‘Why Emir of Ilorin is more my father than brother’

Weekly Trust: How is it like, being the brother of a famous royal personality? Ali Gambari: It’s not very easy most times. The expectation and demands of society are enormous. Certain standards are expected from me as a Gambari. But I try to avoid being pressured into doing things I can’t afford and or I’m […]

Weekly Trust: How is it like, being the brother of a famous royal personality?
Ali Gambari: It’s not very easy most times. The expectation and demands of society are enormous. Certain standards are expected from me as a Gambari. But I try to avoid being pressured into doing things I can’t afford and or I’m not comfortable with. I actually see [the Emir of Ilorin] like a father more than a brother.
Beside him being Emir, he is our father and to me, particularly. He is not just my biological brother; he is also a father to me. We didn’t grow up together. It’s more like he raised me. When I was born he was already a Judge, so I’m a little far away from him in terms of age.  
He always made difficult things easy whenever I approach him with a problem.
WT: What parenting approach of his do you admire most?
Gambari: His friendliness to us, his children and people around him. He takes charge of family issues, which I admire quite well. Even as Emir, he does not relegate some of his responsibilities and he makes sure he carries them out by himself. He also makes sure that he creates time for his children and monitors their studies, despite his tight schedules and societal responsibilities.  I would want to replicate that in my household because it shows that no matter what a man becomes, he should be in charge of his home.
WT: What traits of your late dad does your brother have?
Gambari: He is trendy. My dad was, too. He likes a nice cologne, wristwatches and shoes. Even before he became Emir, he was a fashionable person. He got that from my dad, as most of us are very fashionable because we inherited those genes.
WT: Did your brother ever imagine he would become an Emir?
Gambari: Yes, because where we come from, we are all considered to be princes and any of us can be made king. So we look forward to one day when we receive a call from God to serve. So there is none of us who didn’t have it in mind to become king one day. He is the firstborn of our dad and it is the first son who is always on the front page when it comes to appointing a new king. So I would say he was prepared for it, even.  
WT: If he wasn’t an Emir, what else do you think he would have excelled at?
Gamabari: He was an Appeal Court judge, so he has been in the Law profession all his life, which is what he studied in school. He also became the vice-president of the Court of Appeal. Actually, he was supposed to be the president of the court few months before he was made Emir of Ilorin. If not, he would have been one of the best judges in the country.  
WT: What is his favourite food?
Gambari: We hshare a common favourite, which is Amala. With Ewedu or Gbegiri soup. A close second is Tuwo, with the aforementioned soups.
WT: What is his favourite TV programme?
Gambari: He loves football and watches lot of it. He was a footballer, actually. I wasn’t born then, but I was told he played very well during his secondary school days. He loves the Premiership and reads sports books a lot. I think he is an Arsenal fan, but I don’t know if he has changed to another team.
WT: So he is a sports enthusiast?
Gambari: He was even before he became the Emir of Illorin. He plays lawn tennis up till today. He plays with us and the kids when he has free time. He loves to exercise a lot.
WT: What kind of person is he when he has lost his temper?
Gambari: It’s easy to know when he’s angry. You’ll see a frown on his face and he wouldn’t talk to anyone. He has never really been angry with me before. But he is not the talking type when he is angry. He would rather keep quiet and expect you to take a cue from that.