The restoration of Gaya, Rano and Karaye emirates in Kano State was not meant to despise Kano Emirate or any personality as perceived by some narrow-minded elements in the society.
Mr Haruna Isa-Dederi, a member-elect representing Karaye/Rano Federal Constituency and member, Committee for the restoration of the three Emirates, stated this at a news conference in Kano on Monday.
“We should like to make it unequivocally clear that the restoration of these emirates has been the aspiration of the vast majority of people of the affected areas.
“The agitation for the restoration of Gaya, Rano and Karaye emirates was originally started by a committee of concerned indigenes of these emirates about 10 years ago.
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“For logistic and operational reasons, the efforts by that committee slowed down. For about two years now, in its revival effort, this committee under the patriotic and able leadership of Alhaji Jazuli Muhammad Gaya, reignited the agitations.
“The upgrade and creation is not something new. The promotion of village Heads to District Heads or District Heads to Emirs has been a continuous affair right from the Fulani Jihad to the present day,” he explained.
The lawmaker said the restoration of our hitherto existing emirates as well as the upgrading of Districts to Emirates should not be viewed with negative political connotations.
He said that rather than giving it negative connotations, it should be seen as a deliberate and conscious government’s effort to restore and preserve traditional political autonomy to its historic place.
“On account of a credible historical source, Gaya even preceded Kano itself. For it was blacksmiths from Gaya who first settled around the famous Dutsen Dala in search of ironstone, giving rise to some clustered ancient settlements of sedentary communities, which later became Kano,” he said.
He commended Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje for creating the emirates and called on the people of the areas to support the government. (NAN)