KANO EMIRATE BALKANIZATION: GOOD FOR DEMOCRACY.

ICHEOKU says every lover of democracy and people who abhor the concentration of too much powers in just one person, especially someone who was not elected by the people, should rejoice and felicitate with Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of Kano State for his bold audacity in whittling down the powers hitherto held by the Emir of Kano Muhammadu Sanusi III. 

ICHEOKU says by carving up Kano emirate into five emirates, the governor has reduced the powers once commandeered by the Emir of Kano and he can no longer be the it all of Kano State. A State with such a large population of nearly ten million people, spread across 44 Local Government Areas, which also is always a must win State for any presidential candidate in Nigeria who wants to enter Aso Rock and only just one man held sway there until now. Simply incredible ad incredulous.   

Anybody can call it whatever they like and they can also hate the governor all they like for doing what he did; but history will write him well for being such a revolutionary. That it was under his government that Kano Emirate became ordinary, just like any other chiefdom in Nigeria; and that no more shall only man be the demigod, exercising authority over such a large State and a population of that size. The beneficiaries of this great move by the governor, in addition to those people who have now been liberated through this carving up, are those Southerners who will run for office of the president in the future, who the Emir of Kano might not be favorably disposed to their candidacy. All they will now do is to try and sway at least two or three out of the now five emirs and they will become competitive in Kano State. 

Morseo the God-like status of the Emir of Kano has automatically been removed now, as he can no longer be a "God" with only 8 out of 44 Local Government Areas under his jurisdictional authority. A matter made worse because the Emir of Kano will no longer report directly to the Governor, but to the Local Government Chairman of Kano emirate. 

ICHEOKU says any such humbled Emir, who is worth his weight in gold, is expected not to accept such a humiliating diminishment and to resign from his office in protest, but will the egotistic corky Sanusi Lamido Sanusi yield the office or with him, the proverbial half loaf better than none made a great sense afterall? ICHEOKU says if Sanusi chooses to hang in there despite the whittling down of his powers and drastic reduction of his sphere of influence, the Governor should immediately commence proceedings for his removal and banishment from the emirate. 

This is the only sensible thing to do in order to effectively empower the newly installed emirs of the newly created emirates, so that all the emirs can start on equal footing, not beholding to Emir Muhammadu Sanusi III or trying to win his favor by needless servile genuflection and conspiratorial gang ups against each other. It is called a level playing field and this is imperative. It will also prevent the recreation in Kano State of the scenario of the once Ooni of Ife and Alafin of Oyo intractable feud of supremacy in former Oyo State. Kano State government must therefore take immediate step to dethrone Sanusi Lamido Sanusi as Emir of Kano and appoint someone in his stead, who is loyal and who together with the other newly appointed four emirs, will grow together under the new reality of a Kano State with five emirates. 

But for corruption, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi would not be the Emir of Kano because he is not the naturally arising heir to the throne, not with a direct son of the past late Emir Ado Ibrahim alive and fully grown up. A similar thing happened in Sokoto State Sultanate when Sani Abacha was forced to correct the misdeed of Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida who had appointed Ibrahim Dasuki to succeed late Sultan Abubakar Siddique, who had living direct heirs, who were bypassed to install Dasuko as the 18th Sultan. Abacha, by naming Ibrahim Muhammadu Maccido dan Abubakar, the son of the late Sultan, the 19th Sultan and banishing Dasuki from the Sokoto Sultanate, Sokoto regained its peace. Kano State needs a similar full sanitizing by removal of Sanusi Lamido Sanusi as Emir of Kano. 

ICHEOKU says in the interest of Kano State and in order for the newly created four additional emirate councils to have a smooth take off, Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje must remove Emir Sanusi Muhammadu III from office and banished him from Kano State forthwith. In the interest of consolidation of the newly created emirates, it is imperative that this is done; it the only thing that remains to be done urgently and it is the only thing that makes sense under the circumstances, as it will help nurture the now five emirate council status of Kano State. 

Failure to do so and in view of the soon to be constituted Kano State council of Emirs, the Emir of Kano will aspire to become its permanent chairman and by so doing recover his lost territory and powers by proxy of his chairmanship of the council. There is a need to completely sever the head of the snake and only his dethronement and banishment on a forced exile will do the magic. Governor Ganduje must quickly act now and forever close that chapter of a once was, Emir of Kano named Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, Muhammadu III. Away with SLS and do it now!