Barely two weeks after a court judgement nullifying the recently created emirates and their emirs in Kano state, Governor Abdullahi Ganduje Monday sent a fresh bill to the state House of Assembly to create four new emirates in the state.
Judgment
In his verdict Thursday November 21, Justice Usman Na’Abba of the Kano state High Court, ruled that the state House of Assembly did not follow due process in creating the emirate.
The court further noted that the state legislature violated section 101 of the Nigerian Constitution which gives the assembly the power to enact its rules and guidelines of proceedings.
He nullified the proceedings of the state lawmakers leading to the conduct of May 6, 7 and 8 which created the new emirates.
Fresh move
In a fresh move however, Governor Ganduje, said the annulled emirates had existed before the Kano emirate.
In a statement issued to journalists Monday in Kano by the state’s commissioner of information, Muhammad Garba, he said some of the emirates annulled by the court existed before the Kano emirate, hence, the government’s move was to revive the emirates after the failed attempt by previous administrations.
Ganduje presents new Bill to Assembly
And as a follow-up, the Kano state Executive Council has approved Emirate Council Bill 2019 which provides for the establishment of additional emirates in the state.
To this end, the council endorsed the establishment of four new emirates namely Rano, Gaya, Bichi and Karaye and forward same to the state Assembly for necessary action.
The statement issued by the information commissioner after the council session, said some of the emirates pre-dated Kano in ancient times while the effort to revive them during the Second Republic was short-lived.
He said while the council seriously discussed the decade-long clamour for the establishment of additional emirates in the state with a view to bringing more development to the people of the new emirates, the exercise was also informed by the need to bring traditional institution closer to the people in addition to facilitating speedy socio-economic development and security in the state.
The statement further indicated that the introduction of the free and compulsory education at basic and secondary level requires the active participation of the community, especially the traditional institutions for its successful implementation.
The commissioner noted that the Emirate Council Bill 2019 was amended in the public interest following a Kano High Court action that nullified the law on the ground that the petition was presented to the Assembly by a private person, not a member of the House.
The council, according to statement, therefore, called on the state Assembly to expedite action on the passage of the Bill in the interest of the public.
