Ibrahim Shuaibu in Kano
No fewer than 70 prominent indigenes of Kano State and 22 civil organisations have called on the newly appointed emirs to resign their appointment in the interest of peace and tranquility in the state.
The concerned individuals and groups also called for the urgent intervention of the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence, Alhaji Mohammad Sa’ad Abubakar, to denounce the creation of additional emirates in Kano.
Addressing press conference yesterday on behalf of “The Renaissance Coalition in Collaboration with Civil Society Organisation and Other Stakeholders,” the spokesman of the group, Mr. Abdulrahman Baffa Yola, urged Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje to rather dissipate energy towards socio-economic and developmental challenges bedeviling Kano.
Abdulrahman regretted the speedy passage of Appointment and Deposition Act, 2019, which lasted 48 hours; without due legislative process.
“Kano State harbours more than two million Almajiris roaming the streets, without any tangible and sustainable intervention to checkmate the ugly situation. Kano takes the lead in substance and drug abuse; we have highest number of school drops, the highest cases of congested classrooms in the country, with over 150 – 200 pupils in a class.
“Reliable statistics indicated more than 3.5 million unemployed youths in Kano, more than two million girl children who do not attend formal school in Kano, more than five million people who do not have access to portable drinking water and one of the states with the highest maternal mortality rate in Nigeria. And with all these challenges, the next solution is the creation of new emirates”.
Another member of the coalition, Saida Sa’ad accused Kano State House of Assembly of violating legislative process and placing undue attention to what she described as unpopular bill.
“We have Kano State Security Trust Fund Law bill unattended to in the last six years, Violence Against Persons Prohibition Law bill in the last 12 months, Child Rights Acts Bill 24 months and Procurement Law bill – six years, Audit Law bill, Fiscal Responsibility Law bill and Due Process Law bill.
“All are with either the assembly or the governor without giving attention only to pass a bill in less than 48 hours and governor assented in less than 24 hours. Can we convince ourselves that the creation of additional emirate councils was done in good faith, and in the overall public interest and for genuine progress of the state?”.
Reacting to the group’s claims, the state Commissioner for Information, Muhammad Garba declined to comment on the legality of the matter since the case is still in court.
Garba maintained that government action in the appointment of new emirates is completed and can’t be reverse.
The commissioner explained that the developmental challenges bedeviling Kano did not just started during the administration of Ganduje, saying the state government has empowered more than one million youths, including the almajiris in Kano.
