Junaid Mohammed supports Sanusi’s dethronement, says he’s reckless, ignorant of our culture

A Second Republic lawmaker from Kano State, Dr. Junaid Muhammad has said he was in total support of the dethronement of the Kano State Emir, Muhammadu Sanusi II.

He said that Sanusi ought not to have been crowned as an emir in the first place because he was “reckless and ignorant of the culture of Kano people”.

Sanusi II was recently dethroned by Governor Abdullahi Ganduje-led government of the state.

He was after dethronement banished to Nasarawa State, where he was kept in detention, before a court ordered for his release.

Different reactions have been trailing the development.

But in an interview with the Vanguard, Junaid Muhammed said the only option left for Kano State government was to dethrone Sanusi given the circumstances he pushed the people into.

He said, “I endorsed his dethronement because I believe it was the only way out given the circumstances he has pushed Kano into.

“The people who are his real masters in the South have been encouraging him. It is a matter of public record. It is out there in the public space. He should never have been made the Emir of Kano.

“He is reckless. He is ignorant of our culture because he never stayed long in Kano. If you don’t know the culture of a people, you can never be their traditional leader. He never knew anything about Kano.”

Going down memory lane between what happened to Sanusi II and his father, Sanusi 1, Junaid Mohammed said:

“There is a historical precedent in his lineage in the royal family. His grandfather was famously deposed by his best friend, then- Premier of defunct Northern Region, the late Ahmadu Bello, Sardauna of Sokoto. It was Ahmadu Bello, who in 1953, as leader of government business, influenced the appointment of his grandfather who was his friend.

“Sardauna was the prince of Sokoto while Muhammad Sanusi I was the prince of Kano. They became very close friends. When the vacancy arose, Sardauna did his best to make sure his friend was appointed the Emir.

“The British, on record, did not want Muhammadu Sanusi I to be the Emir of Kano because they felt he was high handed and had no respect for constituted authorities, including that of his father, the late Abdullahi Bayero. They said they were afraid given the relationship between the British Colonial administration and the old Kano Emirate. They said the man never differentiated between what belonged to the government and what belonged to him. He became Emir of Kano in 1953. It became impossible for him to continue beyond 1963.

“One, at the time he was Emir, the agitation for the creation of Kano State began. Kano people wanted Kano Province converted into Kano State. He just thought it was a personal affront to him.

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“He started jailing people recklessly because, in those days, the Emir could sit in judgment in court, even though he had no legal background and whatsoever. He jailed people in Kano metropolis, Ringim, Gwaram (now in Jigawa State) and Bebeji among others. People were jailed for not paying taxes. That was how he governed Kano. The British were embarrassed and took copious notes which were sent to the Colonial Office in London. It became impossible for him to continue. By the time Nigeria became independent in 1960 and Sardauna emerged as the prominent political leader of Northern Peoples Congress (NPC), he could not turn his face away from the realities of what this man constituted. A commission of inquiry was appointed and headed by a British Colonial Administrator, David Macpheth. He was a Senior Divisional Officer, who came to Kano and held public sitting for months. All the facts and excesses came to light. It became clear that the man was guilty.

“The report was taken to Kaduna and submitted to then-Northern Nigeria Executive Council. It was impossible for Sardauna to defend him. And Sardauna himself told my father that after the recommendation and adoption of the recommendation of the inquiry which was also distilled and christalised by the Council, they decided to sack him as the Emir.

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“The governor of Northern Nigerian Governor, Sir Kashim Ibrahim, was asked to summon him to his official residence. He was summoned and told his offences. And he was asked if he had any defence. He said no. Did you commit these offences, he said he did. He (Sir Kashim Ibrahim) asked him if he was prepared to resign or be removed forcibly. He said he was prepared to resign. The papers were ready and so he was served the papers and he wrote ‘Bismillahi’ meaning in the name of Allah and he signed.

“From there, he was taken away the way Sanusi II was taken away, except that he (Sanusi I) was taken from Kaduna to Azare in Bauchi State while Sanusi II was taken to Nassarawa State.”

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