For Ado Bayero, my immortal emir

It was indeed the unheard-of and unimaginable announcement made by Walin Kano, Mahe Bashir Wali, over the radio on the fateful and unforgettable Friday morning of 6th June, 2014 – exactly two years ago today – that cleared the fog of disbelief about the passing of His Royal Highness, Alhaji, Dr. Ado Bayero. It was, […]

It was indeed the unheard-of and unimaginable announcement made by Walin Kano, Mahe Bashir Wali, over the radio on the fateful and unforgettable Friday morning of 6th June, 2014 – exactly two years ago today – that cleared the fog of disbelief about the passing of His Royal Highness, Alhaji, Dr. Ado Bayero. It was, beyond any doubt, a severe blow that hit Kano pungently. What a loss! A terrible one described by many as irreplaceable, and the cause of which, unpardonable! For it was as if he was immortal, immortalized by our hail of “Allah ya kara tsayin kwana”! It seemed to us, the young, that that was how it began and would correspondingly go on for ever; that he was the heart of Kano and, if gone, so also gone Kano; that he owned the Kano emirate in its entirety; and that it was being controlled by his royal hand, majestic intelligence, charismatic spirit and judicious wisdom. What a powerful King!
Moreover, the king was able to build another image of himself in our hearts as the epitome of peace, religion and virtue. From Biafran war to civil cases among his subjects, the king had been a good peace-maker. We also remember vividly as yesterday how he would grace Masjids opening ceremonies and Qur’anic graduations! He would donate philanthropically a reasonable amount of money in the cause of Allah! When one day he visited our Islamiyya school on a certain Qur’anic graduation ceremony; when passing by our happy queues of curious children peeping and asking: ‘Where’s he?’ and women, ululating, raising their toddlers and extending them to him; the Emir patted our heads and those of the toddlers. As happy as bees we buzzed around bragging “he touched my head!” Mothers were happy too, beaming with enthusiasm, as their children were blessed by his saintly hand and, fathers from rear extending their necks to view his spectacularly majestic entourage, and throwing their hail of “Allah ya ja Zamanin Sarki! Taka lafiya! Allah ya kara tsayin kwana! How holy we thought of him! And just like me, thousands thought of him this way or much higher. He blessed the graduates finally, talked kingly, and admonishingly, and then gave out ceremonial slates and prizes to the lucky ones! Oh! How I envied them deep down in my formative heart!
On every Sallah festival, the Emir made the best outing in grand ceremonious pomp that Kano citizens couldn’t afford to miss annually. As Hausa tradition provides, the Emir would visit the monumentally archival places and, or pay homage to the resting places of parents and the Emirs before him. There on his way, the Emir also stopped intermittently to greet his subjects as a part of Sallah festival observance! How humble was my Emir! During this magnificent expedition, horse riders riding flamboyantly with dukes of different lands of Kano escorted the Emir in long processions. Amidst harmonious trumpeting and melodious drums, these riders would turn right and left princely, receiving peoples’ greetings and prayers and feeling honoured in their turbaned heads. Furthermore, servants, commoners, royal bards flanked these royal riders and, as part of their duty, every now and then, adjusted the monarchs’ ever ‘unfolding’ gown.
A little way away from his royal highness, camel riders with two big drums played a peculiarly regal music accompanied by a sweet trumpeting, announcing the wonderful column of my Emir! Dressed in heavenly attire, the Emir with his loyal retinue of bodyguards and faithful servants would make a noble and august appearance. As in fairy tales, a seemingly ever-happy mood overtook the bystanders and plunged them into uncontrollable cheers for the pleasing sight before them! The onlookers admired and venerated this Emir for his love of his people and for his dedication and his peace-loving attitude! This has dramatically immortalized the Emir in our hearts.

Mubarak Ibrahim Lawal, Kano State College of Arts, Science and Remedial Studies, Kano.