- Emir of Jama’a Commends His Initiative, Says His Unprecedented Tour Worthy of Emulation
- ABU Historians Hail Him, Say Tour Decision Commendable, Opens New Chapter in History
- Tour, A Demonstration of Loyalty, A Step Towards Achieving Unity Among Royal Fathers – Dan Masani
By Sameer Sanusi Ciroma Yusuf
The Emir of Jama’a, Alhaji (Dr) Muhammad Isa Muhammadu has commended the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero for initiating an unprecedented tour or visit of almost all the Emirs in the country, describing the initiative as worthy of emulation by all royal Fathers in the country.
Commenting on the ongoing historic tour of Aminu Ado Bayero in a chat with Palace Monitor, the Jama’a Emir said, “I congratulate the royal father for initiating such a wonderful innovation which if emulated by all royal fathers in the country, it will help us in our quest and expected determination and role to contribute in making significant impact in uniting the people who are daily being divided by transient leaders, to the detriment of our collective unity as a nation”.
The Jama’a Emir however adviced all traditional rulers in the country, especially fellow Emirs, Obas and Obis to study the significance of the positive and commendable initiative of the Kano Emir with the view of adopting it for the development and cohesion of the country and it’s citizens.
Commenting on the historical significance of the tour, a renowned Professor of History with the History department of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Professor Muhammad Mustapha Gwadabe described it as an excellent initiative which will certainly achieve a great deal and has the potential of achieving a lot for the benefit of the institution, nation, and the citizenry.
Professor Gwadabe said such tours often open new chapters of relationships that result in the establishment of fraternity and familiarity, association, and possibly friendship between the Emir and his colleagues which will make it very easy for mobilisation on issues of national importance.
He also stressed that the tour will help in establishing common grounds for coordinating the activities of traditional institutions and for supporting one another in their traditional role of supporting the executives of their individual states.
“The tour is also likely to establish long-lasting relationships amongst traditional authorities which may form avenue of generating intelligence for traditional community policing and related issues, among several other benefits”, Professor Gwadabe pointed out.
He said it was the practice by past monarchs in neighboring kingdoms and even distant lands to establish friendship and enter into various relationships.
For instance, even states that fought wars try to avert another incidence by establishing a joking relationship.
Inter-marriages were also done between principal members of various dynasties in order to create unity and harmony.
Professor Gwadabe, therefore, said if such practice can be adopted and encouraged or sustained by all royal fathers, it has the potential of fostering unity. This is because the familiarity, friendship, and working relationship would help to establish unity.
Lending his voice to the commendable tour, another renowned historian in the history department of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and one-time Director of the Institution’s Centre for Historical Research and Documentation, otherwise known as Arewa House, Professor Abdulkadir Adamu said the tour is truly a noble initiative. It is indeed a sign that the new emir deserves the throne and has lived and learnt from his late father, Alhaji Ado Bayero.
Professor Adamu said what most of our present traditional rulers don’t understand is that Allah has already given them the leadership of the people. The people have also accepted them as leaders; what is left for them is to be creative in their dealings with both the people and the constituted authority, and this is the best time to do that. This is what made this initiative relevant and indeed timely. It is timely because we are living in a time of challenges in nearly all aspects of our sociopolitical and economic lives.
“I advise the traditional rulers to make use of this opportunity, just as the Emir of Kano, to be more creative in their approach to governance. The rampant insecurity bedeviling the country can be addressed at their levels, especially if contacts between them is increased, and line of discussions and consultations are established with other elders in the communities is initiated. This crave for constitutional recognition is making mockery of the institution, the earlier the traditional rulers take note of this the better”, the Professor opined
He said traditional institution is the most accepted institution of leadership in this country and indeed the world over. Britain, which is one of the architects of the modern world, still holds tightly to its traditional institution. Our traditional rulers should not allow this so called modern democracy to take their place.
“The experience of our democratic history is disappointing, the only structure to lean back to is the traditional institution. It is on this note that I am calling our respected traditional rulers to wake up and come with new ways of strengthening their hold of their respective communities. Our so called democratic leaders have all the constitutional rights and powers, but they are selfish, corrupt and unpatriotic. They are the architects of all the challenges the people are suffering from, and they don’t care, because they have a tenure, after which they will relocate and leave the country. The traditional rulers will go nowhere, this is what made it mandatory for the Emirs to emulate what the present Emir of Kano is doing. It should not just end up in visits, but also sharing ideas and drawing their people closer for unity and progress of the country”, the history Professor adviced
Commenting, the first Professor of Archeology in Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and in northern Nigeria, who is also the Editor of Education Monitor Newspaper, Professor Muhammad Kabir Aliyu said, though the tour may look new but such tours by emirs used to be so among early rulers of Hausa land. Gradually, envy, contempt, and greed began to push the emirs to isolate themselves only within their domains. They only meet at public functions, marriages or death ceremonies. They, in some extreme cases, were afraid of each other due to lust for power, even among siblings.
With the coming of the colonial rule, things became worst. Many of them were deposed and replaced with stooges of the colonial government. Naturally they began to do things that satisfied their colonial masters; earning for some of them hatred by their people and some family members. Thereby isolating them more and in many cases confining them to their domains.
With return of politics and civilian rule in Nigeria, their roles became more ambiguous thereby making so many of them more and more isolated and confined to their palaces for fear of being drawn into politics and seemingly perceived unholy alliances.
Professor Aliyu said such tours can create a tendency to bring the emirs closer to understand one another. It could also unite them for some common causes that they could fight together for the betterment of their people.
It may also begin to bring back their lost glories and prestige and gradually it may, through agitation and support by their people, get more constitutional role to play better in the governance of their people.
He therefore commended the emir for this initiative and hope it will be positively understood by all and sundry. Hopefully also, other emirs will reciprocate and associate in a positive light amongst themselves for the development of the institution, peace and progress of their people.