Four years after his dethronement, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, is on his way to mounting the throne of his forebears as the Emir of Kano, once again, thanks to the abrogation of the law, created by Abdullahi Ganduje, former Governor of Kano State, splitting the ancient emirate, one of the most revered in the country into five.
The Kano State House of Assembly, on Thursday, officially passed a bill dissolving all five emirate councils in the state, following deliberations on the floor of the house during a plenary session, in the freshly-minted Kano State Emirate Council Amendment Bill, which it passed after successfully scaling its second and third readings.
Muhammad Bello Butu Butu, Deputy Speaker, who articulated the rationale behind the dissolution, had emphasised that repealing the law that divided the Kano Emirate into five separate entities would help “revive the lost glory of Kano, adding: “The division of Kano Emirate into five reduced the capacity and dignity of the state at the national level.”
Lawan Hussaini Dala, Majority Leader, while harping on the cultural implications of the previous division, said: “The emirate council served as a custodian of our culture, which was distorted by the creation of additional emirates. The amendment aims to restore the traditional prestige and unity of the Kano Emirate. With the amendment of the law, all five emirate councils are now abolished. The commissioner for local governments will serve as the overseer.”
The assembly, also adopted a motion to create a new second-class emirate council in the state, signalling a restructuring of the traditional institutions to better align with the state’s cultural and administrative goals, in a move, signifying a shift in the governance and cultural landscape of the state, aimed at restoring the historical and cultural integrity of the region’s traditional institutions.