The Emir of Kano, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero, said his recent visit to Ilorin is homecoming, as this is his maternal side.
Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero is the grandson to the late 8th Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Abdul Kadir Dan Bawa who reigned from 1919 to 1959, a nephew to the 10th Emir of Ilorin Alhaji Shehu Aliyu Abdulkadri (1992-1995), and cousin to the present Emir, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu Gambari.
Speaking during his visit to Kwara State, Aminu Ado Bayero said that he had come to the ancient town to receive blessings from his maternal roots.
The emir also commiserated with the Governor over the loss of his father AGF AbdulRazaq SAN, praying Allah to repose the soul of the sage.
“The purpose of my visit is to be back home, where I belong. To me, Kano and Ilorin are the same thing. Here is my home – maternal side – and I am happy to always be here. This is not my first time of coming, it is not the second and, in fact, I cannot even count the number of times I have come here. But this is unique because this is the first time I am coming to Ilorin after ascending the throne of my ancestors. I thank God for that, ”Emir Aminu Bayero said.
“So, I come to have the blessings of my maternal side and leaders who I believe contributed a lot to the development of life up till this stage. Whether you are from Kwara, from Kano, or anywhere, the most important thing is to send the message that we are one and the same. That is how God wanted it to be. If God wants us all to be from one place or culture, He could have made that, but he didn’t. There must be a purpose for that. So, we have to accept that, live by that, and help those that need help among us.”
On his part, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq said traditional institutions are vital to the growth and peaceful coexistence of the society as they play key roles in the stability of the polity.