News

Who Holds the Walls of Kano?-Abdulganiyu Rufai

Published

on

<p><&excl;-- BEGIN THEIA POST SLIDER --><&sol;p>&NewLine;<&excl;-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v&period; 2&period;0&period;95 -->&NewLine;<div class&equals;"quads-location quads-ad4" id&equals;"quads-ad4" style&equals;"float&colon;none&semi;margin&colon;0px&semi;">&NewLine;&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p><div class&equals;"iBjdNAda" style&equals;"clear&colon;both&semi;float&colon;left&semi;width&colon;100&percnt;&semi;margin&colon;0 0 20px 0&semi;"><script async src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;pagead2&period;googlesyndication&period;com&sol;pagead&sol;js&sol;adsbygoogle&period;js"><&sol;script> &NewLine;<&excl;-- TV --> &NewLine;<ins class&equals;"adsbygoogle" &NewLine; style&equals;"display&colon;block" &NewLine; data-ad-client&equals;"ca-pub-4403533287178375" &NewLine; data-ad-slot&equals;"4399361195" &NewLine; data-ad-format&equals;"auto" &NewLine; data-full-width-responsive&equals;"true"><&sol;ins> &NewLine;<script> &NewLine; &lpar;adsbygoogle &equals; window&period;adsbygoogle &vert;&vert; &lbrack;&rsqb;&rpar;&period;push&lpar;&lbrace;&rcub;&rpar;&semi; &NewLine;<&sol;script><&sol;div>&NewLine;<p>&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p><div class&equals;"MeA3DCa2" style&equals;"clear&colon;both&semi;float&colon;left&semi;width&colon;100&percnt;&semi;margin&colon;0 0 20px 0&semi;"><script async src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;pagead2&period;googlesyndication&period;com&sol;pagead&sol;js&sol;adsbygoogle&period;js"><&sol;script> &NewLine;<&excl;-- TV --> &NewLine;<ins class&equals;"adsbygoogle" &NewLine; style&equals;"display&colon;block" &NewLine; data-ad-client&equals;"ca-pub-4403533287178375" &NewLine; data-ad-slot&equals;"4399361195" &NewLine; data-ad-format&equals;"auto" &NewLine; data-full-width-responsive&equals;"true"><&sol;ins> &NewLine;<script> &NewLine; &lpar;adsbygoogle &equals; window&period;adsbygoogle &vert;&vert; &lbrack;&rsqb;&rpar;&period;push&lpar;&lbrace;&rcub;&rpar;&semi; &NewLine;<&sol;script><&sol;div>&NewLine;<p>By Abdulganiyu Rufai Yakub<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>When city walls keep collapsing while houses remain bare&comma; and there seems to be no ready replacement in sight&comma; a deep emptiness echoes across the land&period; This thought has haunted me since the passing of Alhaji Aminu Dantata&comma; the last of a dying breed whose mere mention commanded reverence and whose doors remained open to all peasants&comma; royals&comma; politicians&comma; and technocrats alike&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>I remember vividly an interview granted by the late Maitama Sule&comma; Dan Masanin Kano&comma; in which he spoke about the death of Malam Aminu Kano&period; That death&comma; he said&comma; left a vacuum in the state a vacuum for the occupant of what he described as &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;the Good Office&period;”<&sol;p><div class&equals;"lQtZwVtY" style&equals;"clear&colon;both&semi;float&colon;left&semi;width&colon;100&percnt;&semi;margin&colon;0 0 20px 0&semi;"><script async src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;pagead2&period;googlesyndication&period;com&sol;pagead&sol;js&sol;adsbygoogle&period;js"><&sol;script> &NewLine;<ins class&equals;"adsbygoogle" &NewLine; style&equals;"display&colon;block&semi; text-align&colon;center&semi;" &NewLine; data-ad-layout&equals;"in-article" &NewLine; data-ad-format&equals;"fluid" &NewLine; data-ad-client&equals;"ca-pub-4403533287178375" &NewLine; data-ad-slot&equals;"6550225277"><&sol;ins> &NewLine;<script> &NewLine; &lpar;adsbygoogle &equals; window&period;adsbygoogle &vert;&vert; &lbrack;&rsqb;&rpar;&period;push&lpar;&lbrace;&rcub;&rpar;&semi; &NewLine;<&sol;script><&sol;div>&NewLine;<p>After Malam Aminu’s death&comma; Maitama Sule was approached to come back from his diplomatic duties to take up that mantle&period; His response was a revelation of true self-awareness&period; He told them he was not in good standing to occupy the Good Office of Kano&period; He said he could not replace Malam Aminu Kano&comma; citing his weakness for pleasure and his inability to fully accommodate the plight of the ordinary people of Kano&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Yet&comma; as time passed&comma; Kano saw him rise to fill that very role he humbly rejected&period; He became the rallying point for the oppressed and the convenor of the Manyan Kano men like Alhaji Tijjani Hashim&comma; the late Galadima of Kano&semi; Emir Ado Bayero&semi; Alhaji Aminu Alhassan Dantata&semi; the late Magaji Dan Batta&semi; and many others&period; His words became almost final in Kano&period; When Maitama Sule spoke&comma; even the most powerful listened&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<&excl;-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v&period; 2&period;0&period;95 -->&NewLine;<div class&equals;"quads-location quads-ad1" id&equals;"quads-ad1" style&equals;"float&colon;none&semi;margin&colon;0px&semi;">&NewLine;&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&NewLine;<&excl;-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v&period; 2&period;0&period;95 -->&NewLine;<div class&equals;"quads-location quads-ad3" id&equals;"quads-ad3" style&equals;"float&colon;none&semi;margin&colon;0px&semi;">&NewLine;&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&NewLine;<p>Years later&comma; in a quiet conversation with an elderly statesman&comma; I was told of how Maitama Sule sent his disciples to meet the late Alhaji Bashir Tofa&comma; urging him to take up the mantle of the Good Office&period; In his message&comma; he asked Tofa to drop his exclusive Western lifestyle and return to embrace the people as their shield&comma; leader&comma; and conscience&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Maitama Sule said Bashir Tofa was the man who understood the intricacies of Nigerian politics and its shifting dynamics&comma; a businessman with the economic intellect to steer the Good Office with dignity&period; And it came to be&period; Alhaji Bashir Tofa became the leaning shoulder of the oppressed&comma; the well of wisdom in political decisions&comma; and the rallying point for direction in Kano&period; He often convened the remaining Manyan Kano&colon; Barr&period; Auwalu Yadudu SAN&comma; Prof&period; Sule Bello&comma; Barr&period; A&period;B&period; Mahmood SAN&comma; Dr&period; Shamsuddeen Abubakar&comma; and others&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>But even he faced obstructions from Ganduje&comma; the then Governor of the state&semi; his boss&comma; Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso&semi; and other powerful actors in the shadows of Kano’s politics&period; Today&comma; almost all of them are gone&period; Only Alhaji Aminu Dantata remained as the final say&comma; and now he too is no more&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>So I ask&comma; as one haunted by history and fearful of a rudderless future&colon;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Who holds the Good Office of Kano today&quest; Who remains as the wall of Kano&quest;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Is it Dr&period; Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso&quest; I doubt it&period; Deeply political&comma; he cannot handle the Good Office in its purity&period; His rivals and antagonists will never voluntarily submit to his authority in matters beyond politics&period; Is it Sanusi Lamido Sanusi&quest; Perhaps&period; Had he not chosen to return as Emir of Kano and maintained his Khalifaship&comma; perhaps he would have earned that final moral voice&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Ganduje&quest; His charisma has been eroded by scandalous campaigns during his time in power&comma; and his moral capital lies deeply fractured&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Today&comma; the walls of Kano lie bare&period; The houses remain exposed to the storms of selfish politics&comma; unchecked economic sabotage&comma; and moral bankruptcy&period; There is no single person who can call anybody in or outside power – in Kano or in Abuja – and they will come without hesitation&period; There is no one who looks at the interest of Kano and its people without political or personal bias&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>So&comma; who will be the man with the Good Office&quest; Who will become the walls of Kano&quest;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Perhaps&comma; just perhaps&comma; it is not about a man anymore&period; Perhaps it is time for a generation to rise and become the moral wall not one person&comma; but a collective shield of conscience&comma; compassion&comma; wisdom&comma; and service&period; For if no one steps up&comma; the city walls will keep collapsing&comma; and one day&comma; even the houses will no longer stand&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p><&excl;-- END THEIA POST SLIDER -->&NewLine;<&excl;-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v&period; 2&period;0&period;95 -->&NewLine;<div class&equals;"quads-location quads-ad5" id&equals;"quads-ad5" style&equals;"float&colon;none&semi;margin&colon;0px&semi;">&NewLine;&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<script async src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;pagead2&period;googlesyndication&period;com&sol;pagead&sol;js&sol;adsbygoogle&period;js"><&sol;script> &NewLine;<ins class&equals;"adsbygoogle" &NewLine; style&equals;"display&colon;block" &NewLine; data-ad-format&equals;"autorelaxed" &NewLine; data-ad-client&equals;"ca-pub-4403533287178375" &NewLine; data-ad-slot&equals;"1004305389"><&sol;ins> &NewLine;<script> &NewLine; &lpar;adsbygoogle &equals; window&period;adsbygoogle &vert;&vert; &lbrack;&rsqb;&rpar;&period;push&lpar;&lbrace;&rcub;&rpar;&semi; &NewLine;<&sol;script>&NewLine;<&excl;-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v&period; 2&period;0&period;95 -->&NewLine;<div class&equals;"quads-location quads-ad4" id&equals;"quads-ad4" style&equals;"float&colon;none&semi;margin&colon;0px&semi;">&NewLine;&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&NewLine;

Trending

Exit mobile version