate today is artificial. It is not organic. It is sustained deliberately to corner your government and exhaust your political capital.
The speculation that your administration might revisit the status of the throne,possibly removing Emir Muhammadu Sanusi II again to install a so-called “neutral” figure as a gesture of political reconciliation,is deeply unsettling.
Such a move would be a grave error.
It would confirm the darkest fears of ordinary Kano citizens, that the revered throne of Dabo has been reduced to a plaything in the hands of selfish political actors. The Emirate is not a revolving door, and constantly altering its leadership only erodes its sanctity and authority.
Kano is one of the foremost custodians of tradition. This heritage is our pride, not a commodity to be traded in the marketplace of political realignment. Any attempt to manipulate the Emirate to appease those who once sought to dismantle it will not bring peace, it will only deepen mistrust and historical resentment.
On Stability and the Future of Kano
Attempting to “resolve” this tussle by reinstalling another figure or reverting to fragmented structures will only inflame tensions further. It would signal that the throne of Dabo has become a mere extension of Government House,subject to alteration whenever political loyalties shift.
Such a precedent would be disastrous. Governors serve limited terms, the Emirate is meant to endure for centuries. Yielding to this pressure would not restore harmony,it would institutionalize instability and alienate the very people whose trust sustains governance.
Our Emirates are custodians of our collective memory. While Karaye and Gaya possess historical legitimacy, the arbitrary creation and dissolution of traditional institutions for political payback insults the ancestors who built the Kano Caliphate.
The people of Kano deserve stability, dignity, and respect for their heritage. Politics must not be allowed to turn our pride into a playground for narrow interests.
Do not allow the shadow of past vendettas to define your legacy. Stand firm for the restoration of unity, dignity, and historical continuity.
As you align with the federal center, I appeal to your conscience,do not sacrifice the soul of Kano on the altar of political convenience.
The people look to you not to negotiate away their heritage, but to protect it.
Let the Emirate remain stable. Let our traditional institutions stand as independent pillars of identity, continuity, and peace as they were always meant to be.
Yours faithfully,
Tijjani Sarki
Good Governance Advocate and Public Policy Analyst
Zawaciki, Kano
