GANDOLLAR VS SANUSI: THE TRIUMPH OF EVIL OVER GOOD

There is so much falsehood both at home and at school. At home one must not speak, and at school we have to stand and tell lies to the children.

– – Henrik Ibsen, An Enemy of the People

From afar have I been watching this Kano debacle and I must say that it is a grim and tragic tale we all ought to be ashamed of. We stood aloof and let mendacity take root in our hearts. For another; and perhaps not the last; time have we kept mute as evil triumphed over good in the Kano Emirate. We stood by and laughed as the man of truth is brought down by the man with power. No matter how we look at it, Sanusi has lost nothing. It is rather those of us whose voices are daily muffled by those at the helm of affairs who should be afraid; for when those who speak on our behalf are brought down too quickly, we are but small fries in the hands of the nitwits who know not restraint in wielding power.

No matter Sanusi Lamido Sanusi antecedents, we ridicule ourselves by subjecting him to ridicule. Strip a prince of all his possessions, you still cannot take away his regality. Sanusi is of royal blood, he is an intelligent and astute business man, he does not need the throne to cling to survival. But you, yes you, what do you have? Who knows you or hears your voice when you speak or cry? Sadly, the answer is obviously none.

We have done much injustice to ourselves and generations unborn to have allowed a thieving and bloated froggy knave usurp a sitting monarch just because he fears to hear the truth spoken to his ears, just because his kleptomaniac person and stature is dwarfed before the majesty and eloquence of a towering Lamido. We revel in the shrine of falsehood because we are afraid to confront the naked truth. We claim the people are with the power, yet public servants are permitted to enforce their insidious and nefarious will upon the people. How long shall this trend persist before the people begin to say enough is enough?

If you think it is just about Gandollar and Sanusi, you are wrong! Gandollar has won nothing for he cannot gag Sanusi, emir or no emir. What Gandollar has done is to strip the emirate of its immaculate turban and perforate its flowing embroidered robe and leave it standing naked in public. Gandollar has proven again that the emirs (and in fact all traditional institutions in Nigeria) are redundant without power and that traditional leaders are but lackeys who are under the control of their political paymasters; what a demystification! Gandollar has gleefully shat on traditional monarchy without any reprisal, others would soon take a cue from him and do likewise in due time.