Bichi Emirate’s planned turbaning ceremony suffers setback
The government of Kano State has orderd that the planned turbaning ceremony of Salisu Ado Bayero as a district head in Bichi Emirate Council be halted.
The directive was seen by many as a signal that the state government may be withdrawing its recognition of the Bichi Emirate, one of the five it is allegedly planning to scrap.
A letter addressed to all the five emirate councils in the state and signed by the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Local Government Affairs, Ibrahim Kabara, on behalf of the state’s deputy governor, Comrade Aminu Abdulsalam, who is the overseeing commissioner of the ministry, said such exercise should be suspended due to “certain exigencies” at the moment.
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“Reference to the communication received from you via a letter with reference number Bichi/EM/Adm/018/Vol III/167 with the above caption dated 2nd February 2024. I am instructed to convey the government’s directives to suspend the exercise due to exigencies at the moment,” the letter stated.
The state government, however, did not give the details of the “exigencies” in the letter.
The letter was copied to Kano, Bichi, Gaya, Rano and Karaye Emirate councils. The emirate councils were told to always obtain timely approval or clearance from the ministry before they embark on such ceremony.
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Recall that Bichi Emirate Council had on February 15, 2024 written to Salisu Ado Bayero, a younger of Emir of Bichi, informing him of the emir’s approval for his appointment as traditional title holder/district head in Bichi Emirate.
The letter directed the prince to come to the palace on Friday, March 1, 2024, for his turbaning as a district head.
The fate of the five emirates is still hanging in the balance, as the state government has already indicated that it may scrap of restructure them, an issue that is generating heated debate in Kano presently.
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Some see this stoppage of the turbaning ceremony as a signal from the government that it is not recognizing the emirate.
Creation of the five emirates in Kano
In 2019, the Governor of Kano State in Nigeria, Abdullahi Ganduje, signed a bill into law that led to the creation of five emirates in Kano. This move was seen as a significant restructuring of the traditional emirate system in the state. The new emirates created were Gaya, Rano, Karaye, Bichi, and Gwarzo. Each of these emirates was carved out of the territory previously under the Kano Emirate, which had existed for centuries as one of the oldest and most prominent traditional institutions in Nigeria.
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The decision to create these new emirates was met with mixed reactions from various stakeholders. Proponents argued that the move would help to decentralize power and bring development closer to the people in the newly created emirates. On the other hand, critics viewed it as a political maneuver aimed at reducing the influence of the Kano Emirate and its then-emir, Muhammadu Sanusi II. The restructuring of the emirate system in Kano sparked debates about tradition, governance, and power dynamics in northern Nigeria.
Overall, the creation of five emirates in Kano marked a significant shift in the traditional power structure of the state. It reflected broader political dynamics and tensions within Nigerian society and raised questions about the balance between tradition and modern governance practices in the country.
