Alhaji Tijjani Mailafiya Sanka is the Special Adviser to Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of Kano State on New Emirates and other Chieftaincy Affairs. In this interview, he spoke on why the governor kept going back to the State Assembly seeking to amend the new emirates law and what the state will benefit from establishing the emirates. Excerpts:
Why are the new emirs of the four emirates created in Kano State yet to have their traditional coronation ceremony?
First of all, there were court cases by those who are not happy with the creation of these emirates and therefore we have to wait until we fully win the cases. Then came the COVID-19 pandemic which stopped large gatherings of people and we decided to shelve it until things resume to normal.
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The Kano State government and the emirates have already gone very far in planning how this historic event will take place in the state.
The three emirs awaiting coronation are the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero; the Emir of Bichi, Alhaji Nasiru Ado Bayero; and the Emir of Rano, Alhaji Kabir Muhammad Inuwa, who was recently crowned following the death of his predecessor. Preparations are already going on and a date for the significant event will be communicated soon God willing.
Since the creation of the emirates, Governor Ganduje has approached the State House of Assembly at least three times asking for adjustments in the law, why the requests?
It’s for the betterment of the state. Government is always looking for ways to improve on its decisions and policies even after their implementation. If it is something that is within the responsibility of the governor, the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) or my office that will easily be done within a very short time. But anything that affects the lawmakers has to be referred to them.
If we observe anything that needs improvement either from suggestions, people’s demands or needs, we will have to go back for amendment. We are serving the people. There is nothing wrong with that.
Don’t you think people will say ‘why didn’t you sit down and draft the document well before approaching the lawmakers in the first place?’
And don’t you also see that there was even no demand for the creation of new emirates in the last 40-50 years? Recently the state has grown so fast in terms of population, economy, education and security. It is now that we have the demand for the creation of the new emirates.
Many people think even the creation was done to offend former emir Sanusi, and that’s why you are now trying to adjust the laws that created them. Do you agree with them?
No, I don’t. It’s the people’s demand. The use of these new emirates is to bring government closer to the people, especially in this period of insecurity. We get intelligence reports from village heads, district heads, ward heads and even imams. And these people are more related to the emirates. So, creating additional ones will help accelerate the speed with which those reports are obtained.
