The Emir of Kano Alhaji Mohammed Sanusi Lamido Sanusi is no doubt one of the most powerful and respected traditional rulers from Northern Nigeria, being the leader of the Kano Emirate and also a first class king in Nigeria. Since his days at the Central Bank of Nigeria he has been vocal on national issues as needs arise. At the CBN he combined the work of an activist and CBN Governor together – a combination that led to his untimely exit from the Apex Bank due to his exposure of the mind boggling financial mismanagement of the Jonathan led government. As fate would have it, he ascended his father's throne following the passage of the late Emir Ado Bayero. Since his ascension not much has changed about him, he has been travelling the whole length of Nigeria and beyond as guest speaker at events and symposiums.



Of recent, the Emir has been speaking his mind on a burning issue which has been the concern of many Nigerians, to wit the rate of illiteracy in the North as it affects both sexes. UNESCO in its 2016 report described the region as the most educationally disadvantaged region in Nigeria, explaining that it will take years for the gap to be covered in the midst of the lingering Boko Haram Crisis with its attendant effect on educational enrolment in the region. The situation has degenerated to a level that some states in the North had to pay parents to send their children to school. The issue of illiteracy in the North is an irony to a discerning mind as the Northerners have ruled Nigeria more than any other region and it’s worthy of mention that the richest man in Nigeria Aliko Dangote is a Northerner. As a result, the educational backwardness of the region should not have happened in the first place but that will come to an end very soon.



In 2017 alone, the Emir has addressed the issue of low school enrolment on three consecutive occasions. On the 19th of January the emir spoke against the proliferation of mosques in the North declaring, “I’m just tired of people coming to me to say I want to build a new mosque. You know, we keep building mosques and our daughters are illiterate. So, my appeal is that if you really want to help Kano, don’t come to me with a request to build a N300 million mosque because I have enough mosques everywhere. And if I don’t have a mosque, I’ll build it myself. If you really want to help, go and educate a girl child in the village" His stance was also re-echoed on the 28th of January at FUTMINNA and 7th of February at a graduation event for teachers with Nigerian Certificate in Education sponsored by the Kano state Government.




However, the Emir of Kano may soon enter the bad books of Northern Elites who have prioritized the construction of mosques as a philanthropic gesture over the provision of education. A journey around any Northern state will prove the Emir right as what you see left, right and centre are places of worship; you find mosques in schools, on farms, at hospitals, petrol stations and markets.Mosques are needed for worship Same way schools are needed for intellectual Purposes. Some legislators in the North have even used erection of mosques as constituency projects! They've been using that to play the religious card and have left the welfare of the electorate unattended to. The individuals involved in massive construction of mosques have PhD and some are educationist so why can’t they expose their wards to Education?



Now that the emir is de-marketing their enterprise I know they won't enjoy his bitter truth. That an individual is ready to spend over 200 million naira on mosque construction instead of building school speaks a lot about the way of life of the Northern aristocracy.



Despite the mass construction of mosques in the North the region has not been immune to violence. From Kaduna to Yobe, to Borno, Adamawa to Kano, it's been all shades of violence and terrorist attacks. The Boko-Haram crisis started at a mosque led by Mohammed Yusuf in Borno state, as an ordinary movement which has turned out to be Nigeria’s worst nightmare with the North being the region most affected by activities of Boko-Haram insurgents. From 2009 till date over 100,000 Northerners have been killed in various attacks by the Boko-Haram sect, and even the Elites haven’t been spared. A Nigerian Civil war veteran, General Shuwa, was killed by Boko-Haram when he was observing his prayers, a former Minister of Mines and Power Alhaji Shettima Ali-Monguno was also kidnapped by Boko-Haram members and never remained the same till he died in the year 2016. In addition, when the late Emir of Kano Alhaji Ado Bayero was attacked by Boko-Haram, he survived the attack but his aides were not lucky. He never recovered from the shock till he died on the 6th of June 2014, the Chibok Girls are still in Boko-Haram captivity after 3 years.




As a result, the Emir’s calls must be followed with action as an initial step in stemming the tide of the Boko-Haram crisis, which is an after effect of the low level of education in the North. Schools must be built in addition to mosques to redeem the backwardness of the region academically.religion as a way of life must be encouraged to instill morality in people but not at the expense of Education. Education is not a sin and the Holy Quran chapter 96:1-5 lays emphasis on the importance of education for Muslims. The Northern Elites must support the Emir massively in his campaign against illiteracy by building schools and offering scholarships to the people. We've seen examples of people that achieve greatness in the North through education, such as Alhaji Abdulmutalab a successful Banker from the North who mentored The Emir of Kano in his banking career, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Jelani Aliyu, Justice Mariam Aloma Muktar, and Professor Attahiru Jega among others. They are embodiments of the merits of sound education.

Education must be made accessible to every Northerner!



Adesina Tosin Nathaniel is a Forward Looking Nigerian Youth
For more of his writings visit www.donteewrites..com
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The Emir is right. Education is key for better tolerance.

The most educationally disadvantaged region in Nigeria!!!! serious transformation is needed


#let'seducatethenorth
#positivevibes

The Northern elites know why they are perpetuating ignorance among their people.

Their leaders are well educated but the followers are daft to understand this. They are like zombies.

OK nah

What I find funny is that the article was written by a south westerner
You are helping a people who feel no remorse shed tears, abi?
Abeg, leave those people to their devices. They got what they want. What they want, they got.

First all, you can't force education on them. They largely detest it. With the huge advantage the FG has put at their disposal since independence, the rest of the country should be grovelling at their feet by now, if enlightenment and exposure were part of their outlook. I mean, an average student from the south must score 70% and above to be considered for admission into government schools, while his northern counterpart only needs to score a mere 5% or even less!
If after decades of backwardness and their elites don't consider their situation as absurd, then please leave them to build the biggest mosques money can afford.

There is something the Northern elites gain from the non education of the northern region. One of the reasons they foght GEJ tooth and nail was his quest for unparalleled education of the North. Establishing Universities, Almajiri schools and renovation of thousands of secondary and primary schools. But still, he was so hated like a leper. Even when I am saying this in favor of the masses, watch how they will come here and blast me. It is well.

The Emir is in a great position to effect change.
The first step is banning Almajiriship. C that system has outlived it's usefulness. The next is to model educational system that encourages Islamic and conventional education. Make it compulsory and contribute your own funds towards it's success.
Due to cheap cost of living about N1million
is enough to make a difference in a person's educational life.

omaguibu:
There is something the Northern elites gain from the non education of the northern region. One of the reasons they foght GEJ tooth and nail was his quest for unparalleled education of the North. Establishing Universities, Almajiri schools and renovation of thousands of secondary and primary schools. But still, he was so hated like a leper. Even when I am saying this in favor of the masses, watch how they will come here and blast me. It is well.

What do the elite gain from other people's ignorance? You that are claiming educated from from the south where you educated by your elites? Where you given scholarship by the richest man in your village? It's amazing how every southerner thinks they have all the answers to the problem of the north. The reluctance to go to school is a historic and attitudinal one that requires time and willingness from the part of the masses to address.
When you have a people that are not motivated to father wealth, that are content with cultivating their fathers farmlands with no ambition to own a car or a big house, then you understand how hard is it to convince them to spend and see their kids through school. I was the first person to be sent to school in my family, and up till now they still see me as someone who just a different path of business (like you choose to study engineering and your brother choose law) nothing considered special.
On the topic, it's good write up. The Emir is in a great position to effect change.
The first step is banning Almajiriship. C that system has outlived it's usefulness. The next is to model educational system that encourages Islamic and conventional education. Make it compulsory and contribute your own funds towards it's success.
Due to cheap cost of living about N1million
is enough to make a difference in a person's educational life.

The Problem in the North is a Tickling Time Bomb that will explode not so soon, Boko-Haram will be a child's play, the elite have their children in UK and US among others what did they give their wards? How many schools did Dangote built in Kano, how many schools did indimi built in Maiduguri, they only sponsor Quranic recitation and Hajj Pilgrimage! That's why the like of Elzakzaky hav large followers hip they want people to be doing ranka dede and Sanusi have seen the danger ahead if u go to the north u see mosques everywhere, no school. Kwankwaso as a governor was paying parents to enrol their wards and it was successful initially but later failed . The State of education in the North Is disastrous to say the least

The Amir is not a King and the Emirate not a Kingdom.

Get your facts straight

How come Nigeria was able to defeat roundly and uproot the Maitassine sect but can't seem to uproot Boko Haram?

Unlike Boko Haram which can be addressed as an advancing tool of Northern elite agenda, the Maitassine sect was a revolutionary class struggle and purely Islamic civil war uprising that posed much dangers to the traditional Islamic Emirate establishment.

At the head of the Maitassine uprising was a radical Islamic semi-illiterate scholar who adopted Mahdist ideology in his campaign to uproot the corrupt Northern elite.

The Maitassine cult drew fanatical adherents from the lowest strata of Northern Nigeria.

Boko Haram has never targeted nor questioned the integrity nor structure of the traditional Northern political structures but rather wants it to be strengthened and the model applied across Northern Nigeria.

Maitassine wanted to topple the Emirs which he routinely condemned as corrupt and uncaring to the plight of the majority poor Muslim Ummah.

This is the sole reason Maitassine was able to be roundly defeated and uprooted.

FeloniousFelon:
The Amir is not a King and the Emirate not a Kingdom.

Get your facts straight

So who is he?? A Pastor and Kano is a village??

dontee2015:


So who is he?? A Pastor and Kano is a village??

An Amir is a Political, Military and Spiritual head of the Muslim Ummah.

It isn't a hereditary tittle as corrupted by the Gulf kingdoms.

FeloniousFelon:


An Amir is a Political, Military and Spiritual head of the Muslim Ummah.

It isn't a hereditary tittle as corrupted by the Gulf kingdoms.

Maybe you go and tell them in Kano and rewrite their history