The controversy over the donation of a Rolls Royce car to the Emir of Kano Aminu Ado Bayero is needless and uncalled for, a civil society organization, Defenders of Arewa Heritage (DAH), has said.
The not-for -profit organization was reacting to a story that billionaire businessman and chairman of BUA Group, Abdul Samad Rabiu, had gifted a Rolls Royce Phantom to the Kano monarch.
A statement signed by executive director Idrissa Mala and communications officer Hakeem Raji on Tuesday, said “there is nothing wrong with the car gift by the billionaire businessman.”
It, however, added that “the only problem is the media hype the donor allegedly triggered by publicizing the gift.”
The CSO said traditional rulers all over the country receive luxury car gifts from friends, well-wishers, public officials, among others. The only difference with the recent BUA’s gift is the publicity accorded the gift.”
The statement said it is not only in Kano that billionaires donate luxury cars to monarchs. “In Borno state for instance, billionaire business moguls such as Muhammed Indimi, the late Ahmed Mai Deribe, and the late Bukar Mandara, among others, had at one time or the other, gifted the Shehu Borno luxury cars. But they never publicized it,” the civil society said.
The group said the immediate past Emir of Kano Muhammadu Sanusi II was given two Rolls Royce Phantom while he was on the throne.
“The donors didn’t announce the donation of the luxury cars in the media. Nigerians never knew that the Rolls Royces were bought by the two friends of Emir Sanusi: Mr Kola Kareem and Hajiya Bola Shagaya.”
“Emir Sanusi had to publicise the names of the two donors when he was accused of using Kano Emirate funds to acquire the two luxury cars,” the statement said.
The former emir defended the gift as normal saying, “The late Emir (Ado Bayero)’s limousines were bought by Aminu Dantata, Fernandez, Isiaka Rabiu, Sani Abacha and Ahmed Mu’azu. Everyone has friends and well-wishers.”
Mr Sanusi added that “Kola Kareem, the MD of Costain and Shoreline is an old friend of mine right from mybanking days. Bola Shagaya was my classmate in SBS (1977) and in Economics Class (1978-1981) in ABU, Zaria. These were their contributions to me. They Asked: what can we do? And I said ‘buy me new cars,’” the former emir stated in his response to his accusers.
The CSO said “we found the publicity accorded the car gift by the donor uncalled for, unnecessary.”
It said to even go ahead and “publicize that the car donor also donated N100 million to the Kano emir is outrageous. We Couldn’t fathom why this publicity was meant to achieve if not exposing the monarch to bandits.”
The civil society said publicizing the gift “is not part of our cultural heritage as northerners and religious morals as Muslims.”
