Limited statement by the Management of Globalupfront Newspapers on our Publisher and Editor-in-Chief, Mr. Madu Onuorah who was abducted from his residence by the Nigerian Police on Wednesday, 22/5/2024 evening

We have confirmed the release (on bail) of our Publisher/Editor-in-Chief, Mr. Madu Onuorah who was abducted by men of the Ebonyi Police Command on Wednesday 22/5/2024 evening from his residence in Lugbe, Abuja.

He was released late Thursday, 23/5/2024, night by Enugu State Police Command who requested the Ebonyi Police to abduct him for them.

We are awaiting a full briefing by Mr Onuorah and our lawyers before issuing a full statement on this matter and the next line of action.

We solidly stand by our Editor-in-Chief and the harmless story we published.

We insist the police station is not a court of law where alleged defamation cases are tried.

We want to thank the Journalism and Media family, friends and well-wishers, and all defenders of freedom of expression who rose against a budding tyranny.

Signed:
Management of Globalupfront Newspapers

The Nigerian National anthem, like any country’s anthem, for all intents and purposes is meant to hold a special place in the hearts of its citizens, symbolizing unity and national pride. But this does not seem to be the case in our country for many years since Nigeria’s independence in 1960. The country has witnessed many coups and counter coup and fought a very bitter civil war in which millions of Nigerians were killed, from 1967-1970.

Following the collapse of the first republic in 1966, the military took over the country’s government, through a series of coup d’etat. Then in 1975, after the overthrow of General Yakubu Gowon, by the Murtala Mohammed/ Olusegun Obasanjo duo, Obasanjo took over after the assassination of Murtala Mohammed in 1976. However, the General Olusegun Obasanjo military government decided to change Nigeria’s national anthem in 1978 without consulting the people. This decision has sparked a desire within me and certainly among many other Nigerians, particularly those born between the 1940s and 1970s to reinstate the old anthem, “Nigeria We Hail Thee.” This anthem carries historical, cultural, and prayerful significance that resonates deeply with the citizens.

The change of the National anthem has left those of us born in that generation of baby boomers who grew up singing the national anthem in schools and homes, feeling disconnected and disheartened. And from a personal point, the music man in me feels the void of that melodious anthem since the change. The new anthem, though well-intentioned, lacks the emotional resonance that the old anthem held. “Nigeria We Hail Thee” evokes a sense of pride, hope, and loyalty towards the nation. By reinstating the old anthem, we can reignite the patriotic spirit within the citizens and restore our emotional connection to the country.

Let us take a moment to reflect on the words and verses of the old anthem, appreciating the prayers and blessings it embodies. The line “to hand unto our children, a banner without stain” reminds us of the responsibility we have as parents to pass on a legacy free from corruption, crime, and other social ills. We must consider the consequences of our actions and strive to create a better future for our children and in effect, Nigeria.

Another verse of the old anthem that holds solemnity is “O God of all creation, grant this our one request. Help us to build a nation, where no man is oppressed. And so with peace and plenty, Nigeria may be blessed.” Sadly, since the change in the anthem, Nigeria has struggled to find peace and has been insensitive to the hunger, poverty, unemployment and the plight of the oppressed and down trodden. Reinstating the old anthem may serve as a reminder of the values we should uphold as a nation.

The old anthem encapsulates the diverse cultural heritage of Nigeria. It celebrates the country’s ethnic, religious, and linguistic diversity, emphasizing the importance of unity in diversity. This message is crucial in a nation as diverse as Nigeria, as it promotes inclusivity and fosters a sense of belonging among all citizens. By reinstating the old anthem, we can reinforce the values of cultural acceptance and national unity.

The reasons given for changing the anthem are not convincing. The argument that the word “tribe” is offensive is unfounded, as it simply refers to a community united by common customs and traditions. Additionally, dismissing the old anthem because it was written by a British expatriate is shortsighted. We should not discard our history and heritage simply to distance ourselves from our colonial past.

Instead of finding faults with the old anthem, subsequent governments post independence should have faced the challenges of their time and the development of the country head-on. The government should have prioritized on a long term basis, the funding of education, healthcare, infrastructure, social welfare, diversification of the source of national revenue, as well as address issues of insecurity and corruption. The Tinubu administration must now take urgent actions reining in the many militia groups in a number of states in the country, non-state actors in the security sector and empower our military, police, and paramilitary forces through training and incentives to secure the lives and property of citizens, and Nigeria’s territorial integrity.

The change in the Nigerian National anthem without constitutional considerations or the people’s mandate has had a profound impact on the country. Reinstating the old anthem is crucial to reconnecting with our history, celebrating our cultural diversity, and reigniting the patriotic spirit within our citizens. It is now time for the National Assembly to seriously consider this plea, and make wide consultations, put it up for discussions in the course of the Senate and House proceedings, with a view to restoring the old anthem, as it has the power to psychologically bring Nigeria back to its former glory. While government does its best to alleviate the excruciating suffering currently facing Nigerian, albeit, with economic policies aimed at enduring prosperity. The removal of the fuel subsidies and harmonization of the foreign exchange rates are two positive redemptive steps taken so far by the Tinubu government but quick palliatives must follow as soon as possible to ameliorate the suffering of Nigerians.
We hope that by the time the administration finally settles down to business, we may all be able to sing: Nigeria we Hail Thee.

NB: Sonny Iroche is 2022-2023 Senior Academic Visitor at the African Studies Centre, University of Oxford.

The day passed quietly last week: no fun fair; no noise-making.  It was not because he is no longer in the flesh. Even if he were, the great day would have been marked modestly. A few speculations, given what I knew about his nature and his values, raced to my mind on how the day would have been marked – a handful of friends and admirers visiting to extend the customary courtesies and best wishes to him,  a musical concert, children singing the Hallelujah Chorus. If with a lecture, there would be no clicking of glasses: you go home and reflect on what had been absorbed from the lecture. He departed earthly life, barely two months away to clocking 69 years.

I am referring to Chief Adeyemi Olusola Lawson, the colossus and without comparison, a man of many parts, a leader of leaders, the captain of captains of industries. He would have been 100 years last week Wednesday, were he still to be in the flesh. What I believe a great many must have done on that blessed day was sit quietly in their closets, thanking the Almighty Father, the Creator of all the worlds for the privilege of being permitted to cross his path in this phase of our journey through life.

Chief Lawson was from Abeokuta in Ogun State, born in Lagos on 15 May, 1924,  the first of five children of Chief J. O. Lawson, a civil servant and Frances Obinrinade Lawson, a Princess from the Arole O’odua, indeed from the same Aderin Royal Lineage as Oba Okunade Olubuse, the Second. She was a teacher, but later took to trading. As a trader she got her son to hawk in the streets of Lagos Island. This was later to turn as a prelude to his imminent high tasks in his life. No one knew what the high tasks meant to be his lot would be. As was customary at the time, all his parents were told was that they should not interfere in whatever spiritual values he might choose to profess. He hawked “foo-foo”to nourish the body, he later went to the ends of the world spreading the Holy Word of God to nourish human beings with the food of the spirit and to awaken those in slumber through bringing to their awareness the existence of “In the Light of Truth”, the Grail Message by Abd-ru-shin. The Grail Message is the Teaching of the Lord Christ brought anew from the Highest Heights to mankind much more elaborately in these times. In his own words, “I assisted my mother by hawking wares on the same streets of Lagos over which I now move about in cars. I sold oranges, foo-foo and agidi, hawking them on my head after school hours like children from average families.”

Coming from an enlightened parentage, Adeyemi Lawson began his elementary education at the age of four at a private school known as Caxton House School. He moved from there to Baptist Academy where he finished in Standard Six, was admitted the following year CMS Grammar School founded in 1859 at Abeokuta, the first and oldest secondary school in Nigeria to date. The school was moved to Lagos after a few years. Adeyemi Lawson attended the school in Lagos and passed out in flying colours in 1941. Lawson’s performance was such that he was exempted from London Matriculation. Among his classmates were later Nigeria’s leading lights in the civil service, in politics and the judiciary. Jonathan Odebiyi, for example, was the principal of Egbado College, Ilaro, later Minister of Finance in the Western Region and in the second Republic the UPN Senate Leader. Folarin Coker was permanent secretary for many years and his role call later was as Head of Service and Justice B.O Kassim was High Court Judge in Lagos. All these confirm the truism that you can tell a person by the company he keeps. Adetunji Adefarasin was another of his friends, but he attended Igbobi College. He was Chief Judge of Lagos State from 1974 to 1985. Lawson’s best known bosom friend was Chief Chris Ogunbanjo, another giant in Industry and Law practice with specialization in Commercial Law.

Lawson could not go to the university immediately on leaving school because the Second World War was sweeping through parts of Europe and such higher education could only be obtained in Europe at the time. He took to teaching at St. Saviour’s High School in Lagos as only teachers were free from conscription into the Army to go and fight in the war. He wanted to study Law, not joining the Army. He eventually left for the United Kingdom in 1945 after the war ended. As part of his working career, he had a stint in the Accountant General Office as a clerk.

Always exceptional, he finished his Law studies ahead of time in 1947. He was called to the Bar at Gray’s Inn. Speaking with Dapo Odebiyi in his publication, Nigerian Enterprise, 1983, relayed in his book, Builders of Modern Nigeria, 1985, Chief Adeyemi Lawson said in glowing appreciation and gratefulness about his father: “It is pertinent to mention here that my father made an enormous sacrifice to get me trained in England. He was then a first-class clerk with a monthly income the equivalent of about thirty-seven Naira out of which he sent me about twenty-five Naira every month, leaving him less than twelve Naira to maintain himself, my mother and other children and there can be no doubt that other children went through some privations at that time.”

On returning to Nigeria he set up a law firm, A Lawson & Co—Solicitors. He knew success and fortune. He was Queen’s Counsel (QC) the precursor of SAN, as peak of his professional calling. QC is now SAN which is the highest attainment for any lawyer. Some of his outstanding cases are contained in Nigerian Law Reports. His area of concentration was commercial law in which he excelled. That aspect of law practice brought him into regular contact with managers of business. This gave him an insight into features characteristic of business, business management and investment and as is the natural order, first as a minor investor and later a more substantial one. He and friends among them Chief Michael Ibru, Chief Chris Ogunbanjo, and Dr. Moses A. Majekodunmi,  joined hands to establish a commercial bank known as Bank of Lagos Limited, with some Swiss nationals as foreign partners. They left the running of the bank in the hands of the foreign partners who came with expertise no doubt but did not know enough about Nigerians. “In consequence, a good proportion of our capital was lost in no time”, so said Chief Lawson. “My colleagues and I on the Board of the Bank could afford to lose our money but not our good names and so we decided not to take the risk of losing depositors’ money.” They called in all the depositors and, under the supervision of the Central Bank, refunded all their deposits to them with apologies that they could no longer be of service to them in the banking field. They returned their banking licence, changed the name of the Bank to Finance Company of Lagos Limited,  and bowed gracefully out at the time from the banking field—having gained what Chief Lawson described was “a highly invaluable experience.”

Business is a risk, but Adeyemi Lawson was not one to flee from risk-taking in business or any endeavour. He went from banking to brewing (West African Breweries, the first indigenous brewery in Nigeria) for which he was renowned, to pharmaceuticals, to glass manufacturing and to services such as insurance and advertising. He was into petroleum marketing. He set up ACORN Petroleum Nigeria Limited to drive it – undergirded as was his accustomed thoughtfulness by the adage “The mighty oaks from little acorns grow.” He set up a trading and marketing company in the UK with worldwide tentacles.

Chief Lawson packed so much into his life that hardly is it realised by the younger generation that he was ever into politics. His foray into politics was unplanned but prepared him for his great tasks. Interestingly, it was his father who was chosen as candidate by his constituency for election into Lagos City Council, but was disqualified on technical ground. “Since the Area Council members had printed many posters in the name of J.O. Lawson, they decided that his lawyer son had better be presented as a candidate as they only needed to change my father’s initial ‘J’ to my own ‘A’ on the various posters.” Chief Lawson won the election on the platform of Awolowo’s Action Group and subsequent ones until he left politics in 1962 following the crisis in the party and the looming crisis in the Western Region as a whole. He was out of the country when the crisis began. All the parties saluted his sagacity and engrossing wisdom and believed that had his intervention come earlier the crisis would not have escalated beyond the point of reconciliation. Chief Lawson hardly spoke about his intervention. All he said in publications was in his own words: “The two principal actors in the crisis were Chief Awolowo and the Late Chief S.L. Akintola. Both of them had been good to me and in my own way, I had been a good and loyal friend to both of them. As it became impossible for the rift to be resolved, the party split into supporters of one, on the one hand, and the supporters of the other, on the other hand, I decided that since neither of them had wronged me, I would not remain with one in seeming opposition to the other. Therefore, I decided to quit politics and resigned from all political positions.” When the thoughts became crystallized within him and became a pressure, he parked his car by the roadside on the way to Ibadan and wrote his letter of resignation. He indeed heard a voice commanding him to “resign now.” He did not know where the voice came from.

He was in politics from 1950 till 1962. He was chairman of the Lagos City Council for six years, a position that would rank him as post-independence governor of Lagos State. He served on the floor of the Council after his party, the Action Group, was defeated by the NCNC in 1960. That was to the chagrin of a great many. To Chief Lawson, it was nothing. It was the standard in Westminster and with which he was familiar. Once a Prime Minister loses as head of his party he becomes an ordinary Member of Parliament. He was barely 30 years old and on looking back years later, he marveled at how his Administration could have achieved what it did. He noted it could not have been due to anything thing other than the unseen hands of Helpers from Above that guided their thoughts and hands. He had his pillar of support in Chief Deyemo (D.M.O)Akinbiyi as Town Clerk and T.M.Aluko, the City Engineer, the same very well-known novelist. Lawson’s Administration in collaboration with LEDB of which he was statutorily a member by virtue of his being chairman of Lagos City Council built New Lagos, turning the swamp of Surulere into a new and modern city. They changed the face of the Lagos transport system. When he was chairman, T.M. Aluko had pressed in a memo for urban renewal, to decongest Lagos Island. This was the catalyst for creating Surulere—lower and medium scale properties. The memo also triggered the thought in him for what later to manifest as Agbara Estate. This was coupled with the encouragement of the government to industrialists to begin to move  to the outskirts of Lagos.

As one controlling about a dozen leading companies, including oil prospecting and exploration in Gabon, and the establishment of Agbara Estate, the first of its kind as an industrial and residential city in West Africa, it could not have come as a surprise that his contemporaries in business and economy found him worthy to invest in him the leadership of their various associations. He was President of the Lagos Chambers of Commerce and Industry; President, Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA); President, Federation of West African Chambers of Commerce which through his initiative pressed for the establishment of ECOWAS. General Gowon embraced the initiative and got his brothers Heads of State in countries of West Africa to buy into it. Lawson was the only African on the 15-member Executive Board of the International Chamber of Commerce based in Paris.

Much as he appreciated the material endowments that he knew came from the Throne of Grace, what mattered more to Adeyemi Lawson was the Spread of The Grail Message. As Abd-ru-shin says in His Message from the Grail of the class of Adeyemi Lawson: “Through faithful guidance, they were equipped in the earthly sense with everything they needed for the fulfillment of their respective tasks.” Just as well, after he left politics, in his own words: “Since then other factors have come into my life to make it impossible for me to politick actively in Nigeria again. I have responsibilities for bringing the Grail Message to the knowledge of every citizen of this country and indeed beyond the boundaries of our country. With such a responsibility, my doors should be and remain readily open to every Nigerian from wherever walk of life or from whatever part of the country he may come from. And in the circumstances of politics in Nigeria, my spiritual responsibilities to all and sundry cannot be compatible with partisan politics. So I have to recognise a much higher duty by staying away from politics and be as far as humanly possible a brother and friend to every Nigerian.”

He worked tirelessly to make the existence of the Grail Message known not only in several parts of Nigeria through public lectures, newspapers and television. In the UK, his lecture was reported by West Africa Magazine. He was in the United States, he was in India; he was in Brazil. Many of his assistants are spread across villages and cities in Nigeria, East Africa and South Africa as well. What is in the Grail Message that he so unremittingly applied himself to making its existence known in so many places, near and far? Lawson answers in the following words: “The Grail Message does not seek to establish a new religion. It does not demand anything from anyone. It does not even oblige you or ask you to accept it. It is a source of knowledge that reveals to mankind all the Laws of Nature which uphold the Will of the Creator in His Creation. It enables man to recognise his own position as a creature in Creation and recognizing that position enables man to understand the consequences of everything he says and does in Creation. He is completely free to exercise his will and do what he pleases but would know what the consequences would be. More than that, he will understand in all clarity how this great Creation of the Almighty does work in perfection. When I came to the Grail Message, and examined it, I realised that this was a unique message on the face of the earth, that any man who does not become aware of its existence and grapple with it in his lifetime, may be considered as having gone through a completely wasted life on earth. So great was my gratitude for being able to come across it, that I know of no other thing I can do or give in return for that Grace than work with all my strength to help other human beings to know of it. This was the objective which enabled me or rather which made me start off on the establishment of the Grail Movement of Nigeria with a view to working together with people of like minds to make the existence of the Grail Message on earth become known to all my countrymen.”

Lawson was always in his elements whenever he had to speak on The Grail Message and he went on: “The Grail Message as a fountain of Truth itself is not easy for the average human spirit who has become spiritually indolent to grapple with, and the majority of human beings have become spiritually indolent on earth. The average man is no longer concerned with his origins in Creation or the purpose of life. He dreams and goes through a vivid experience in the dream. He wakes up and does not concern himself with what he had dreamt. Where was he when he was seeing and experiencing these things? What he experienced and on what plane did he experience them? Many questions he leaves unanswered. He has become comfortable with indolence and, therefore, the spiritually receptive part of his brain has become atrophied. He finds it consequently difficult to grapple with spiritual facts. One finds, therefore, that only the few who bestir themselves, the few who still have some spark of truth and light within them, make efforts to try to understand the Grail Message. The consequence of that is that only a few of the very many who hear of it get the benefit from it. But, however few they may be, even for the sake of one who will benefit from it, I will walk to the ends of this earth to be able to help him benefit from it. For there can be nothing too great for me to do in gratitude to the Almighty for the Grace which permitted me to come across it. It has given me a sense of direction in life, a sense of purpose, enabling me to appreciate the true meaning of life and thereby enhanced my ability to find contentment and fulfillment, to enjoy life to its fullest.”

The Message formed the basis for grappling with concepts and to reposition misplaced signposts wherever and in circles he may find himself. It provided the basis for his business and economic philosophy and choices. A strong advocate of free market economy, he recognised early that command economy which is sometimes associated with socialism and communism tends to rob man of his initiative. He considered it unhealthy as it is unnatural. He argued that business affords employment opportunities for many who will in turn maintain themselves and their families. All added together makes great contribution to the economy. His three breweries alone paid N36million yearly as excise duty only, apart from taxes in 1983. He said to Dapo Odebiyi in Business Enterprise, 1983, that there is no command economy that can be said is capable of bringing about an affluent country. Russia was a heavy debtor to the West and Tanzania was collapsing under Nyerere. “If for instance you have a million Nigerians making the endeavours similar to what one makes in industry and commerce, Nigeria will be greater economically. Have a nation of poor people, the nation is poor. Have a nation of people actively generating wealth, the nation will be affluent.”

I was privileged to sit at his feet year in year out to draw from his fountain of wisdom and rich experiences. He came through a family that provided him the necessary environment for his high tasks. His preparation to come across the Message began in 1961; he saw a copy for the first time at Foyles Bookshop in 1963. As chancellor of the Western Diocese of the Anglican Church he had led a delegation of the Anglican Diocese to Canada. On getting to London and preparing to set sail back to Nigeria, he found himself led to the bookshop where copies had only been deposited the previous day. This is why he would say no person led him to the Message but his helper! As everyone is the name he bears, it could not have been an accident and without purpose that he came a Lawson! He was married to Mrs. Ibidunni Olagbende, Lawson, nee Thompson, herself a Princess like his own mother!

So dear is he to our hearts for his love and exemplary exertions to make the gift that is The Grail Message known to all and sundry, that friends were in frenzy to remind us close to him last week that Adeyemi Lawson, indeed, passed this way, a foremost servant of Imanuel at his time in all of Africa except the Democratic Republic of Congo! He was in our midst, our leader and guide, a colossus in the real meaning of the word.

Thursday’s repeal of the Kano Emirates Council Law, which saw the sacking of the five emirs and the appointment of Muhammadu Sanusi II as the 16th Emir of Kano revealed how politics continued to determine the reign of traditional rulers in the foremost emirate.

Since the First Republic, emirs of the ancient city have had to contend with the whims of some political leaders holding forth in the territory.

The first to taste this bitter pill was the 11th Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi, who had a running battle with the northern regional government headed by Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Sardauna of Sokoto.

Relations between Sanusi and the Northern People’s Congress (NPC) government led by Ahmadu Bello was said to have turned sour when senior members of the party in Kaduna became disenchanted with the emir’s towering personality, and rising influence.

A probe panel set up by the northern regional government headed by D.J.M Muffet, the sole commissioner recommended the forced resignation of the 11th Fulani Emir of Kano.

On March 28, 1963, the then Regional Governor, Sir Kashim Ibrahim received the letter of resignation tendered by the embattled emir, which the government accepted.

Sanusi, was subsequently deposed and banished to Azare in Bauchi State, where he maintained a low profile.

He was succeeded by his uncle, Muhammadu Inuwa, son of Emir Abbas and younger brother to the late Emir Abdullahi Bayero, whom Sanusi succeeded.

His ouster created political tension in Kano leading to the formation of Kano People’s Party (KPP), which clamoured for the creation of Kano region, independent of the Northern Region.

KPP members were largely sympathetic to the deposed emir.

The Action Group, led by Chief Obafemi Awolowo, tried to make political capital out of the seemingly declining political fortune of the NPC in Kano ahead of the 1964 general election.

Emir Inuwa’s reign was short, as he died on the throne six months later. Inuwa, however, managed internal rebellion from older children of the deposed emir.  

Ado Sanusi, who held the traditional title of Daniya, was promoted to Galadima by Emir Inuwa, a position he rejected and instead tendered his resignation. This action angered the emir who decreed a dismissal instead.

Ado Bayero, a younger brother to Sanusi, was appointed Emir of Kano by the northern regional government on October 22, 1963, to succeed Muhammadu Inuwa.

He was the longest reigning emir in the history of Kano emirate after the Sokoto jihad, but he also had collision with politicians in the course of his reign.

After the military coup of January 15, 1966, the enormous powers of the native authority, which was under the emir, was reduced and this was compounded by the local government reform of the 1970s, depriving the emir of full control over local government councils.

After the 1979 elections, the People’s Redemption Party (PRP) government led by Abubakar Rimi, had a bitter relationship with the then Emir Ado Bayero. The PRP was an offspring of the Northern Elements Progressive Union (NEPU), whose agenda was for the emancipation of the poor from oppression, over taxation and the overbearing influence of the emirate.

Governor Rimi’s query issued to the emir led to riots in Kano in July, 1981. To further reduce the powers of the emir, Rimi created new emirates of Gaya, Rano, Dutse and Auyo, giving them first class statuses as emir Ado Bayero.  

The emirs of Kazaure, Gumel and Hadejia, now in Jigawa State, were also upgraded to first class status.

In 1982, Governor Rimi relocated the deposed Emir Sanusi from Azare in Bauchi State to Wudil, near Kano, raising suspicion that he wanted to reappoint him.

However, respite came the way of Emir Bayero following the 1983 election, which saw the defeat of Rimi by PRP’s Aliyu Sabo Bakinzuwo.

The first action of Governor Bakinzuwo was to remove all the emirs appointed by Rimi and demoted them to their previous positions.

Ado Bayero will go on to survive many military administrations, including the Abacha regime that allegedly planned to balkanize Kano State, allegedly in pursuance of the self-succession bid of the military ruler.

Oral accounts had it that when Bayero got wind of the plot, he reportedly called the Commander-in-Chief to personally say ‘thank you’. Perhaps, many in Kano believed, that killed the plot.

Ado Bayero was the lone emir in the state after the creation of Jigawa, which saw the movement of Kazaure emirate to the new state. 

His long reign came to an end on June 6, 2014, following his death after 50 years on the throne.

Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, who had been removed as CBN governor by ex- President Goodluck Jonathan, succeeded him on June 8.

Late Ado Bayero’s eldest son, Lamido Sanusi Ado Bayero, left Kano in protest of the appointment.

And in 2015, the new emir, who changed his official name to Muhammad Sanusi II, stripped Lamido Ado Bayero of his title of Chiroman Kano, and in his stead elevated his younger brother, Nasiru Ado Bayero, to the position and made him the district head of Nasarawa.

Sanusi also elevated Aminu Ado Bayero to Wambai from Sarkin Dawakin Tsakar Gida.

After the 2019 election, which was won by Ganduje, five new emirates were created on May 8.

This action was believed by many to be targeted at the then 14th Emir, Sanusi, whom the governor believed opposed his re-election and was critical of his policies.

The creation of the new emirates was challenged in court by two members of the State House of Assembly, who contended that due process was not followed  and Justice Usman Na’Abba voided the law establishing the emirates.

But it was a temporary respite as Governor Ganduje assented to a new law establishing the emirates on December 5, the same year.

One of the beneficiaries of the new law was Aminu Ado Bayero, who was made emir of the newly created Bichi emirate.

Legal fireworks ensued thereafter over the new emirates culminating in the deposition of Emir Sanusi and his banishment to Awe in Nasarawa State on March 9, 2020.

Aminu Ado was subsequently appointed Emir of Kano. 

The 2023 election in the state changed the dynamics around the new emirates as the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) led government made its intention known that the emirates created by the previous administration would go.

[DailyTrust]

A Federal High Court sitting in Kano has granted an ex-parte order stopping Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of Kano from reinstating Emir Muhammadu Sanusi II pending the determination of a substantive suit filed against the reinstatement.

The order also kicked against the abolishment of four emirates: Bichi, Gaya, Karaye, and Rano.

DAILY POST earlier reported that the reinstatement was consequent upon a bill earlier passed by the State House of Assembly on Thursday.

The court, however, directed all parties involved to maintain status quo ante pending the determination of the suit filed by Sarkin Dawaki Babba and Aminu Babba-Dan’Agundi on Thursday.

Justice A.M. Liman of the Federal High Court granted leave to the Plaintiff/Applicant to issue and serve their concurrent originating motion, as well as all other court processes on the 6th Defendant (IGP) in FCT Abuja and outside the jurisdiction of the Honourable Court.

The defendants in the suit include the Kano State Government, the Kano State House of Assembly, the Speaker of the State Assembly, the Kano State Commissioner of Police, the Inspector General of Police, the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, and the Department of State Services.

Justice Liman ordered that “in view of the Constitutional and Jurisdictional Issues apparent on the face of the application, parties shall address the Court on same at the hearing of the Fundamental Rights application which is fixed for the 3rd of June, 2024.

“That in order to maintain the peace and security of the state, an Interim Injunction of this Honourable Court is granted restraining the Respondents from enforcing, executing, implementing and operationalizing the Kano State Emirate Law Council (Repeal) Law.

“That parties are hereby ordered to maintain status quo ante the passage and assent of the bill pending the hearing of the Fundamental Rights application.”

The Judge adjourned the case to June 3, 2024, for hearing.

Governor Abba Yusuf had on Thursday officially announced the re-appointment of Emir Sanusi.

[DailyPost]

The Kogi Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Abuja has scheduled judgment for Monday in the petition by Social Democratic Party (SDP) and its candidate in the last governorship election in Kogi, Murtala Ajaka.

Ajaka and his party are challenging the declaration of Usman Ododo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the election held on November 11, 2023.

The three-member tribunal, headed by Justice Ado Birnin-Kudu, announced the date yesterday in a message communicated to counsel to the parties through its Secretary, David Mike.

Hearing in the case, which commenced in December last year, ended on May 13 when the SDP, Ajaka, the APC, Ododo and Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) adopted their final written addresses, after which the tribunal reserved judgment.

INEC, the APC and Ododo urged the tribunal to dismiss the petition for being unmeritorious.

INEC’s lawyer, Kanu Agabi (SAN) argued that the petition lacked merit and was incompetent.

He urged the tribunal to either strike it out or dismiss it.

Agabi said: “It is our humble submission that your work in the determination of this petition is simplified in recent judgments by the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court.”

He noted that the Court of Appeal has decided that if the grounds of a petition are inconsistent with one another, and are not consistent with the reliefs, it should be struck out.

Agabi added that the evidence led by the petitioners were grossly insufficient, citing a Supreme Court decision in a case of Tonye Cole against INEC.

He said the Supreme Court’s decision in that case “is to the effect that once the evidence called is grossly insufficient, there is no evidence.

“In that case, the petitioner filed 305 witness depositions, but only adopted 40 of them. The petitioner only adopted about 13.1 per cent of the witness depositions.

“In this case, (the petition by the SDP and Ajaka) the depositions adopted represent just about 3.6 per cent of their witness depositions,” Agabi said.

He noted that the petitioners only called 25 witnesses, adding that in mathematical calculation of evidence, 3.6 per cent of Ajaka’s witness deposition adopted in the petition amounted to a failure and therefore, ought to be dismissed.

[TheNation]

Laolu Afolabi writes on the dethronement of five Emirs in the Kano Emirate and the reinstatement of Emir Muhammadu Sanusi, who was deposed four years ago

On Thursday, May 23, 2024, the Kano State House of Assembly heard the motion on the Kano State Emirate Council Amendment Bill and eventually repealed the 2019 Law that allowed for the creation of the five separate emirates from the old Kano Emirates.

The development paved the way for the historic return of Emir Lamido Sanusi, who was dethroned on March 9, 2020.

The proposed amendment to the bill was brought to the floor of the House of Assembly on Monday, May 20, 2024, and the bill was considered and passed on Thursday, after successfully scaling its second and third readings.

The Deputy Speaker, Alhaji Muhammad Bello Butu, speaking on the amendment, said, “Repealing the law that divided the Kano Emirate into five separate entities would help revive the lost glory of Kano.’’

He further stated that “The division of the Kano Emirate into five reduced the capacity and dignity of the state at the national level.”

Immediately after he signed the act of the parliament at exactly 5.10 pm, Governor Kabir Yusuf of Kano State announced the reappointment of Sanusi as the new Emir of Kano, four years after he was deposed.

The emirs of the five defunct emirates who were affected by the new law and finally deposed were Alhaji (Dr) Aminu Ado Bayero, Emir of Kano; Alhaji Nasiru Ado Bayero, Emir of Bichi; Alhaji Ibrahim Abubakar II, Emir of Karaye; Alhaji Ibrahim Ibrahim, Emir of Gaya and Alhaji Kabiru Muhammad Inuwa, the Emir of Rano.

The governor, after signing the bill, asked the deposed traditional rulers to vacate palaces immediately.

Beyond the repeal of the law, “reviving the lost glory of Kano,” and “the division reducing the capacity and dignity of the state at the national level,” there had been intrigues and political dimensions to the Kano Emirate and whoever occupies the position of the Emir of Kano.

The Kano Emirate Council is important to the North and, since it was formed in 1903, after the British pacification of the Sokoto Caliphate, it has continued to maintain its relevance in the political and religious affairs of the country. The Emir of Kano is a first-class monarch and one of the great Islamic rulers in Nigeria. The leader of the emirate is among the four leading Islamic authorities, to wit, the Sultan of Sokoto, the Shehu of Borno, the Emir of Kano and the Emir of Gwandu.

To the Kano people, the attempt by the former governor of the state and now National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, to create five emirates out of the old Kano Emirate had reduced the political and religious power of the emirate in national affairs.

Kano holds the ace in determining the emergence of most leaders in the political history of the country. From the days of the First Republic till the last general election conducted in 2023, the votes from Kano had always influenced whoever wins the presidency,

In the build-up to the 2015 political season, the former president, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, ran into troubled water after he axed the then-governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Lamido Sanusi. The reforms carried out by Sanusi in the CBN had received both criticism and appraisal from the industry. The Banker magazine recognised him as the 2010 Central Bank Governor of the Year, for his reforms and leading a radical anti-corruption campaign in the sector – the first of its kind during the financial crisis.

By December 2013, Sanusi, in a leaked letter to then-President Jonathan revealed that the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation failed to remit $48.9bn of government oil revenue to the CBN. The disclosure led to a series of public investigations and raised the alarm on the $20bn NNPC scandal. Sanusi was suspended as CBN governor and in April 2014, he won a court case against the Federal Government, after he was detained and his international passport confiscated by the Department of State Service.

The suspension of Sanusi by the former president opened doors for a campaign against his return in the 2015 election. Latching on to the political advantage, having defected from the Peoples Democratic Party at the time to the newly-formed All Progressives Congress, the then governor of the state, Dr Rabiu Kwankwaso, moved to install Sanusi as the Emir of Kano, following the death, on June 6, 2014, of the Emir of Kano, Alhaji (Dr) Ado Bayero, who reigned for over five decades.

By June 8, 2014, Sanusi, a grandson of former Emir Muhammadu Sanusi I, and holder of the traditional title of Dan Majen Kano (son of Emir-Maje), had emerged the new Emir of Kano and he was crowned on June 9, 2014. His ascension then led to widespread protests from supporters of Sanusi Ado Bayero, the Chiroman Kano (Crown Prince), the son of the late Emir Ado Bayero.

By the time the electioneering of 2015 took full shape, Sanusi had been firmly established as the Emir of Kano and his opposition to the government of Jonathan at the time gave the candidacy of former President Muhammadu Buhari an edge, not only in Kano State, but its spiral effects were felt in the North. In the result, the APC candidate polled 1,903,999 votes to defeat Jonathan, who managed to amass 215,779 votes in Kano State. A view of the 2011 election results showed that Jonathan had 440,665 votes, while Buhari, then of the Congress for Progressive Change, had 1,624,543 votes.

After the 2015 election, Sanusi became too powerful for the state. In his six-year reign before he was sacked as emir, Sanusi reinvented himself as a charismatic figure at the crossroads of tradition and modernity. There were many developments in the ancient town during the period, such as the drafting of a new Muslim family law and the construction of a 40,000 books library, among others. He promoted the Durbar festival internationally and was at the centre of Kano modernity, including kicking against early marriage for the girl-child.

He also angered some sections of the town when his daughter represented him at a royal event. Shahida, Sanusi’s daughter, represented him at the inaugural Chibok Girls’ lecture held by the Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) group. Shahida, who delivered Sanusi’s speech at the event held in Abuja, said representing the emir would be the first time a non-title holder or woman would do so in the North. In a video message to the group, Sanusi also defended his action and said he chose his daughter to represent him at the event because of her passion for gender issues.

Sanusi also spoke out against government policies, breaking with royal tradition. He criticised the government for misplaced priorities and, by 2017, the Emirate Council was under investigation for financial irregularities. Many believed that the probe was because of his stand against the policies and administration of then-Governor Ganduje. The investigation was later called off by the state legislature, following intervention by the ruling class.

The rift with Sanusi made the governor lose his popularity among the elite in the state. In the build-up to the 2019 election, Ganduje was in the heat, as the political situation was not favourable to him. He believed Sanusi’s opposition was shoring up the base of his opponent. The presidential election saw President Muhammadu Buhari coasting home to a comfortable victory over Abubakar Atiku of the Peoples Democratic Party, despite the influence of Kwankwaso in the state. But two weeks later, Ganduje won his return election by sheer luck. The election was termed inconclusive and a rerun was ordered in some local governments. It was not smooth sailing to win the second term. At the end of the day, Ganduje polled 1, 033,695, while his rival, Kabir Yusuf of the then PDP, polled 1,024,713 in a keenly contested election. Ganduje won the election with less than 10,000 votes.

On May 8, 2019, the then Governor Abdullahi Ganduje, having defeated his opponent and a few weeks before his inauguration for a second term, signed the law which allowed the creation of four new emirates; Bichi, Rano, Gaya and Karaye out of the old Kano Emirate. The move saw the partitioning of Sanusi’s traditional domain as Emir.

According to the law, out of the 44 local government areas in the state, Sanusi as Emir of Kano will preside over 10 local government areas; with the four new emirates dividing the remaining 34 local government areas. In March 2020, the state legislature launched a new investigation against Sanusi for what it termed a violation of “traditional practices,” after a high court ruling had restrained the corruption investigation against him.

On March 9, 2020, Sanusi was dethroned by then-Governor Ganduje. The governor also announced in his place the appointment of Dr Ado Bayero, the son of the late emir, as the new Emir of Kano. The Kano State government gave the reasons for the dethronement of Sanusi. Among the reasons, The PUNCH learnt, were alleged insubordination, refusal to attend official meetings and breach of Kano Emirate Law.

Before the announcement, members of the Kano House of Assembly had engaged in a free-for-all over an attempt to remove the Emir, though the government’s statement announcing the dethronement said it was a unanimous decision of members of the State Executive Council.

“This removal is made after due consultation with the relevant stakeholders and in compliance with Part 3 Section 13 of the Kano State Emirate Law 2019 and other reasons stated above. The Emir of Kano is in total disrespect to lawful instructions from the office of the state governor and other lawful authorities, including his persistent refusal to attend official meetings and programmes organised by the government without any lawful justification which amounts to total insubordination. The removal was reached to safeguard the sanctity, culture, tradition, religion, and prestige of the Kano Emirate built over a thousand years,” the statement was quoted.

Sanusi was reportedly in his private residence in Gidan Rumfa when he learnt of his removal, and while waiting for state officials to formally serve him the deposition letter, a contingent of police, military, and security operatives had stormed the palace. His grandfather, Muhammadu Sanusi I, suffered the same fate as he was deposed and exiled in 1963. Sanusi was moved to exile in Awe in Loko, Nasarawa State, against his choice of Lagos. He was escorted out of the palace under heavy guard to a military air base and flown to Abuja, en route to Loko in Nasarawa State, He was relocated to Awe, a remote local government area in Nasarawa State, on March 10, via police helicopter. In March, a Federal High Court in Abuja ordered the release of Sanusi and he subsequently left Awe together with the then-governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai. He had been a private citizen since.

The 2023 election saw the return of political control of Kano State to Kwankwaso, as his party, the New Nigeria People’s Party, won the governorship election. Governor Kabir Yusuf did not hide his plan to revisit the Kano law and return Sanusi as emir. Watchers of the event in the state knew it wouldn’t be long before the emirate law amendment conducted by the Ganduje administration would be repealed. Some believed the plan was shelved in anticipation of the judgment of the Supreme Court.

In a live interview on a Hausa programme aired on local radio in Kano State after the Supreme Court victory for Governor Yusuf, Kwankwaso expressly stated that the issue of the creation of new emirates in Kano State by former Governor Ganduje must be revisited by Governor Abba Yusuf. He said the government of Yusuf would definitely review the “dethronement and balkanisation of the Kano Emirate.”

He said, “Honestly, it is one of the things that nobody has sat with me to discuss so far, but I am sure we are going to sit and see how to go about it. Whether it’s going to be allowed, restructured or whatever, it will definitely be revisited. Whatever is supposed to be done will be done. There are a lot of things involved and this might even be a trap, who knows? But the truth is that all these things were not done in good faith, or with good intention. They were done with some bad intentions which every one of you here and our listeners are aware of.

“Sometimes you come with things that are good and they turn out to be bad, while sometimes you bring things that are bad and they turn out to be good. But all I know is that I was not consulted as of now, but we will come to discuss and see what would be done,” he said.

Also, while delivering his appreciation speech on his victory during a rally at Fili Mahaha on his return to Kano after the Supreme Court verdict, Governor Yusuf was obstructed severally by supporters, chanting, “Sabon Gwamna! Sabon Sarki!” meaning New Governor! New Emir! They also sang songs and chants calling for the reinstatement of Sanusi as the Emir of Kano.

On Thursday, May 23, the Kano State House of Assembly officially passed a bill dissolving all the five emirate councils in the state and returning to the old order pre-Ganduje era. The repeal of the 2019 law by the Kano State House of Assembly marks a significant turning point in the state’s political and cultural landscape. By reversing the division of the Kano Emirate into five separate entities, the Assembly signalled a return to traditional structures in a bid to reaffirm Kano’s historical prestige.

As the state transitions back to the old emirate structure and Emir Sanusi returns in the saddle, the implications for Kano’s political, cultural, and religious spheres will be closely watched, and the game for the 2027 election is now unfolding.

[Punch]

OUR Father, we your children in Africa come to you this day, the eve of the May 25, Africa Liberation Day.

We have been enslaved and colonised. We have survived the genocide of our traducers who in Congo alone massacred 16 million of us and wiped out two thirds of our population in Namibia.

We also survived Apartheid and the pestilence of coups and criminal leadership. Thank you for giving us the ability to survive all these, including the continued exploitation and destabilisation of our continent. At this point, we drag before you the institutions of exploitation and dehumanisation in the continent; the International Monetary Fund, IMF, and the World Bank and, their handmaid, the World Trade Organisation, WTO. Like doctors prescribing the same drugs for all ailments, all they have done for over four decades is force on the continent, subsidy removal, currency flotation, exploitative market forces, higher fuel prices, jobless growth, reduction in education funding and hyper-inflation.

Father, it is not for nothing you made us the source of humanity, the centre of the universe and the depository of natural resources. We do not take for granted the fact that over 4,000 years ago, we had the knowledge and ability to build pyramids with arithmetical accuracy and precision which still baffles the rest of humanity. We know that the founders of Western philosophy and builders of their civilization, including Plato and Herodotus, were pupils of Africa education having graduated from our universities in Ancient Egypt.

We know that the rise of Africans as one of the most educated groups in the United States is not by accident. May we develop the consciousness and ability to utilise such huge assets, to develop our continent.

The God of Nkrumah, Harriet Tubman, Winnie Mandela, Felix Moumie, Dedan Kimathi, Fanon and Malcolm X, lead us to victory over all persons, groups and nations perpetuating iniquities against the African people.

Give us victory over them as Toussaint Louverture and other liberation fighters militarily defeated France, the super power which strived to continue the enslavement of Haitians. Even now, the gangsters, forces of darkness and their minders continue to torment Haiti. May they fail. May African leaders and progressive forces across the universe, have the presence of mind and consciousness to intervene positively in Haiti and the rest of our continent.

Father, when Africans had few people to fight for them during slavery in the United States, you raised John Brown and his sons. When the forces of Apartheid were trying to overrun African countries just as Israel is striving to obliterate the Palestinians, you raised Fidel Castro and the Cubans. May Africa never be short of true allies.

Father, as we mark the 2024 Africa Day, the continent is engulfed in series of armed conflicts. Some, like that in Sudan, are due to prodigal children fed steroids by foreign powers. Some fires as those in Somalia and half a dozen countries in West Africa are set by religious elements dancing on the verge of lunacy. There are also the deliberate wars like that in Libya, engineered and stoked by the West which destroyed the African promise called Libya.

There are over 100 million illegal small arms and light weapons circulating in the continent, almost all manufactured outside Africa. Assist us to silence the guns. Let those who live by the gun, die by the gun. Let those who profiteer from war, know no peace; let them choke on the vomit of their profits. Generally, aid us to overcome the various conflicts and, set Africa firmly on the path of development.

Let there be peace in Africa as it is in Washington, London and Beijing. You said, blessed are the peace makers for they shall be called your children. We pray for all peace makers whether in Tel Aviv or Gaza.

We have not stolen other peoples’ lands, coveted their property or seized their children. We have not sought to own the sun or the moon. All we have tried to do in Africa, is to live on the beautiful land it has pleased you to give us. Our desires are to share salt and pepper amongst ourselves, have schools for our children, roof over our heads, clothes on our backs and medication to take of ourselves when we fall sick.

Father, you are the God that answereth by fire. You said it shall be the fire next time. Consume all those misruling Africa and their principals in the metropolis. Let all powers and principalities that plan to recolonise your beautiful continent be destroyed like the Biblical Sodom and Gomorrah. Those who trouble Africa, trouble them. Those who cause us pains, cause them pains.

Father, a major challenge Africa has today are the attempts to expand military bases in Africa where foreign powers will expand their spheres of influence at our cost. We do not want our continent to be turned into theatres of international wars or test sites for new weapons. We recall the case of Cuba whose 116-square metre Guantanamo Base, the United States leased in 1903 for $2,000. Despite repeated demands in the last six decades, the tenant has refused to leave. While we pray in solidarity with Cuba to regain its territory, we pray that African countries will not fall victims of possessive spirits that roam the universe.

Finally father, we pray that the dreams of our ancestors as retold by Nkrumah on May 24, 1963 that our continent must unite, should come to pass. His words that day, continue to echo across our hills and valleys, especially when he said: “Unite we must. Without necessarily sacrificing our sovereignties, big or small, we can, here and now, forge a political union based on Defence, Foreign Affairs and Diplomacy, and a common Citizenship, an African currency, an African Monetary Zone and an African Central Bank. We must unite in order to achieve the full liberation of our continent. We need a common Defence system with an African High Command to ensure the stability and security of Africa. We have been charged with this sacred task by our own people, and we cannot betray their trust by failing them.” We pray Africans give heed to his words and take ‘Positive Action’ to bring them to fruition.

We pray that you bless Africa and all her well-wishers as we mark Africa Liberation Day, 2024. Ameen.

President, Dangote Industries Limited (DIL), Aliko Dangote, has called for increased investments in the African continent to foster its rapid growth and development.

Speaking at the gathering of private sector leaders in Africa, the Africa CEO Forum in Kigali, Rwanda, last week, Dangote emphasized that recent trends underscore Africa’s pivotal role as the future epicenter of global progress. 

In a statement, Dangote cautioned against the continent’s overreliance on raw material exports, advocating instead, for strategic investments that will propel indigenous industries.

He urged African nations to resist the urge to export raw materials but to nurture domestic manufacturing capabilities so as to reduce dependency on imported consumer goods.

Dangote said, “Looking ahead, Africa holds the key to its greatness. I’m not merely investing money but dedicating my entire being to this cause. In Africa, possibilities are boundless. It is like a scratch card; you won’t know what is inside unless you scratch it. For some of us, despite the boom of the capital market in the US, we didn’t really participate, rather we invested in Africa.”

[Punch]

Maimunatu Ibrahima has been sworn in as the first female speaker of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) parliament.

Ibrahima, who hails from Togo, was sworn in on Thursday at the second extraordinary session of the parliament in Kano.

She was nominated for the post by members of the parliament from Togo and was elected unopposed.

The ECOWAS parliament operates a rotational system for the speakership using an alphabetical order of countries.

Barau Jubrin, Nigeria’s deputy senate president, previously held the role before Ibrahima’s succession.

Jubrin was initially elected as the first deputy speaker at the inauguration of the sixth legislature of the ECOWAS parliament last month but had to act as speaker to avoid creating a vacuum of leadership after Togo’s absence at the session.

The French-speaking West African country was yet to conduct elections at the time to enable the nation to send its representatives to parliament.

The position was held last by Sierra Leone.

In her acceptance speech, Ibrahima thanked parliamentarians for electing her and assured that she would bring her wealth of experience to bear on the sub-regional parliament.

She also thanked the presidents of Togo, Nigeria, and the authorities of the heads of state for supporting the parliament.

“My priority is to work harmoniously with my colleagues to advance the integration of the West African sub-region,” she said.

Ibrahima previously served as the third deputy speaker in the fifth legislature of the ECOWAS parliament and has been a member since 2021.

[TheCable]