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Barau’s Kano Project : Kwankwasiyya, Kannywood, TikTok Deserters

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By Abba Anwar

Whether or not those joining All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kano state, through Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin CFR, are doing that with genuine mind and valid reason, the fact remains, that, political opposition and politicking are becoming lively day in day out, in the state.

The recent hues and cries shaping party cross carpeting, with particular reference to the DSP’s engagement with Kwankwasiyya followers, Kannywood elements and some identified TikTokers is on increase in the state. Both freedom of expression and freedom of choice at play.

Believe it or not, one cannot separate Barau and APC in this political engagement. Those changing party membership under Barau, are changing to APC ultimately, not to Barau. Because the institution is the party, APC, not Barau.

It is clear to all that, Barau is positioning himself against 2027 Kano Project. That in itself isn’t a political sin. If his target is Kano, as a political space, his feats achieved within a specified period of time, go beyond Kano. Not to talk of his primary constituency, Kano North Senatorial District.

Let me say this, before now, I faulted Barau’s strategy for welcoming political opponents, Kwankwasiyya followers especially. Arguing that, what was the wisdom behind welcoming someone today, who could reverse back to where he exited, in few days time

I later realized that, as some Kwankwasiyya elements use Barau as an entry point, it was revealed openly to the Deputy Senate President, that, some of those coming to APC through him, were planted as moles for the opposition. With this, he pays back to them, using “repentant elements,” as paid agents within the opposition circle.

Reason for one-touch strategy, as I blamed him the other time. (laughter).

So it is now not very clear whether those making u-turn after taking “oath” before Barau, are genuinely going back to where they started, Kwankwasiyya, in this context. The same thing applies to Kannywood elements, artistes and TikTokers.

But what interests onlookers most, is his indifferent behavior about all the hues and cries. Which, to me, it appears like he is acting a particular script by accepting opposition elements into APC. Whose script and from where? Such questions remain unanswered.

I am envisaging that some big shots are making their wave to Barau, as an entry point. This time around, it is not the issue of Kannywood actors /actress, or artistes or other similar individuals. People of greater substance and relevance by all political standard. Ours is to wait and see.

But let me assure my readers that, when that situation comes its natural way, more storm will overwhelm APC opponents in Kano, and elsewhere by extension. So who is calling the shot?

Some people argue that, among all those with positions from Kano state, either elected or appointed, with the exception of the National Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC) Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje CON, – who, by constitutional provision, cannot vie for Kano governorship position again – Barau stands better chance.

As an addendum also, you cannot compare Barau with the current governor of Kano State, Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf, in terms of productivity, creative mind, political experience, exposure, charisma, intellectual sagacity, public presentation, public relations, domineering posture, independent mind and action, enhanced interpretation of political engagement and unwavering loyalty and support to party ideals and manifesto.

Without fear of mincing words, I can say, Barau can make a good governor than the current governor of our dear state, Yusuf. I am just being scientific. Just compare their achievements so far in the state. Though, Barau coming from the legislative arm, but his interventions, real interventions, to the lives of ordinary Kano man, are unmatched. Compared to that of the governor. Yes the governor.

But the way I see it, is this, if achievements are the yardstick for measuring one’s political chances, to me, Barau’s relevance goes beyond Kano, or merely his primary constituency, Kano North. I stand to be corrected. If one’s achieved feats are indices, I bet my position.

To me, if Kwankwasiyya’s cross carpeting, through the entry point, Barau, is reversible, as some of them provided that explanation, by their action, there is nothing extraordinary when Kannywood people alongside TikTokers, follow suit.

Take it or leave it, Barau’s visibility in Kano political space, is something not to be taken for granted. The ploy upon ploy smuggle into the threshold of political engagement in the state, are enough reasons to explain to you that, Barau is not a political dummy. Neither an inexperienced political flagship. Someone with the highest position in the National Assembly, from North West,with the exception of Kaduna, that produces Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Anwar, was Chief Press Secretary to the former Governor of Kano State, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje CON and can be reached at fatimanbaba1@gmail.com

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Opinion

The Blending of Segmented Three Stars in Education—Abubakar Musa Umar

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Abubakar Musa Umar

Kano State is blessed with a wealth of individuals with diverse experiences, skills, and contacts across many spheres of life, including religious, cultural, and educational spaces. The likes of Dr. Sheikh Isyaku Rabiu, Sheikh Nasir Kabara, and Sheikh Jaafar Mahmoud Adam are among the few figures to mention, possessing vast Islamic knowledge appreciated worldwide. Recently, Kano State has been blessed with three educational experts with extensive knowledge of education, from its foundational levels to the peak positions of management and decision-making.

Malam Yusuf Kabir was a civil servant for 35 years, retiring in 2014 as Director of Planning, Research, and Statistics at the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) Kano. He started as a classroom teacher and later became an education secretary in different local governments. Since 2015, he has worked with development partners and achieved remarkable success with the Education Sector Support Program in Nigeria (ESSPIN), the Department for International Development (DFID), PLANE-DAI, and many others. He is currently the Executive Chairman of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) Kano.

In the last seventeen months, Malam Yusuf has brought significant changes to basic education in the state. He initiated the first induction training for newly recruited teachers to prepare them for the job. He transformed both the staff and facilities to enhance services and improve job satisfaction.

Malam Haladu Mohammed, an international development expert, started his career as a classroom teacher and later transitioned to higher education, where he rose to the level of senior lecturer in the Department of Geography at the College of Arts, Science, and Remedial Studies (CAS), Kano. Malam Haladu created several educational programs and projects, working as a Team Lead with DFID, OTL, and, most recently, as Chief of Party at USAID Liberia. He is currently the Technical Advisor on Education Reforms to the Executive Governor of Kano State.

Dr. Yakubu Muhammad Anas, a development expert with more than two decades of track records of accomplishment, was a classroom teacher for years, rising to the rank of Head Teacher before resigning to join development work. He has supported many programs and projects within and outside the country, working with ESSPIN, DFID, KaLMA, and Sesame Square Nigeria. He provides technical support to the Kano State Education Emergency Conference and is currently assisting the Ministry of Education and its agencies in achieving their target goals and objectives.

The three stars worked on the same projects and recorded remarkable success in their respective areas. The stars have now blended again, working with the Kano State Government to revive the education sector.

The recent appointment of Malam Haladu as Technical Advisor to the Executive Governor of Kano, the transformation of basic education under the leadership of Malam Yusuf Kabir, and the technical support provided by Dr. Yakubu Anas to the Ministry of Education and its agencies testify to the government’s commitment to real educational reforms.

Education is currently in the hands of experts whose experience and contributions to the development of education are recognized and appreciated worldwide.

May Almighty Allah (SWT) grant them the wisdom to devise solutions to existing challenges and transform education in Kano State.

Long Live, Kano State

Abubakar Musa Umar is an educationist and a development expert writes this from Kano

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Opinion

Wearing the Turban, Bearing the Burden: The Enormous Task Before the New Galadiman Kano

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The promotion of Wamban Kano Munir Sanusi as Galadiman Kano today, May 2, 2025, marks an important moment in the history of Kano’s sarauta institution. More than a ceremonial installment, it is the continuation of a title whose symbolic and administrative significance has long anchored the cohesion of Kano; first as a kingdom, and since the nineteenth century, as an emirate. This moment is charged with expectation, arriving at a time Kano Emirate is caught in a vortex of political contestation, juridical uncertainty, and generational transition. It will be the day a man who is both brother and foster son to a former Galadima, and son-in-law to another, assumes such an important office.

The title of Galadima, derived from the Kanuri galdi-ma, meaning “chief of the western front,” emerged during the administrative reforms of Kano’s second Hausa ruler, Sarki Warisi dan Bagauda, in the 11th century. Over time, it evolved into one of the most powerful and most senior princely offices across Hausa land. Until Emir Abdullahi Maje Karofi (1855-1882) appointed his son Yusufu as Galadima, the title had traditionally been reserved for the king’s/emir’s uncle, eldest brother or closest male kin: typically someone older and therefore unlikely to succeed to the throne.

Elsewhere, I have argued that Maje Karofi’s deviation from this established custom was one of the remote causes of the Kano Civil War of 1893. In essence, the appointment of a son to such a crucial position, naturally altered the institutional role of the Galadima, who historically functioned as a check on the emir’s authority. This explains Maje Karofi’s decision to depose his brother Abdulkadir, for expressing growing concern over certain decisions and practices at court the latter deemed inappropriate.

As demonstrated by the reigns of Galadiman Kano Daudu, Atuma, and the Fulani-era Galadimas Maje Karofi and Tijjani Hashim, the office has often wielded influence that paralleled or even eclipsed that of the king/emir. Until the 19th century, titles like Dan Ruwatan Kano were accorded to the kinsman or son of the galadima, while Dan Darman Kano was reserved for his cognatic kinsman. Traditionally, the Galadima served as vizier, head of civil administration, and head of his own mini-palace, independent of the Emir’s court. Court praise-singers aptly describe bearers of the title as Daudu rakumin Kano, the camel that bears the city’s burden; Daudu gatan birni, the protector of the city; and Rumfa sha shirgi, the palace’s dust heap where disputes are deposited and resolved. In recent times, no one embodied such praise and fuction as the late Galadiman Kano Tijjani Hashim.

Widely regarded as the archetype of the modern Galadima, Tijjani Hashim redefined the office in an era when the sarauta was stripped of formal political power. He transformed it into a bastion of accessible influence, strategic mediation, and public service. His residence functioned as a daily court of appeals, open to aristocrats, commoners, and royal slaves alike. He was the man to whom a poor student could turn for a scholarship, a merchant for capital, a civil servant for promotion, a politician for sponsorship, and a broken family for reconciliation.

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Tijjani Hashim died in 2014 and was succeeded by the charismatic Abbas Sanusi, whose reign as Galadima was cut short by a protracted illness. Abbas Sanusi was a disciplined and astute administrator, widely respected for his command of the emirate’s bureaucratic machinery. Yet his tenure was constrained by declining health, which limited his capacity to perform some of Galadima’s traditional roles, particularly inter-familial diplomacy. It is from Abbas Sanusi that the title now transitions to his younger brother, Alhaji Munir Sanusi, marking a rare case of intergenerational and intra-familial continuity, even by the standards of Kano’s dynastic politics. Their relationship was not merely fraternal, it was paternal. Abbas raised Munir from infancy, shaping his worldview and instilling in him the refined fadanci he has mastered and discreetly used to his advantage. Adding further symbolic weight is the fact that Munir is married to Hajiya Mariya Tijjani Hashim, daughter of the very man whose name has become synonymous with the Galadima title in recent memory. Thus, the new Galadima stands at the confluence of two great legacies—bound by blood to Abbas, and by marriage to Tijjani.

Born on January 12, 1962, Munir Sanusi Bayero was the last son of Emir Sir Muhammad Sanusi I to be born in the Kano palace. Raised by his late brother, Galadima Abbas Sanusi, he later married his second cousin, Hajiya Mariya, a union that has continued to epitomize royal love and companionship. Alhaji Munir Sanusi received his primary education at Gidan Makama Primary School, and his secondary education at Government Secondary School Dambatta from 1976 to 1981. He later obtained a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology in New Delhi.

Galadima Munir Sanusi’s career commenced in the Kano State Ministry of Social Welfare, Youth, and Sports, where he served as a Transport Officer from 1989 to 1991. He later joined Daula Enterprises Co. Ltd, Kano, from 1991 to 1993. He currently sits on the board of several companies, including Tri-C3 and Unique Leather Finishing Co. Ltd, the second-largest exporter of leather in West Africa.

In 2014, the Emir of Kano Khalifa Muhammad Sanusi II appointed him as Dan Majen Kano and pioneer Chief of Staff to the Emir in Kano Emirate, He was elevated to the position of Danburam Kano in 2016 and Wamban Kano and district head of Bichi in 2024. Today, he assumes the prestigious title of Galadiman Kano.

Galadima Munir’s loyalty to Emir Muhammadu Sanusi II has earned him considerable admiration within and beyond Kano. When the Emir was deposed in March 2020 and exiled to Loko in Nasarawa State, Munir not only followed him into banishment but remained by his side through Lagos and back to Kano. Now that the Emir has rewarded that loyalty with the emirate’s highest princely office, Munir faces a challenge no less noble than the title he inherits.

For one, loyalty is only one pillar of what I call, “the burdens of the Galadima”. The office demands generosity, accessibility, discretion, and the ability to shoulder the hopes of a people whose faith in the sarauta system is repeatedly tested. Here lies the Galadima’s greatest trial. Like his predecessors, he must cultivate a public image as a patron of the weak, a reconciler of royal, noble amd common feuds, and a figure of last resort to both the high and the low. He must embody _rumfa sha shirgi_ in practice: bearing the burdens of others, not just out of obligation, but with discernment, sincerity, and grace. His word must be his bond, for _zancen Galadima kamar zancen Sarki ne_: the word of the Galadima is expected to be final, unwavering, and free of bitterness.

The task becomes all the more urgent against the backdrop of Kano’s current emirship crisis. While Emir Muhammadu Sanusi II’s return has been celebrated in many quarters, it remains the subject of intense legal and political contestation. In this precarious climate, the Galadima must go beyond ceremonial visibility. He must be the Emirate’s anchor, bridging palace factions and translating the noble project of restoring the sarauta back to its sense to the wider public. Galadima Munir’s early efforts at reconciling estranged branches of the royal family and diffusing internal tensions suggest a promising political instinct. But history demands more than instinct; it demands an ethic of honor and sustained human investment.

To become Galadiman Kano today is not merely to wear a turban. It is to accept a lifetime project of prioritizing the interest of the Sarauta and the talakawa over one’s. It is knowing that one’s home inevitably becomes a revolving court and one’s influence becomes public trust. Any failure to wield it generously, the memory of that failure will linger far longer than any quiet success.

Alhaji Munir Sanusi ascends the title of Galadima with the wind of history at his back and the shadows of giants before him. He is son and brother to a Galadima, and son-in-law to the most revered of them. If he can merge these legacies with his quiet resolve and proven loyalty, he may yet restore the Galadima as the most vital conduit between the emirate and its people.

As the title awaits its meaning, Kano welcomes its new Galadima.

Allah ya kama, Raba musu rana da hazo

Allah ya taya riko, Daudu kwatangwalon giye.

Allah ya taimaki, tomo jiniyar gari

Huzaifa Dokaji writes from New York and can be reached via huzaifadokaji@gmail.com

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Opinion

Open Letter to the Group Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL)

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By Kehinde Moshood

Dear Group Chief Executive Officer, Mr Bashir Bayo

I write to you in light of the ongoing investigation into our nation’s refineries, calling for immediate action to ensure transparency and accountability within the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL). It is imperative that the Chief Financial Officer, Adedapo Segun, be suspended pending the outcome of this investigation.

The scandal surrounding the refineries was perpetrated during his time as …was perpetrated during his time/ tenure as GGM Treasury and also involved as EVP Downstream. This raises serious concerns about his potential involvement or oversight regarding financial operations at the time. Suspending him while the investigation is ongoing will not only safeguard its integrity but also demonstrate your administration’s commitment to justice and fairness.

Should he be cleared of any wrongdoing after a thorough and independent review, he may be recalled. However, allowing him to remain in office while the investigation is underway undermines the credibility of the process and may hinder efforts to achieve genuine accountability.

Suspending those responsible for financial control is a necessary step toward achieving meaningful reform. Without holding key financial officers accountable, we risk perpetuating a system where those entrusted with financial oversight escape scrutiny, making true reform unattainable.

One critical question remains:Why has Adedapo Segun been spared? Is it because he was appointed during the tenure of Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu? If the new leadership is truly committed to transparency, this question must be addressed without hesitation.

Suspending Dapo Segun would send a strong message that your administration will not tolerate any form of impropriety. The new Group Chief Executive Officer has made commitments to transparency, yet allowing an individual allegedly linked to the scandal to remain in office contradicts that mission.

This is an opportunity to reinforce public trust in the NNPCL. Taking the necessary steps now will ensure that the Nigerian people see real commitment to fairness and accountability under your leadership.

I trust you will take the bold and necessary action required at this time.

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