The Kano State House of Assembly has passed an executive bill seeking to split the state into five emirates through the creation of four new emirates.
The lawmakers rushed through the bill on Thursday. It was presented to them by Governor Abdullahi Ganduje, on Monday, after the state high court nullified the creation of the emirates and appointment of its emirs.
Governor Ganduje had created the new emirates last year in a development widely seen as an attempt to whittle down the influence of the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sunusi.
At the plenary session presided by the speaker, Abdulazeez Garba-Gafasa, on Wednesday and Thursday, the House unanimously agreed on the creation of the new emirates.
The leader of the house, Labaran Abdul-Madari, said the creation of the emirates was aimed at spreading development across the state. He said the lawmakers’ decision was in public interest.
According to the lawmaker, the new law will provide for a state Council of Chiefs with its chairmanship rotated every two years among the now five emirs in the state.
PREMIUM TIME reported on Monday how Governor Abdullahi Ganduje resent the bill seeking the creation of the emirates, following the nullification of the emirates created last year by the state high court. The court said due process was not followed in the creation of the new emirates.
The new emirates include Bichi to be beaded by Aminu Bayero, son of late emir Ado Bayero; Rano to headed by Tafida Abubakar-Ila; Karaye to be headed by Ibrahim Abubakar, and Gaya to be headed by Ibrahim Abdulkadir.
This development is coming despite public criticism of the creation of the emirates.
An Islamic cleric, Dahiru Bauchi, condemned the development with strong words.
He said: “splitting the emirates is like destroying the Tijjaniyya sects in Kano, anyone embarking on this act should be prepared to face the wrath of God.”
However, some residents of the newly-created emirates had protested against the nullification of the emirates by the court. “With the new emirate we are now witnessing improvement in our health facilities, employment opportunities and infrastructural development,” a Gaya resident, Ibrahim Auta, said.
Another resident of Gaya, Inuwa Tukur, said history support the creation of the emirates;
“We cannot be answerable to Emir Muhammadu Sunusi of Kano because historically, Gaya emirate is above Kano. Also, developmental projects were concentrated in Kano metropolitan because others historical cities in the state do not have powerful voices which led to uneven development.”
