Late Emir Sunusi: The loss of a humble royalty

The death of the late Emir of Dutse, Dr. Muhammad Nuhu Sunusi, was a great loss that shocked many Nigerians drawn from different walks of life as evidenced by the mammoth gathering that attended his funeral prayer. Buried along with Emir Sanusi was an illuminating and galvanizing era of a passionate king, keeping a pace […]

The death of the late Emir of Dutse, Dr. Muhammad Nuhu Sunusi, was a great loss that shocked many Nigerians drawn from different walks of life as evidenced by the mammoth gathering that attended his funeral prayer.

Buried along with Emir Sanusi was an illuminating and galvanizing era of a passionate king, keeping a pace with simplicity to put smiles on the face of others. His era saw him neither mixing royalty with pride nor complacency. The era of Sanusi was the epoch in which he did not see himself as a holistic majesty as most royals demonstrate. Instead, the period fostered a symbolic dynasty in which he nurtured and trained his mind to recognise the sociopolitical potency of an ‘ essential’ Emir.

Sanusi’s constituency was the afflicted and broken world of the downtrodden. He dismantled all class barriers to identify with their socioeconomic needs and aspirations. To this category of the deprived, they have lost a caring and loving father, who passionately supported them with food in their hundreds on a daily basis to cushion the lingering effects of their difficulties without any resignation or retirement.

The Emir was not on the throne to be mentally a master of his subjects. He was not carried away by power supremacy and he would humbly request Islamic scholars to preach to him good virtues. His conscience was always resonating with life beyond this world and never lost contact with the mainstream commoners. Till his demise, he boycotted elegant exuberance because he knew its incriminating effects on his faith and how it would have nullified his philanthropic career and spiritual ability.

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He was a first-class Emir but would not hesitate to pay a visit to his ordinary neighbours and make them feel a sense of human inclusiveness. This was the only prince who left a befitting will that his body should be laid to rest not in a secluded place in the palace but in the public cemetery. The king is now laid to rest in the midst of talakawa. In this, the Sarki teaches us the greatest lesson of human equality after death.

Unlike many of his contemporaries, he firmly believes in doing the desirables more than in talking about the undesirables. He was well composed and versatile with his time as too precious but limited, even if he were to spend hundreds of years. An example of the best in his years was his millions of naira investment on the library located inside the Dutse Central Mosque for research.

Sunusi’s empire will particularly be remembered and celebrated for its fight against economic oppression through the enforcement of Zakkat- a financial obligation mandatory on the rich to assist the poor and the needy in the society. Under the Emir, this divine injunction was pursued and executed to its logical conclusion to ameliorate the financial hardships of the people. It was the effectiveness of this method of collecting and disbursing Zakkat that his palace was converted into a sort of a mini pilgrimage by people from other states to cultivate the required experiences in applying this Islamic injunction.

Emir Sunusi will continue to be a  messenger of transformation, of a king who defined himself in doing the needful and not allowing others to define him to do the needless.

The French writer, Andre Malraux stated that to be a king is foolish; what matters is to make a kingdom. Indeed, Emir Nuhu’s wisdom did not bother much in the kingship, but succeeded to enthrone the era of a masses oriented kingdom. May his soul rest in peace!

 

Abdu Abdullahi wrote via [email protected]