Sunday afternoon, as I was wondering what to do for the day, a visitor from Zaria told me that Sarkin Zazzau (His Highness, Alhaji Shehu Idris) had died. Like all news of death, this one also shocked me – ‘mutuwa mai yanke hanzari.’
As soon as I recovered from the shock, I decided that I had something to do – write some 500 words as tribute to Shehu Idris. For tributes, just one memorable line or phrase is enough. I had wanted to write a tribute to the Emir of Kano, His HIghness, Alhaji Ado Bayero, entitled “Montezuma II” when he died a few years ago. Now I can say so with the benefit of hindsight.
Shehu Idris somehow replaced Ado in grandeur, dignity, opulence and even shrewdness. The beautiful Shehu Idris in fact surpassed Ado’s presentable mien – hence balaraben sarki as the Royal musician of the Gobirawa had described Shehu idris. Somehow, Shehu Idris stopped wearing the black Gogle, which became a permanent feature of Ado’s dressing.
I had never had contact with either but I had seen them from a close distance. The closest I came to Shehu Idris was in Abidjan when he and Shonekan came for an annual meeting of their business ring. He was accompanied by the Iyan Zazzau, Bashari Aminu, and we went to greet them at the Sofitel. That was in 2000 I think.
Shehu Idris had a deep voice which could not be mistaken. He served his cousin, Sarkin Zazzau Aminu, with loyalty which perhaps earned him the throne.
About five years ago when Shehu Idris celeberated his 40th anniversary, I suggested to somebody to use the occasion to set up a committee on Shehu Idris’ biography. The work of the committee would be of great value to history. The committee could have tapped first hand information, primary data if you like, from the Emir. I hope our people had done that. It would have been another chronicle. Otherwise, a lot of facts on the history of Nigeria from Zaria perspective would have been. This is the time to publish the book as a lasting tribute to the 18th Emir of Zazzau.
Some people are of the view that emirs no longer serve any useful purpose and that the local government councils as we have them today are better. I totally disagree. The Traditional Institution has attracted the best crop of citizens in terms of education, experience and even work ethics today. Governments create and carve out Emirates and Chiefdoms on purely political grounds. If they are useless, why do you create more of them? The emirs themselves somehow have taken the situation in which they are completely insulated from the public service to a great advantage. Nobody would hold them responsible for governmental failures. On the other hand, people rush to them to settle disputes and to even appeal for calm and end industrial action. This is a highly respectable role. Another advantage that they enjoy is homeliness. They are not alienated from the society. Added to their longevity, the ordinary person, ‘talaka’, develops some attachment to the personality of the individual Emir. The longer they live the more they become household names. In fact, it is more apt to describe them as Natural Rulers than Traditional Rulers.
It is time to change the local government system and perhaps reduce cost of governance. The Native Authorities built and maintained schools and hospitals. The profligate ones were sanctioned by the elected governments and, therefore, there was a good system of checks and balances. Royal Absolutism was eliminated. That was how the colonial administration effectively used this human resource at virtually no cost.
Bello Basiru Gwarzo [email protected]
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