Mallam Muhammadu Sanusi II, the 14th Emir of Kano, is always the newsmakers’ delight. Mallam Sanusi succeeded his great uncle, the late Ado Bayero on June 8, 2014, after defeating six other contenders, including the eldest son of the late Emir, Alhaji Sanusi Ado Bayero, in a contest characterised by controversies.
Sanusi ll received his letter of appointment from the immediate past governor of the state, now a senator, Dr. Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso, on June 9, 2014 at a colourful event that took place in the Government House, Kano.
Since he was crowned the 14th Emir of Kano, his statements and actions have continued to raise a lot of controversies in Kano, Nigeria and the world in general.
Daily Trust on Sunday has identified some of the actions and comments that generated the most reactions.

1.Frequent comments on the media
The emir is always on either the conventional or social media, commenting on one issue or another. Daily Trust on Sunday observed that hardly a month runs out without his making his voice heard on topical national or sectional issues. Other matters the emir had lent his voice to included the infamous Hajj stampede, the symbolic stoning of the devil by the Muslim faithful, subsidy removal and devaluation of the naira.
Also, some of his actions, such as his marriage to an 18-year-old princess, the sack of the Ciroman Kano and his plan to demolish some historical structures in the palace have raised a lot of dust, not only in Kano but beyond.
The leadership style of Emir Sanusi ll seems to be strange to many people in Kano. To them, it is a complete opposite of the leadership style of his immediate predecessor, the late Ado Bayero. Unlike the current emir, Bayero was not outspoken, even at public functions. Where necessary, he would assign one of his senior council members to speak on his behalf, even in his palace whenever he received visitors.
The late emir hardly spoke in any other language than Hausa. It was said that he adopted that system in an effort to preserve the culture of the people, starting from the palace. But the current emir is different. However, on October 19, 2015, at a function organised by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in Kano, he pledged not to speak in English again at public events in his domain.
During the occasion, he said his remarks would be his last presentation in English language at a public event, noting that it is against the tradition of the Kano Emirate for an emir to speak in any other language than Hausa.
One statement by the emir that raised a lot of dust was his proclamation that his grandfather, the late Muhammadu Sanusi 1, would be his role model. This statement generated debates among members of the royal family, a source at the palace told Daily Trust on Sunday. “Many members of the royal family were not happy with this statement. The emir should have kept it to his chest rather than pronounces it publicly.
“Allah has made him the emir, therefore, he should follow the footsteps of any emir he so wishes without telling the world. The most important thing is for him to rule justly and fairly, irrespective of which emir he considers his role model,” he said.

2.Hajj stampede
Another statement by the emir which also generated controversy in the country and the world in general was his comment on the symbolic stoning of the devil during this year’s pilgrimage. Sanusi ll served as Nigeria’s Amirul Hajj this year, and he was in Saudi Arabia when the unfortunate stampede that claimed over 1000 lives occurred including hundreds of Nigerian pilgrims. When he visited the Sokoto State pilgrims, he stated that Nigerian pilgrims would stop taking part in the symbolic stoning of the devil until the Saudi authorities provide them with accommodation close to Jamrat. This, according to him, would enable them perform the religious exercise at ease.
After he quoted several Qur’anic verses and Hadith of the Holy Prophet (SAW), the emir insisted that refusal to perform the stoning of the devil would not in any way invalidate one’s pilgrimage.
“During the era of Prophet Muhammad (SAW), he permitted pilgrims who came on camels to stay in Makkah after Arafat instead of staying in Mina and sleeping at Muzdalifa. So, if the prophet could give such grace to some people, just to protect their animals, why didn’t our scholars educate our people properly to avoid this untoward hardship and death?
“Therefore, it will be part of my recommendations to the federal government that if we cannot get accommodation close to Jamrat where the Arabs reside in Mina, then this year may be the last time we will sleep in Mina and Muzdalifa because we want to stone the devil.
“If one deliberately refuses to perform the stoning of the devil ritual, all he needs to do is just to slaughter a ram. So, if this is the situation, why do we go and suffer and die instead of sacrificing a ram?” he had asked.
He, therefore, charged Islamic scholars to brainstorm on the issue and come up with a lasting solution.
Despite the serious condemnation of the emir’s statement by Islamic scholars, our reporter learnt that after he returned to Nigeria from Saudi Arabia, he summoned the Ulama to his palace to discuss the issue.

3.His marriage to the 18-year-old Adamawa princess
Also, while in Saudi Arabia for the Hajj, the emir got married to a teenage princess from Adamawa. The marriage also generated debates, particularly among the youth on the social media. It got to a point that he had to personally defend himself on the issue.
Although Islam allows a Muslim faithful to marry up to four wives, provided he would treat all of them equally, the emir’s marriage to the 18-year-old princess, Hajiya Sa’adatu Barkindo Mustapha, was criticised.
Sometime in September this year, the governor of Kano State, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje led other dignitaries to Yola for the wedding Fatiha of the emir and the princess. It was gathered that the princess was taken as the emir’s fourth wife. Sanusi’s first wife is Hajiya Sadiya Ado Bayero, daughter of his predecessor, the late Alhaji Ado Bayero. The second and third wives are Hajiya Maryam and Hajiya Rakiya respectively.
The wedding Fatiha was done in the Yola Central Mosque in a low-keyed ceremony, our reporter learnt.
In defence of his action, the emir was quoted as saying: “The lady in question is 18, and, therefore, legally of the age to marry under all laws, and certainly under the Islamic law. It is a tradition in Kano that emirs and princes, in choosing wives, consider issues beyond the individuals. My predecessor was married to princesses from Ilorin, Katsina and Sokoto.”
The emir also said his mother married in Adamawa and stayed there for more than two decades, adding that he had eight younger brothers and sisters from Adamawa. Thus, he said if he chooses to marry from another kingdom, Adamawa would be the first. He added that his new wife gave her consent.
“If she freely consented to this, I do not know on what grounds anyone has a grouse. She is an adult, she gave her consent, and her education is not being in any way interrupted,” he said, adding that the real issue is that people do not accept cultural differences.

4.Subsidy removal
Next to the issue of marriage was the emir’s call on the federal government to remove fuel subsidy. He equally advised Mr. President and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to revisit their stand against naira devaluation, saying “the country cannot continue to live in denial.’’ The emir made the plea at the All Africa Business Leaders Award, West Africa summit held in Lagos State. He said it did not make any sense for the government to continue paying petroleum subsidy.
“Fuel subsidy has to go, our tax base has to be expanded, alue Added Tax (VAT) has to go up. We can’t continue to have an economy in which we collect tax from oil, telecoms companies and then 60 to 70 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP) does not pay taxes,” he argued.
He said that according to the CBN figures, in the first quarter of 2015, Nigeria had spent over N500 million on debt servicing. He noted that going by this, the country might spend over N1 trillion this year, an amount he said was more than the money budgeted for the health, education and defence sectors combined.
However, a few days after, reactions trailed the emir’s remarks. The national body of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), on its part, called on the federal government to ignore the emir’s call on the ground that he was expressing his personal opinion.
President of the NLC, Ayuba Wabba, who reacted to the emir’s revelation in a statement, said that as a traditional ruler, Sanusi ll should rather speak for and protect the poor, saying the effect of naira devaluation is more on the quality of life of ordinary Nigerians who bear the brunt of the high cost of food and services.
“The issue of subsidy removal has been of public discourse for more than two decades, and our position has not changed. We have provided written details of how the petroleum industry can be managed to the benefit of our collective interests,” he said.

5.Ciroma Sanusi Ado Bayero
On Wednesday, October 28, 2015, Emir Muhammadu Sanusi ll sacked the Ciroman Kano, Alhaji Sanusi Ado Bayero over alleged disloyalty. Consequently, he appointed Alhaji Nasiru Ado Bayero as his replacement. Nasiru is a younger brother to the sacked Ciroma.
Some months ago, Bayero had lost his title as the district head of Gwale Local Government Area to Alhaji Yahaya Inuwa Abbas, the Dokajin Kano, who was appointed the new district head of the area by the current emir after he (Bayero) allegedly absconded from his duty post for over one year.
A source within the palace told the Daily Trust on Sunday that prior to his recent sack, two different letters were sent to Bayero by the emir, asking him to return to his duty post, but he neither returned to his office nor replied any of the letters.
According to another source, a powerful delegation comprising Bayero’s younger brothers was also sent to him, with a view to convincing him to register his loyalty to the current emir and return to his duty post, but the effort didn’t yield any positive result. A statement was, therefore, issued last Wednesday by the council, announcing his removal as Ciroma.
According to the statement, signed by the Galadiman Kano, Alhaji Abbas Sanusi, Bayero’s removal and subsequent appointment of the new Ciroma was in line with the teachings of Islam, which is the cardinal principle of the emirate.
The statement added that loyalty to a leader by his subjects is one of the principles of the Kano Emirate Council, and that any traditional title holder in the state that cannot uphold this tradition should either resign honourably or be sacked by the emir.
“It would be recalled that since the present Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi ll was appointed on June 8, 2014, all the council members, district heads and other traditional title holders in the state registered their loyalty to him except the Ciroma, Alhaji Sanusi Ado Bayero despite his position as a senior member of the council. It was based on this that the emir appointed Alhaji Nasiru Ado Bayero as the new Ciroma Kano,” it said.

6.Demolition of historical structures in the palace
A few days after he stripped Ado Bayero’s eldest son of his title, the emir was taken to court by his uncle, Salim Abubakar Bayero, over an alleged plan to demolish some historical structures - the Ka’iya and Kachako sections of the palace - to build offices for district heads. Also among the structures marked for demolition were 13 tombs of the past emirs.
The case, with suit number KN/386/2015, also has the Kano Emirate Council and the state’s attorney-general as parties. But 48 hours after the case was mentioned, the plaintiff succumbed to pressure from within and outside the palace and withdrew it.
Commenting on the emir’s actions and utterances, Professor Dahiru Yahaya of the Bayero University, Kano, said people should understand the difference between the current emir and his predecessors, who were restricted from commenting on some public issues.
“The late Emir of Kano, Alu, was opposed to some British policies on evangelicalism. Emir Abbas was also opposed to the colonial policies on combining western education with Christianity. As a result of this, they were restricted from making comments on government policies. The late Emir Ado Bayero grew up in a tradition where colonial masters restricted emirs from talking on policies and issues that had direct link to government,” he said.
According to Professor Yahaya, the present emir is going back to the path of the emirs who followed the footsteps of jihadists. Emir Sanusi ll is educated and young, therefore, if he chooses to follow the path of such emirs there will not be any problem at all, he said.
“Emir Sanusi ll is an international figure and educated person. That is why some of his actions are strange to many people. If not because he is knowledgeable, he would have been challenged by many. But I learnt that some of his friends are trying to compel him to reduce such things,” Yahaya said.
On the issue of his marriage to an 18-year-old princess, Professor Yahaya said Emir Sanusi was not the only emir that got married to a teenager, recalling that his predecessor, the late Ado Bayero married the daughter of the Emir of Ilorin while she was 18.
“Why should people be thinking like Europeans? After all, Queen Elizabeth got married when she was a teenager,” he concluded.

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Wiil comment late

Blame kwankwaso

sanusi LS

Controversial EMIR
THAT SEAT IS NOT FOR HIM.