Ex-CBN Gov, Sanusi, among hot favourites to succeed late Emir of Kano

The way may have been cleared for the eventual ascendancy to the throne of Emir of Kano by the immediate past Governor, central bank of Nigeria, Mallam Lamido Sanusi Lamido.

Sanusi is known to long harbor the ambition of taking over the throne when the aged Ado Bayero died.

With the death of the emir on Friday, Sanusi is said to be among the hot favourites to fill the now vacant post.

The former CBN governor, even while in office, sent strong signals about his strong desire for the traditional job by often donning the traditional garbs of the Kano emirate chiefs to the office.

Others are in the race to succeed Alhaji Ado Bayero, Emir of Kano, who died Friday, include: the Galadiman Kano, Alhaji Tijjani Hashim, Alhaji Ciroma  Lamido Ado Bayero (the eldest son of the late emir) who is also the district head of Gwale local government area of Kano.

Ciroma is highly regarded as Bayero's heir apparent given historical foundations of majority of previous emirs who succeeded their fathers.

Another candidate being spoken of is Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero, the district head of Dala local government area of the state,  a graduate of  Mass Communication.

Yet, there are talks also of Alhaji Nasiru Ado Bayero, said to have been positioned by his father, the late monarch for the position

It is however believed that if the emirate were to consider any persons outside the son of the deceased, the former CBN governor was likely to clinch.

The governor is believed to have well remembered his people when he was governor of the CBN, which places him in good reckoning among his people.

Besides, Rabiu Musa Kwakwanso, governor of Kano, who expected to play a prominent role in the emergence of the new monarch as the kingmakers are to nominate three persons for him to pick, might want to pick Sanusi as a way of cleaning his reputation after his bruising power duel with the Federal Government, which led to his less than noble exit from the CBN. .

The late Bayero was born to the family of Hajiya Hasiya and Abdullahi Bayero and into the Fulani Sullubawa clan that has presided over the emirate of Kano since 1819.

He was the 11th child of his father and the second of his mother. At the age of seven, he was sent to live with Maikano Zagi.

He studied the Qur'an and later attended the Kano Middle School, and School for Arabic Studies, Kano.

He started his working career in 1947 at the then British Bank for West Africa, now First Bank of Nigeria Plc.

In 1949, Bayero joined the services of the Kano Native Authority (NA), and attended courses at the Clerical Training Centre, Zaria; and the United Kingdom, and rose to the rank of Chief Clerk at the Kano Town Council.

He later joined partisan politics and contested and won election into the Northern Regional House of Assembly in 1954 on the platform of the defunct Northern People's Congress (NPC).

In 1957, he resigned his membership of the House and took up the appointment of Wakilin Doka, Chief of Kano Native Authority Police.

He was appointed Nigeria's Ambassador to Senegal five years later, and became the Emir of Kano in 1963 while studying French in Switzerland.

Bayero was the Chancellor of various Nigerian universities, including the University of Nigeria, Nsukka; the University of Ibadan, and University of Maiduguri.