Eid-el-Fitr sallah celebration continues amid peaceful atmosphere in Kano as Emir Muhammadu Sanusi II, returns to 1903 traditional Hauwa Nassarawa homage, a cherished cultural heritage of Dabo clan to Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf at government house.
In compliance with the security prohibition of Sallah Durbar and especially so, to avoid security breach, Khalifa Sanusi abandoned the procession of horse riding and cut down the large crowd company of traditional title holders, a modern practice adopted in 1940.
Apart from abandoning the horse ride, Emir Sanusi, who drove in an exortic vehicle convoy, also diverted his movement from the normal State road routes to Government house, strategically to avoid possible clash of interest.
Putting the historical fact in proper perspective, a Professor of History at Bayero University, Kano, Professor Tijjani Naniya, explained that before 1940, the Emir, as head of Native Authority, only visited the residence and returned to his palace.
He said: “Before 1940, there was no Wajen Kano that is outskirts the City, and the Emir as the head of NA, he will pay only his visit to Government house to brief the Governor on the yearly happenings in the City and returned to his palace.
“But by 1940 and when outskirts Kano that is Wajen Kano was created and there were People who though must of whom were Hausas but not of Kano extraction, the Emir needed to go round and see them, the present day Hawan Nassarwa using Horses was introduced”.
On the security restriction, Professor Tijjani Naniya, revealed that what the police banned was “Procession of Horses” in any form.
He added that the emir, in compliance with the directive, restricted all horse rides and came to the government house with vehicles to pay Homage to the Governor.
He said: What was stopped is for the Emir to ride on horses and pass through State Roads, that for sure would create a problems but now that he has returned to the original means of the Hawan Nassarwa tradition there is not violation.
“And the Emir is only coming to Government House as against the usual Hawan Nassarwa that he will ride horses go round Kano to greet everybody and return to his Palace,” Naniya explained.
