The Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II who was reinstated on Thursday, marking a return to power four years after his deposition by the previous administration has addressed the State Governor and lawmakers.
This comes after the signing of the Kano State Emirate Council (Repeal) Bill 2024 into law by Governor Abba Yusuf.
According to Channels Television, at an official ceremony held at the Government House in Kano on Friday, Emir Sanusi received his appointment letter from Governor Yusuf. In his speech, Sanusi expressed his belief that his reinstatement was an act of divine intervention. He thanked the state government and the House of Assembly for what he termed a “rescue mission.”
“The Arabians used to say that in everything we witness, there is a lesson that shows us that God is there. Whatever happens to an individual is preordained by Allah, and for those who are sensible enough, it’s a lesson. God is one, and whatever He does, nobody can change, and what He doesn’t do, nobody can,” Sanusi remarked.
Reflecting on his previous appointment, Sanusi recalled, “About 10 years ago, in this same place, former Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso gave me my appointment letter as the Emir of Kano. Today, after 10 years, I am here again receiving a reappointment letter from Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf.”
Sanusi underscored the divine nature of leadership, stating, “God has preordained the time and cause for everything and everyone. He gives leadership to whom He wants and at the time He wants. When He gives, no one can take it away, and when He takes it away, nobody can bring it back.”
The Emir praised the governor and the state assembly members for their pivotal role in his reinstatement, highlighting the historical significance of their actions. “My Governor and our assembly members, you will not understand the gravity of what you did for the history of Kano and the country at large,” Sanusi noted. He emphasized that in over a thousand years of Kano’s history, only once before had an Emir been overthrown and then reinstated.
Sanusi also criticized the political fragmentation of emirates in Northern Nigeria, cautioning against the potential for similar divisions in Kano. “In the northern part of this country, we have seen in different states how politicians have balkanized emirates, with a state with one Emir becoming 20, some 19,” he said. He warned that without the intervention, Kano could have faced similar fragmentation.
“This thing that has been brought to Kano, had it been allowed, one day we would wake up with Emirs of Kumbotso, Bichi, Fagge, and 44 Emirs. So what the government and the assembly did is a rescue mission,” Sanusi concluded.