Battle to save Kano historic walls

At the moment, about 75 percent of the walls which were built by the traditional institution of ancient Kano to secure it is said to be gone. The city walls played two key roles in ancient Kano; they secured the city which was famous for trans-Saharan trade in West Africa from invaders; and assisted in […]

At the moment, about 75 percent of the walls which were built by the traditional institution of ancient Kano to secure it is said to be gone. The city walls played two key roles in ancient Kano; they secured the city which was famous for trans-Saharan trade in West Africa from invaders; and assisted in controlling movement of people into and out of the city.
Records have it that at that time only persons who scaled through the screening of local guards were allowed into the city through the doors that dotted the city walls. The doors were manned by ‘Sarkin Kofa’ who took orders from the emir of Kano, the head of the traditional institution of the area.
According to records, the foundation for the Kano city walls, a 14km radius earth structure , was laid by Sarki Gijimasu from 1095 – 1134 and was completed in the middle of 14th century during the reign of Zamnagawa. In the 16th century, the walls were further extended to their present position. The gates which served as entry are said to be as old as the walls.
In recognition of the role the heritage played in that era, efforts were made by the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM) a few years ago to get it enlisted into the world heritage list of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). However the dream was not realised due to the level of depletion of the monument.
To save the city walls from further collapse, however, stakeholders in the state comprising traditional rulers, state government, nongovernmental organisations and top echelon of the NCMM led by its Director General, Malam Yusuf Abdallah Usman converged on the Mambayya House, Kano recently.
At the meeting which also had security personnel in attendance a new course for the protection of the walls was designed and agreed upon.
Presenting a power point imagery of the state of the city walls, the curator of Gidan Makama Museum in Kano, Malam Aliyu Abdul said a recent survey conducted showed that 75 percent of the entire city walls are gone as a result of encroachment. The level of depletion shocked all those present.
“Over 75 percent of the city walls are gone and the remaining 25 are being threatened. We have to device means to save it. We don’t have any specific portion of the walls that can actually reflect or depict the original structure of the ancient Kano city walls but the outlines of walls are there. You can go across the entire landscape and identify it except that they are in ruins,” he said.
 “Illegal allocation of plots on the city walls at various locations by different government agencies, turning the walls to refuse dumpsite and excavation of the sand of the walls are threatening the remaining parts of the city walls,” the curator noted, buttressing his points with Power Point presentation to the stakeholders at the meeting.
After his presentation, the stakeholders  spoke on the present threat the city walls faced. Leading the talk was an historian from the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, Dr. Sule Bello, who said the city walls were in good shape until about two decades ago.
Dr. Sule who is the chairman of the committee on the walls, said in 1903 British army could not enter ancient Kano even with the numerous sophisticated weapons they had because of the walls that surrounded the city.
 “Some years back the city walls were neat and in good shape but now they have been abandoned and turned it to toilet, refuse dump and any dirt you can think about, you will find it around the city walls,” adding that, “if you don’t know yourself; you don’t know where you are coming from and you don’t know where you are going to; believe me you will always be misbehaving. The problem we find ourselves in now including the security challenges is as result of this.
“The development of these walls is the development of Kano State. Our crusade is to stop further destruction of the walls. Anybody that is caught tampering with it should be reported to appropriate quarters. The authorities of Dala, Gwale and Municipal local government areas need to show more concern on this because the walls pass through their domains. As big as Kano is, you would not find anywhere to build house except on the city walls. It is unfortunate because there is nothing that is historic in Kano State like the city walls,” he said.
The Wakilin Arewa, Sayadi Mohammed Yola, said the coming of democratic government caused the deterioration.
“When the politicians came on board, they pushed those in charge of the city walls aside. If somebody is arrested for tampering with the walls nothing will be done to him. If anybody is arrested encroaching into it, whether he is a politician or not, the person should be made to face full wrath of the law. If disciplinary measure is not taken against people vandalising it, the walls will be taken over by house developers,” he warned.
A representative of the Kano State Ministry of Land and Physical Planning, Mukhtar Inuwa Nawali, advocated for the revocation of all land allocations on the city walls site. His statement stirred up a debate at the meeting as participants’ murmured in solidarity with him.
He said, “Kano State House of Assembly should enact a law apportioning stiffer punishment for anybody found vandalising or encroaching into the city walls. If that person is a traditional ruler, he should be dethroned and if he is a civil servant or elective public officer that person should be sacked. And if the person is a common man, he should be sentenced to 10 years imprisonment,”
In his remarks, the Director Monuments, Heritage and Sites of NCMM, Mr. Adedayo Oluremi stressed the need for attitudinal change by all towards the city walls. “We need to solve this problem together. It requires funds, attitudinal change and commitment from all. We couldn’t get it enlisted on World Heritage site because of the depletion. We have told the world that we have this heritage that can fit into the world heritage site but unfortunately the encroachment denied us this,” he said.
The Director General of NCMM, Malam Yusuf Abdallah Usman in an interview at the venue of the meeting said there is no going back on the battle to save the city walls from further collapse.
“What we were lacking before is the support of the state government but now with the commitment shown by Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso we will succeed. The Kofar Naisa, one of the gates of the city walls that was destroyed by a construction company has been rebuilt by the state government. What we need now is the support and cooperation of the people of the state,” he said.