Zamfara State Governor Abdu-laziz Yari has described the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, as an enemy of Islam, accusing him of playing to the gallery and not practicing what he preaches.
It will be recalled that the monarch had criticized the Governor over his statement attributing the outbreak of Meningitis to God's punishment for fornication.
Governor Yari, in a statement released by his Special Adviser ((Public Enlightenment and Communication), Mr. Ibrahim Dosara, accused the traditional ruler of hypocrisy by living a flamboyant lifestyle despite the palpable poverty, epidemics, maternal mortality and social vices in Northern Nigeria.
“Recently, our erudite emir has been mired in several controversies, which rather than enhance his profile and the integrity of royalty, has put him very much on the spot.
“And the emir has put up a spirited defence of all the allegations against him. But he was not transparent enough, as he always accused officials, especially governors, to tell the public what he found in the Kano Emirate palace coffers when he ascended the exalted throne. This is the least of his people’s expectations of him. It was the first that our finest royalty would offer.
“Sacrifice is another attribute known to our royal fathers. But when an emir pledges to commit his hard-earned resources for the face-lifting of the palace where he alone would reside and eventually transfers the burden to his impoverished subjects, there is a breach, or a problem.
“The late Sultan Ibrahim Dasuki, of blessed memory, used his money to rebuild the Sultan’s Palace in Sokoto to his taste, but until his demise, he never tendered the bill to his subjects for reimbursement.
“Over time, we know our traditional fathers for their compassion. When their friends from far and near offer to assist them, they would rather the assistance was given to alleviate the sufferings of their people in cash or kind.”
The governor wondered why “a traditional ruler who identifies the problems of his people” could ask his friends who offered to help to donate a Rolls Royce to him rather than what would directly benefit his people, adding, “There is more than a fundamental problem. There is a big disconnect. Like Governor Yari has always said, his respect for our creator will never waver. He will also rue joining issues with royalty, in Nigeria or anywhere in the world. He maintains that his reverence of the institution that HRH Muhammadu Sanusi II represents is also unshaken.”
Yari said he was only “asking HRH to either practice what he preaches or forever keep his peace, because in a situation where epidemics are taking our children, maternal mortality, uneducated youth, social vices and incompetent leaders are the national scourge, to borrow the words of the emir, and all he wants to do is ride a Rolls Royce in the face of palpable poverty, he shouldn’t engage in throwing accusations at others.
“Kano kingdom is an important kingdom amongst the kingdoms in Africa. It is also an important and strategic institution in the history of Nigeria.”
He called on the emir to emulate his predecessors and not play to the gallery in a manner that ridicules his own heritage. He asked the emir to stop using public platform to attack governors and those in power and stop equating science with God.
"The emir as a brother and co-occupant of elite positions in Nigeria, he could advise governors and those in positions of authority in several chains of communication that are richly available to him. But he preferred the public platform, for reasons best known to him."
The governor revisited his controversial statement on the cause of the current meningitis outbreak, and insisted that he was not wrong in asking God to assist in addressing the epidemic in the state and other parts of the country.
"The governor firmly believes that a country that goes to its pastors and Imams who recommend prayer and fasting as the solution to every social misfortune, from matrimonial disagreements, to social and economic complications needs to be wary of the wrath of God in the event of an epidemic of unquantifiable proportion such as Type C meningitis. And as a country that succumbs to the supremacy of Allah, we must continue to link Him with all things, fair or foul."
"It is time for the traditional institutions and our Royal Fathers to call Emir Sanusi Lamido to order, he should be made to understand the value of that exalted royal seat he is occupying. Kano kingdom is an important kingdom amongst the kingdoms in Africa.
“It is also an important and strategic institution in the history of Nigeria. The occupants of the seat before him played significant role in making Nigeria what it is today.
“They respected themselves and the institution, so much that even the Queen of England celebrated and respected them. “His irrational thinking and actions are contradictory to the values of the kingdom and tantamount to ridiculing the institution," the governor said.
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