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, 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 and that, ceratainly it was as astonishing as the twentieth January 2012-devastating-bombs! 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 toto; and that it was being controlled by his royal hand, majestic intelligence, charismatic spirit and judicious wisdom, and thus, ultimately had won the diehard people of Kano. 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 Biafra war to civil cases among his subjects, the king had been a good peace-maker. We also remember vividly as yesterday how his royal highness 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- wheres 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 graduants finally, talked kingly and admonitorily, then gave out ceremonial slates and prizes to the lucky ones! Oh! 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 couldnt 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, slaves, commoners, royal bards and other royal servants flanked these royal riders and, as part of their duty, every now and then, adjusted the monarchicals ever unfolding gowns. 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 warlords, bodyguards and faithful servants would make a noble and august apearance. 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. Now that hes dead, what was the mood and atmosphere in Kano on that Friday? To what extent has this loss affected the Emirate? To begin with, people shed tears, some were unconscious, mourning took over, schools were closed, business seemed halted, people offered condolences to one another, programs on radio stations stopped, nothing but holy Qur,anic recitation was being heard, people trooped to the Emir palace to attend the funeral, dignitaries came quickly from far and near, some by air others by car! Allahu Akbar! Alhaji Ado Bayero; loved by all, despised by the guilty party only! On that day, about two million people gathered there to accompany my Emir to his last resting place! What an uprecedented funeral! We pray ardently that may Allah rest the departed Emir in perfect peace. MUHD MUBARAK IBRAHIM
Posted on: Mon, 09 Jun 2014 12:29:25 +0000
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