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Controversial Muhammadu Sanusi II, emir of Kano, is under probe for an alleged embezzlement of about N6 billion belonging to the emirate, but his supporters believe that the emir is being witch-hunted for daring to criticise the Northern oligarchy for the hunger and deprivation in the region

|  By Olu Ojewale  |  May 29, 2017 @ 01:00 GMT  |

AT the moment, Muhammadu Sanusi II, emir of Kano, and members of the Kano State House of Assembly are not best of friends. The State Assembly appears determined to investigate and sanction the emir for his alleged embezzlement of about N6billion of the emirate.

Despite his denial and entreats from interest persons, the state Assembly said there would be no going back on its probe of the emir. Reacting to the latest move by Aliyu Sani Madakin, a member of the House of Representatives, (APC, Kano State) urging the House to intervene in the probe of the emir by the Kano State Assembly, Kabiru Alhassan Rurum, speaker of Kano state Assembly, insisted that the House of Representatives has no right to intervene in the matter.

Madakin, a member of the federal House of Representatives representing Dala federal constituency from Kano, had during plenary session of the House on Tuesday, May 16, urged the National Assembly to wade into the ongoing probe of the emir instituted by the Kano Assembly.

He cautioned that failure on the part of the National Assembly to intervene into the matter the situation might degenerate into uncontrollable situation.

Madakin must have speaking against the background of what happened in 1981 when the Kano State government under the then Governor Mohamed Abubakar Rimi issued a query to Ado Bayero, the then emir of Kano, for travelling to Zaria without seeking its permission. A riot broke out in the city in which properties worth millions of Naira were damaged and many persons were killed including Bala Mohamed, Rimi’s fiery political adviser, and many others injured in mob attacks.

That notwithstanding, the speaker of Kano State House of Assembly said in a press interview on Thursday, May 18, that, the constitution which Madakin relied on could not be applied in to Kano State. He said: “The section 14 (2b) of the constitution which Madaki relied upon to back his argument is categorical and cannot be applicable in Kano because the situation on ground did not warrant for that.

“The section says the NASS can intervene in the affairs of state Assembly only if the Assembly cannot sit or if there is crisis in the house but in our own case, there is nothing like that. Out of the 35 members, 34 voted in support of the investigation, while only one member failed to vote in support. So, the move is completely out of context.” He said he insisted that the Kano State House of Assembly was determined to unravel the truth about the eight-count charge levelled against the emir.

He said: “The seven-man ad-hoc committee saddled with responsibility of investigating the emir is within the ambit of law. We formulated the law that is governing the affairs of the Kano emirate council and with the provision of section 128 of the Constitution, we have the mandate to cross-check its activities whenever the need arise.”

Perhaps, to show his innocence, Sanusi II, on Tuesday, May 2, posted details of his salary for April 2017, on his verified Instagram account. The pay slip was uploaded with the caption: “Pay slip it is… 1,246,875.00 net, against the alleged 12 million monthly by some online publications. Although during colonial times, the Emir of Kano was the highest paid public office holder in Nigeria.” According to the payslip, Sanusi earned a gross income of N1,312,500 with a deduction of N62,625. Sanusi’s net income for April amounted to N1,246,875.

In any case, the emir’s problem is not only allegation of embezzlement. It seems the probe is also meant to make him reticent or force to use his words carefully as the committee has also been mandated to investigate his alleged involvement in political issues, and unguarded utterances  made against  President Muhammadu Buhari.

Nevertheless, trouble started for the emir on Wednesday, May 10, when Kano State House of Assembly set up a seven-man committee to investigate the alleged misconduct of the emir, including his alleged of misappropriation of funds of the Kano Emirate Council.

The Assembly set up the committee after Ibrahim Gama, a member representing Nasarawa Local Government Area, raised a motion of urgent public importance on the topic.

Gama frowned at the recent comments credited to the emir over the proposed Kano light-rail project and argued: “The statement from the emir was capable of tarnishing his image, the government’s and that of the Assembly.

“The emir, during his speech in Kaduna, alleged that the Kano State governor (Umar Ganduje) and his entourage, including me as the chairman of the House Committee on Works, wasted one month in China seeking for loan to construct rail.

“The emir’s statement was not true. We spent only four days in China, and our visit was to find out the capability of the company to handle the rail project.”

He also took a swipe at Sanusi for sending his daughter to represent him in one of the functions organised by Bring Back Our Girls group in Abuja, describing it as inimical to the tradition of the emirate council.

“There are many responsible emirate council members who could represent him at the programme. This is the first time we are seeing such, in the historical traditional home,” he added.

He held that the mode of dressing of the emir’s daughter, during the programme, was an embarrassment to the emirate council and the tradition of Kano people.

He also accused Sanusi of introducing religious issues contrary to the teachings of Islam, saying such things were capable of disgracing the religion.

Gama further accused the emir of involving himself in political issues, misappropriation of emirate council’s funds and making statements against President Buhari.

After the Assembly debated the matter, it set up the committee to investigate the allegations.

The committee, headed by Labaran Abdul, a member representing Warawa Local Government Area, was given two weeks within which to report to the Assembly.

Before the Assembly set up its own investigation committee, Muhiyi Magaji, chairman of the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission, had disclosed that the commission was probing of an alleged “questionable expenditures and financial misappropriation” on the Kano Emirate Council had no political motive.

He said: “The investigation is not in any way politically motivated but was aimed at getting to the root of the allegations.”

He said the decision by the commission to investigate the complaints or allegations was borne out of the need to ensure fairness.

“The agency, in carrying out the probe, was fulfilling its mandate as established by the law. I wonder why people are questioning the reason behind the investigation and at the same time trying to pre-empt what is being investigated,” Muhiyi queried.

He insisted that no amount of pressure would deter the commission from carrying out its duties, not even from the governor.

In response, Sanusi, on April 25, said he was ready for any probe on his expenditures for the three years he has spent on the throne, saying his hands were clean.

Sanusi, who spoke through Mahez Wali, Walin Kano, said allegations of questionable expenditure were “baseless, mischievous and utterly designed to tarnish his image and that of Kano Emirate Council.”  He stressed his readiness to answer questions from relevant agencies to clear his name.

The emir spoke against the backdrop of allegations that he squandered billions of naira inherited from the late Ado Bayero, immediate past emir.

Walin Kano, in a seven-page text made available to newsmen in Kano, declared that N4.3billion was spent since Sanusi ascended the throne, based on the Kano Emirate Council’s budgetary provision, and not the reported N6billion.

He explained: “Before the appointment of Muhammadu Sanusi II as emir, Kano Emirate Council had over N2.8 billion in fixed deposit accounts, out of which over N981 million was used for the burial of the late Emir Ado Bayero.

“About N1.8 billion was the amount of money inherited by Muhammadu Sanusi II against the alleged N4 billion.”

Giving a breakdown of the emir’s expenditure, the Walin Kano admitted “payment of N37,054,192.06 to Airtel, as the emir is identified with only one local mobile phone, which he uses within and outside the country.

“Majority of the charges are that of roaming, which are normal. Similarly, telephone bills of the palace are offset by the council, particularly when it comes within the provision of the budget.

“The emirate council received N1,727,938,660.42 as grants between July 30, 2014 and March 1, 2017, over and above the alleged figure of N1,672,953, 660.00.”

On the acquisition of two Rolls Royce cars, Walin Kano said: “The exotic cars were never purchased by the emirate council, but donated to the emir by his friends.

“The payment of N142,800,000 were expended on two bulletproof vehicles based on the advice and approval of the state government.”

However, on May 13, the state’s anti-corruption agency said it was suspending the probe into the financial dealings of Sanusi indefinitely. Gado said the commission was suspending its probe “indefinitely” because the House was also conducting an investigation. He did not give further details.

That notwithstanding, observers say the outcome of the state Assembly probe cannot be devoid of political undertone as the emir has not spared any Northern elite in his barrage of attacks for the impoverishment of the region.

Consequently, it is being rumoured that some Northern elites are actually plotting that Sanusi II be removed after he made a series of comments about the need for social reforms in the North.

In one his outings recently, Sanusi II had in his key note address during the opening ceremony of Kaduna State’s investment programme titled ‘Promoting Investment Amidst Economic Challenges’ said that Northern Nigeria would be the poorest if the country were to broke up into components.

The Emir made the disclosure at the second edition of the Kaduna Investment Forum, Kadinvest 2.0 in the state, on Wednesday, April 5. He said the North-East and West were the most poorest in the country and even in the world.

Hence, the emir urged the region not to use the oil rich Niger Delta, commercially viable Lagos and business oriented South East to mirror the living standard of the North.

Besides, Sanusi criticised the ultra-conservative interpretation of Islam in some parts of Northern Nigeria that has discouraged girl-child education, family planning and other progressive policies.

He said: “Other Muslim nations have put forward girl education. Other Muslim countries have pushed on. We are fighting culture, we are fighting civilisation. For us to address social policy, we have to reclaim our religion.”

He also questioned the right of people in having more children in the region without having the resources to take care of them and for marrying more wives than they can take care of.

It is believed that the emir put himself in trouble by all those criticisms with Muslim religionists who found his ideas too extreme for their comfort. But whether the government will use its instrument of power to oust without incurring the wrath of supporters who may troop into the streets is another matter all together.

For now, Sanusi II is one some Northern elites would like to distance themselves from, but whether they would go all the way to convict of the charges levelled against him is left to be seen.

On Kannywood, he said he was sad that the Hausa movie industry was gradually moving from Kano to Kaduna due to the latter’s policies of encouragement, saying “building Kannywood would have led to building the economy of Kano.”

“I’m sad that Kano has lost it, but I’m happy that Kaduna is getting it,” he said.

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