SANUSI AND THE PETTINESS OF THE MEDIA

When Nigerians want to be petty, we go the extreme in our pettiness. One of the most prominent and revered Muslim Leader and Monarch in this Country Alhaji Dr. Ado Abdullahi Bayero (CFR, LLD, JP) (25 July 1930 – 6 June 2014) passed on last Friday and instead of eulogies for the great man who ruled for almost 51 years and condolence visits to his family, we have messed up the process with needless controversy.

The late Emir who was a very successful Businessman,who had worked as a Banker – yes you read it right, he was a Banker, Police Officer, MP and Diplomat. He was a former Ambassador to Senegal. Son of the late Addullahi Bayero Dan Muhammad Abbas. Alhaji Dr. Ado Abdullahi Bayero (CFR, LLD, JP) was the 13th Fulani Emir since the Fulani war of Usman Dan Fodio, when the Fulani took over the Hausa City-States. He was one of the Strongest and most Powerful Emirs in the History of the Hausa Land. He was also renowned for his abundant wealth and generosity. May his soul rest in Peace.

The process of selection or the emergence of a new Emir ought not to over shadow the achievements of this Great Man but like everything else in Nigeria today we have politicized the process and focused on characters than on the Historical significance of the process. We have reduced the exalted Throne of the Emir to APC vs PDP, the Presidency vs Sanusi or The Presidency vs Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso the Executive Governor of Kano State.

Some petty analyst have even reasoned that it’s poetic Justice as the former Central Bank Governor who was removed from office three months before his tenure expires is now a Monarch that President Goodluck Jonathan will now bow to whenever he visits Kano. They reason that as long as Sanusi Lamido Sanusi is the Emir of Kano he will continue to be a thorn on the Flesh of GEJ and that it will further ensure that GEJ loses the entire Northern votes if he decides to run again come 2015 even though I don’t see how Kano now means the entire North.

To many it’s an opportunity to insult the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. When did we become so shallow, parochial and narrow minded to think that insulting Mr. President will solve all of our problems? Anybody who wants to be seen as working for the good of Nigeria will insult Mr. President and those in office. We use to have a tradition of respect for those in authority as every culture teaches and imbibes in the younger generation respect for elders. Are we indeed the wasted generation as Prof. Wole Soyinka asserted? if not what will make a serving Governor pay people huge sums of money simply to insult Mr. President. Is our generation worse than wasted and it's Terminal?



What I think we should concern ourselves with should be the task before the new Emir. Does SLS have the temperament to be a Monarch? Precedence had it that previous occupiers of that exalted office are men who are not known for many words. What is he bringing into the Traditional Institution? There is the raging debate for more Constitutional role for monarchs. What does Kano residents and indeed Nigerians stand to benefit from his Monarchy? What differences will Sanusi Lamido Sanusi the 14th Emir of Kano make? 

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