The Emir of Kano, Ado Bayero is dead. Bayero, who became Emir in 1963, died Friday morning in Kano, after a protracted illness
Confirming his demise, spokesperson to the Kano State governor, Baba Dantiye, said “he is expected to be buried same day according to the islamic tradition.”
Though details of his final hours were sketchy at the time of this report, Bayero had suffered poor health.
Emir Bayero, who was thought to be the second most senior Muslim in Nigeria after the Sultan of Sokoto, was born July 25, 1930. He became Emir at the age of 33 after working as an ambassador to Senegal.
Ado Bayero was the 13th Fulani emir since the Fulani War of Usman dan Fodio, when the Fulani took over the Hausa city-states.
He was one of the strongest and powerful emirs in the history of the Hausa land, and renowned for his abundant wealth, maintained by means of stock market investments and large-scale agricultural entrepreneurship both at home and abroad.
The late Ado Bayero was the son of Abdullahi Bayero, the former Emir, who reigned for 27 years. Muhammadu Sanusi who was Ado Bayero’s half brother ruled after their father from 1953-1963.
Following his dethronement in 1963, Muhammadu Inuwa ruled only for three months. After his death, Ado Bayero ascended the throne in October 1963.
During his tenure, the emirate has been transformed from a powerful native authority into a custodian of Hausa language and Islamic traditions. His palace plays host to official visits by many government personnel and foreigners, but in 1981 Governor Abubakar Rimi restricted traditional homage paid by village heads to Ado Bayero and excised some domains from his emirate. And in 1984, a travel ban was placed on the emir and his friend Okunade Sijuwade.
Bayero was a chancellor of the University of Nigeria and currently the chancellor of the University of Ibadan.
On 19 January 2013, a failed assassination attempt left two of his sons injured and his driver and bodyguard dead, among others.
He returned from overseas months after he was flown abroad for treatment after the incident.
huhuonline.com
