Zainab Ado Bayero, daughter of former emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero, has appealed to President Bola Tinubu, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, Senate President Godswill Akpabio and well-meaning Nigerians to support her family.
The appeal comes two months after Kano governor announced that he had assisted Zainab, her brother and mother, preventing them from being evicted from their apartment in Lagos.
In a statement, the governor’s spokesperson, Mr. Sanusi Bature, said he arrived Lagos in the early hours of 25th June, 2024 to meet with the General Manager of the apartment where the Ado Bayero family had lived since early this year, Mr. Sunel Kumar.
Bature said the governor’s intervention followed an out cry in the newspapers by Princess Zainab Bayero on behalf of her mother and brother who were allegedly neglected by the royal family after the death of late Ado Bayero.
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Zainab, her brother and her mother have reportedly been facing difficult times since the demise of the late Emir of Kano Alhaji Ado Bayero.
The statement said the princess, her mother and brother thanked the representative of Kano governor for the gestire.
“You came at the right time, we were about to be forcefully evicted from the facility for our inability to pay the rent, they said today is final, we must move out by 3:00 pm and you came just fifteen minutes to the time, they have already mobilised youths to remove us out of the apartment, Alhamdulillah for your arrival,” Zainab reportedly stated.
But in an interview with Premium Times on Friday, Zainab said her family has been going through difficulties since the demise of her father.
She said that she, her mother and brother have been struggling to make ends meet and are in need of support.
Zainab also acknowledged the assistance Governor Yusuf rendered to the family June, but said they were in need of more money.
According to her, the assistance she received from the governor was insufficient to cover the expenses.
She added that the financial support for housing and other expenses was insufficient to alleviate their financial burdens.
She said their hotel booking has expired, and they’ll have to check out on Saturday, August 23, with no place to stay.
Zainab Ado Bayero said, “I know a lot of people will be very surprised that the daughter of an Emir is in this kind of situation. Being born into a polygamous home, there are a lot of intrigues and divisions.
“The whole thing started when my daddy died; his death left a void within the family. Everyone was alone, especially me, my mother and my younger brother. We were not given a part of his (my father’s) estate, so we were left in a terrible situation, which has been going on for ten years.
“We’ve been trying to survive and find ways to get back on our feet and return to a proper environment—to have a home, not renting or moving from hotel to hotel. We would love the governor to help us buy or give us money to get a house here in Lagos.
“Since our father’s death, we believe it would be better to relocate to Lagos and start a new life for safety and freedom and to live our lives the way we want. However, with the current skyrocketing prices, we’re looking at around N150 million for a house in Lagos.”
“I reached out to the governor in a publication on 23 June when my mother, brother, and I were staying at a hotel in VI. We haven’t had an apartment since last year and were behind on hotel bills.
“The next day, he sent someone to settle the bills and asked, ‘What do we need?’ We told him we wanted a home, for my brother to return to school, and something to do.
“He (the governor through his representative) gave us some money, but we didn’t meet the governor in person; it was all through an intermediary. We don’t know the governor’s plans, but he mentioned wanting to buy us a house in Kano.
“I told him, no, we want a house in Lagos. What he gave us wasn’t enough to rent a house for a year. So, we’ve been trying to find a place, but the funds aren’t sufficient. We’re in the same situation again.”
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