Desmond Mgboh, Kano
Kano State House Assembly has passed the bill seeking to amend the Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs law which would pave way for the creation of four additional emirates in the state.
The amended law scaled through the third reading at Wednesday’s plenary which was presided by the House Speaker, Hon. Kabiru Alhassan Rurum.
The law had earlier scaled through the second reading after a lengthy presentation by the Majority Leader of the House, Bappa Babba Dan-Agundi, who had harped on the advantages inherent in the creation of four additional emirates.
Should the state governor assent to the bill, four additional emirates, namely Gaya, Rano, Bichi and Karaye emirates would be carved out of Kano State.
Meanwhile, Kano State Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje has pledged to give prompt assent to the bill.
The governor who gave the assurance shortly before the commencement of the State Executive Council’s meeting on Wednesday, said the executive would attend to the bill with dispatch once it was transmitted to it by the House of Assembly.
He said: “We heard about a bill sent to the state House of Assembly, requesting them to make a law for the creation of four more emirates in Kano. We believe those that did this, did it with good intention. And they want the development of the state.”
He expressed hope that the legislative arm of government would work on the bill and forward it to him for his assent.
He acknowledged the popularity of the proposal, saying that bill represents “the popular wish of our people: the people of Kano state. This will also go a long way in hastening growth and development for the state,” he hinted.
Ganduje recalled that the idea of additional emirates in Kano State had been nurtured by the people of the state for many years back but did not scale through. “But now, we are happy to see that the idea would come into fruition,” he stated.
With the creation of more emirates, Ganduje argued, all sectors of the society would experience growth and improvements. “It will also lead to concentration on health, education and other equally important sectors of the society. That is why I said there will be no waste of time in signing the bill into law.”