In Kano, puzzling demolition of 500-yr-old landmark

Official historical records show that there are 15 gates in the ancient city. Each gate had its keeper or lord and the gate-lordship is often hereditary. In the days of yore when the gates were first built, they were only three but the gates are now up to 15. The gates are Kofar Dan Agundi, […]

Official historical records show that there are 15 gates in the ancient city. Each gate had its keeper or lord and the gate-lordship is often hereditary. In the days of yore when the gates were first built, they were only three but the gates are now up to 15.

The gates are Kofar Dan Agundi, Kofar Dogo (now rechristened Kofar Na’isa), Kofar Godan Kaya, Kofar Panshekera, Kofar Dukawuya, Kofar Kabuga, Kofar Kansakali, Kofar Waika, Kofar Dawanau, Kofar Ruwa, Kofar Mazugal, Kofar Mayanka, Kofar Wambai, Tamata (now rechristened Kofar Mata), Kofar Nassarawa and Kofar Kwalli.

According to historians, during the pagan rule of Sarki Gijimasu, a 17-kilometre perimeter fortress was built around Kano city. Tracing the etymology of the words “Kofar Na’isa”, a Kano-based historian, Alhaji Maje Ahmad Gwangwazo said Kofar Na’isa could roughly be translated as “I can do it” or – more aptly – “I can prove my mettle”.

According to Gwangwazo, Kofar Na’isa was built during the reign of Emir Sulaiman when he received a complaint from the nomadic Fulani that they were attacked by bandits who took away their cattle.   

“Emir Sulaiman then directed his son, Abubakar mai Unguwar Mundubawa to go with the complainants and arrest the thieves,” he said. According to him, at the end of the raid, the emir’s son returned late and the Kofar Dogo gate’s lord barred him from gaining access into the city through his gate.  

“There and then, the son decided to prove that he would pass through and started breaking a part of the wall close to the then Kofar Dogo,” said the historian. Gwangwazo revealed that it took them five days to complete the new entrance, after which he ordered the removal of the metal gate of Kofar Dogo and fixed it at the new one called Kofar Na’isa. “The emir’s son did not stop there as he ordered the complete blockage of Kofar Dogo. The emir, therefore, approved the rechristening of the gate Kofar Na’isa, which means “I can prove my mettle”.

Kofar Na’isa was declared a national monument since 1964, and therefore protected by law under the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM) Act, CAP 19 of the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2004, vol X Chapter 19.   

Lamenting the destruction of the gate, the curator of the National Museum, Gidan Makama, Malam Aliyu Abdu, said the demolition has serious consequences on the cultural authenticity of Kano city walls, saying it is an infringement on a cultural site undergoing preparations for the World Heritage listing.  

“The gate is over 500 years. Whatever kind of road that will be constructed, the sanctity of the old relic must be respected,” said the curator.

According to him, the museum cannot stop road construction but the gate should either be bypassed or let be. “We are supposed to be notified so that we direct how the monument would be carefully restructured but not to be demolished completely without our consent,” said the curator.   

Continuing, he said: “the destruction of the site also constitutes a grievous setback to the conservation plan adopted by the National Commission for Museums and Monuments and the stakeholder committee on Kano city walls towards the preservation of the heritage sites of this great city.”   

Malam Abdu said the NCMM in conjunction with the state government was preparing to submit Kano city walls and associated sites to UNESCO for enlistment into the World Heritage List.   

“Already this demolished gate had been included in Nigeria’s tentative list and is receiving favourable attention as one of the sites with great potentials for the World Heritage enlistment,” he lamented.   

While calling on government and private companies to desist from destroying the monuments, he said the museum will drag the construction company to court for wanton destruction of a national monument.

Also lamenting the destruction, the present lord of the demolished gate, Malam Abdullahi Usman, expressed displeasure with the destruction of the historical architectural piece. “The gate was demolished on April 19, without my permission as the custodian of the gate, nor the permission of the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero,” he said.  

He further said the construction company desecrated the historical relic, saying Emir Bayero has convened an emergency meeting with the district heads and those who are responsible to look after the gates. “The emir was really bitter about the demolition,” said the lord of the gate.

Some residents of Kano also expressed mixed views over the demolition of the gate. A Kano resident, Musa Ibrahim said: “actually, most of us are unhappy with the gate’s destruction because it has historical significance to us since the days of our ancestors. That is why people have been calling on the contractors to leave the gate in its original position but they refused.”

Another resident, Abdullahi Ibrahim, said: “I am happy the construction company has finally pulled the gate down in order to pave way for pedestrians and vehicular passage. We are all going to enjoy a new building upgraded for all of us to enjoy.”