Ilorin is
Ilorin is my Maternal Roots – Emir Aminu Bayero of
Kano
Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq on Friday said the
traditional institutions are vital to the growth and peaceful
coexistence of the society as they play key roles in the stability
of the polity.
AbdulRazaq spoke in Ilorin, the state capital, when the Emir of
Kano Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero paid him a courtesy visit.
“As a government we have huge respect for traditional
institution. And as far as I am concerned, despite the three tiers
of government, I believe traditional institution is the fourth tier
of government. That is possibly why the military made the funding
of the institution to come directly from local government,”
AbdulRazaq said.
“The reason I consider traditional institution as the fourth
tier is because therein, there is the presence of the judiciary
which resolves issues within the community. You have
administration, you have security (system). Everything is
encapsulated in that institution. You solved problems within our
society. Even in the constitution of community policing, the
federal government is believing on the traditional institution to
build community policing system.”
The Governor also lauded the relationship between Kano and
Ilorin emirates, and for the strengthening of the ties between both
states especially in the area of economy such as agriculture and
commerce.
“There is long history between Ilorin and Kano and Kwara and
Kano States. The history traverses from tradition to commerce. That
history is what we want to transform by your visit. I truly
appreciate the visit of the Governor of Kano Alhaji Abdullahi
Ganduje who came to pay us a condolence visit after the loss of my
father. He truly appreciated the history. We wish to establish some
collaborations in the areas of business, education, administration
and agriculture between Kano and Kwara States. We have discussed
issues of agriculture, especially fertiliser and irrigation. We can
learn from Kano. Since the time of Audu Bako, Kano State has led in
irrigation and a lot of work has been done in that regard. We are
learning from that experience and we are improving on what we are
doing in Kwara State.
“This visit is also about culture. The cultures of Ilorin
emirate and that of Kano are so interwoven. You can go back to the
history of our emirate and Kano emirate through to Sheikh Uthman
Dan Fodio. All these are available for those who want to learn
about it. This visit will further strengthen our bond. His Royal
Highness. We really appreciate Your Royal Highness for visiting us
in Kwara.”
Ado Bayero, whose mother hailed from Ilorin, said he had come to
the ancient town to receive blessings from his maternal roots.
He also commiserated with the Governor over the loss of his
father AGF AbdulRazaq SAN, praying Allah to repose the soul of the
sage.
His words: “The purpose of my visit is to be back home, where I
belong. To me, Kano and Ilorin are the same thing. Here is my home
– maternal side – and I am happy to always be here. This is not my
first time of coming, it is not the second and, in fact, I cannot
even count the number of times I have come here. But this is unique
because this is the first time I am coming to Ilorin after
ascending the throne of my ancestors. I thank God for that.
“So, I come to have the blessings of my maternal side and
leaders who I believe contributed a lot to the development of life
up till this stage. Whether you are from Kwara, from Kano or
anywhere, the most important thing is to send the message that we
are one and the same. That is how God wanted it to be. If God wants
us all to be from one place or culture, he can make that but he
didn’t do that. There must be a purpose for that. So, we have to
accept that, live by that and help those that need help among
us.”
The courtesy visit was attended by Senator Ibrahim Oloriegbe
(Kwara Central); Senator Umar Sadiq (Kwara North; Speaker of the
Kwara State House of Assembly Rt Honourable Yakubu Danladi Salihu;
Secretary to the Government of Kwara State Prof Mamman Saba Jubril;
Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs Aliyu
Mohammed Saifudeen; Special Adviser to the Governor on Special
Duties Yinka Aluko; and Kwara APC Chairman Bashir Bolarinwa.
The Kano monarch was accompanied on the courtesy visit by crème
de la crème of the Kano Emirate Council and top lieutenants of the
Emir of Ilorin such as Balogun Gambari Alhaji Aliyu Adebayo and Dan
Masanin Ilorin Engineer Suleiman Yahya Alapansapa, among other
dignitaries.
Rafiu Ajakaye
Chief Press Secretary to the Governor
August 28th 2020