- The Intervention Is Important, Timely – Emirate
- We Don’t Know What They’re Up To – Govt
The Northern Elders Forum has launched a peace effort to Kano State, with a view to ending the prolonged misunderstanding between Kano State Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje and Emir of Kano Malam Muhammad Sanusi.
The Forum will lead eminent personalities from the North to meet with elders, leaders and other stakeholders, with a view to finding a lasting solution to the lingering crisis.
Daily Trust on Sunday learnt that the Forum had already sent invitations to eminent personalities in the region for the planned meeting, scheduled to hold today at Tahir Guest Palace, Kano.
Our correspondent also gathered that dignitaries have started arriving Kano for the scheduled meeting.
In one of such letters addressed to Walin Kano, Alhaji Mahe Bashir Wali, a copy of which was obtained by Daily Trust on Sunday, the Forum indicated that its members would also interact with Governor Ganduje and Emir Sanusi.
The letter, signed by the Forum’s chairman, Professor Ango Abdullahi, further stated that they were deeply worried by the current dimension taken by the misunderstanding between the emir, Ganduje and a section of Kano elders.
“The crisis, we are afraid, is pregnant with unforeseen circumstances that ultimately threaten the integrity of the entire Kano traditional institution, overall peace and security of the state, and by extension, the cohesion of the northern region.
“It is our hope that this intervention would finally get to the root of the matter and find a lasting solution with mutual understanding and respect so that the state can move on,” the letter concluded.
The letter did not give names of the eminent northern personalities on the entourage.
When contacted, Walin Kano, Alhaji Mahe Bashir Wali, confirmed the receipt of the letter, but said he could not attend the meeting because of his health condition.
“I have received the invitation. I personally told Professor Abdullahi that I would not make it to the meeting because of the condition of my health.
“However, I wish them the best. The meeting is important, not only to the personalities involved but to the traditional institution, the state and the northern region.
“The team will first meet on its own, then interact with invited personalities before meeting with the governor and the emir separately. It is after they meet with the two leaders separately that they will meet with them together when the need arises.
“There is no way the team can succeed in their efforts to reconcile the two leaders without hearing from each of them in a separate meeting before meeting them together.
“I am in support of this effort because the Kano traditional institution and the state in general are being affected negatively by this crisis, and unless something is done to address the problem, it will not augur well for the state and the northern region as well,” Wali said.
The Walin Kano added that although Emir Sanusi was not in town, he would return to the state in order to meet with the team as scheduled by the Forum.
Contacted, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Ganduje, Abba Anwar, said the Kano State Government was not aware of any meeting with any group regarding the issue of creation of new emirates in the state.
“We didn’t receive any letter from anybody, not to talk of what will be the subject of discussion. We don’t know what they are up to.
“All we know is that we have our law establishing our newly created first class emirates of Bichi, Karaye, Rano and Gaya. And we have since started implementing the law. It is as simple as ABC.
“Our new emirates have come to stay. Anybody that is thinking of influencing us to go back to the drawing board on this law is only doing that for the fun of it. We repeat, our first class emirs have come to stay,” Anwar said.
