Lamido Sanusi

Femi Adi

Emir of Kano, Alhaji Sanusi Lamido Sanusi on Thursday said there could be a repeat of the 1966 military coup if a section of the country continues to fan embers of violence and disunity of the country.

Sanusi pointed out that it was such issues of disaffection from a section of the country then ignited the coup that claimed the life of the premier of Northern Nigeria, the Sardauna of Sokoto, late Sir Ahmadu Bello, and other national leaders in the country at that time

In his brief remark during the 50th commemoration of the death of the Sardauna, the Emir of Kano said Nigerians have moved beyond the 1966 coup, but according to him, it appears history is being repeated , “We must not allow history to repeat itself,” he stressed.

Though the Emir avoided making reference to Biafra agitators, he maintained that Nigerians who are allegedly fanning embers of violence and disunity of the country should stop, in order to avoid violence .

Sanusi who observed that every section of the country had, at one time, tasted power and produced bad or good leaders, said all sections of the country must come together and move on as one country. He added: “We must not fail to learn from the past. We cannot get back to religious and ethnic divides, we are calling for tolerance, peace”

In his keynote address, entitled, The North, 50 Years After Sir Ahmadu Bello, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Sule emphasized on the need for northern leaders to ensure the good values left behind by Sardauna and his colleagues were not thrown overboard.

According to him, in the days of Sarduana, north was a united region, noting , “ We were our brothers keeper, we are no longer our brothers keeper, things have gone astray. “We used to respect our elders and the constituted authority, but today the respect is no longer there, today there is chaos in politics, immorality in the society. We need leaders, not rulers.

“If we follow the philosophy of Sardauna, Nigeria will be better for it. However, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel”. He expressed optimism that Nigeria under the present leadership will overcome its problems.

Also in his own speech, the former governor of Niger State and Chairman of the board of trustees of Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation, Alhaji Muazu Babangida Aliyu described Sardauna as a generous northern leader who carried everybody along irrespective of religious and ethnic differences.

However, he expressed regret that with all Sarduana’s power and influence, he died a poor man with no bank account because he never amassed wealth from public funds.