From Desmond Mgboh, Kano

Kano is beautiful. The beauty reached its climax again on Saturday, July 3, 2021. It was the coronation of the 15th Emir of Kano, Alhaji Aminu Ado-Bayero. He is the second eldest son of the legendary Ado Bayero, the emir that reigned for more that 50 years.

The event came up about 14 months after his appointment by Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.

Ado-Bayero’s coronation heralds a new breath of air and peace, necessary for the dynasty to move forward. On the appointed day, the city flagged off in glory. Joyous subjects, a beautiful resplendent sky, colourful traditional rulers from across the country and many more were in a robust mix.

The coronation lecture, which bordered on the richness of Kano, past and present, was delivered by the immediate past Vice Chancellor of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Prof Abdullahi Uba Adamu. The coronation Durbar, on Monday was equally something else.

The venue was the Sani Abacha Stadium, inside the city walls. It was the same setting his father, Ado Bayero, was crowned in 1963, when Aminu was just two years old.

The turnout was impressive, made up of people of all walks of life – young, old, male and female. The influence of his late father, his endearing love for his people and the love the people reserved for him, all shadowed the occasion. The reason the crowd that was this diverse and encompassing.

Dignitaries in attendance included Vice President Yomi Osibanjo; Chief of Staff to the President, Ibrahim Gambari; President of Niger Republic; Ministers of Defence, Major General Bashir Magashi (rtd); Agriculture and Rural Development, Sabo Nanono; Water Resources, Sulaiman Adamu; Aviation, Hadi Sirika and Senior Special Assistant to the President (Media and Publicity), Garba Shehu.

Also in attendance were governors of Sokoto, Katsina, Kaduna, Lagos, Kogi and Zamfara states. Ganduje played host to them.

The traditional rulers included Sultan of Sokoto, Abubakar Sa’ad 111; Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi; Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe and Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, in addition to other prominent monarchs.

The Oath of Office was administered by the Chief Iman of Kano, Sani Zaharadeen and the Staff of Office presented by Ganduje. There were cultural engagements and the handing over of the sword of office, signifying the authority of the emir.

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President Muhammadu Buhari urged the new emir to thread after the examples of his late father, whom he described as a man of remarkable culture and principles: “I have confidence that you would exhibit such leadership qualities and much more as you have demonstrated in the few months of your emirship.”

He prayed for the success of the emir, saying he looked forward to his contributions to uplifting the people of Kano Emirate in particular and the nation in general, assuring him of his “total support for you to leave a sustainable legacy.”

Osibanjo reminded the monarch that he inherited one of the most revered thrones in Africa. He expressed optimism that he would excel while charging him to preserve the culture of his people as well promote a sense of brotherhood of all Nigerians in his domain, regardless of their tribe and ethnicity:

“Your Royal Highness, I need not say to you that the city of Kano is no ordinary city. In both historical and modern times, Kano has always been revered as a major commercial and economic centre in Africa and a melting pot of diverse tribes and cultures assimilated into a robust, vibrant and cohesive whole.

“It is only with a tolerance of the cultures of Kano where opposite ideals can coexist peacefully that you could have a thriving free market economy with several millionaires and yet also be the base of the radical left of centre political ideas.

“This is after all, the city of the socialist man of the masses, Mallam Aminu Kano, and many of his disciples and Kano is also the home of the capitalist richest man in Africa, Aliko Dangote.

“It is this great city over which God has given you the good fortune of being its monarch, the equivalent which you know, comes with the obligation of preserving the rich tradition of brotherhood of all tribes and tongues in the city.”

Ganduje described the day as momentous and historical not only for the people under the Kano Emirate Council but for their immediate neighbours and relatives. He recalled that Aminu Ado-Bayero has been a man of the people, a reason his appointment was greeted with joy and jubilation.

He confessed that Almighty Allah only used him to facilitate the ascension of the emir to the throne. He said the creation of Gaya, Karaye, Rano and Bichi emirates was an attestation to his commitment to the traditional institution

Emir Aminu Ado-Bayero pledged to serve his people diligently. He prayed for peaceful repose of all his forebears whose guidance and nurturing had led him to the present position, asking Allah to help him serve the people as diligently as his forebears did.

He admonished the people to respect constituted authority and to respect those in leadership position asking them to fear Allah and follow the instructions of the Holy Prophet.