Your Highness, 25 years ago, you were turbaned as the Emir of Argungu. Could you share your experiences and your challenges with us?
First and foremost, let me give glory to Almighty Allah who has spared our lives till today. As you know, the Emir is like a father to everybody, all the people, irrespective of their backgrounds. In the last 25 years, I have settled all sorts of issues from our society. They range from matrimonial disputes, like parents wanting to give their daughters in marriage to who they want, land, inheritance. Virtually all problems that you can think of, that could emanate from the society, are brought before me for settlement. Issues from the markets, from the farms, in fact, there is no limit to the issues we can settle here. In the process of resolving these issues, we have tried to be fair and just to those who come before us. I have received complaints about judges, police, and all sort of human issues which required my intervention.
Leadership is characterized by sadness and joy. May we know some of your sad moments on the throne, and how you were able to cope?
Twenty-five years is a very long time. During these years, I have lost a lot of friends, family members, colleagues and to be frank with you that have impacted on my emotions. I am not a person who usually holds back how I perceive situation or event. It is bad to one’s health if you hide your feelings on what happens around you. We are not in a warfront in Argungu. So, when I am personally touched, I don’t hide my feelings and I am not ashamed of pouring out my emotions when I lose a dear one. I think it is just normal as human being to express emotions. So, I have had several sad moments. I have lost very close relations. I have lost mothers. I have lost parents, lost brothers and sisters and very close friends. These are my sad moments and several of them that I can’t mention here because of time. Virtually, most of the counselors I inherited from my father have passed away. All of them have gone except two or three of them. All the District Heads I inherited from my father have all gone except three who are still alive, out of 29. You can imagine now how I miss all these people whom we started working together with. So, I have a lot of sad moments.
Before you became an Emir, there were certain things you were exposed to in the past that you cannot do now. What are those activities and how much do you miss them?
Before I became the Emir, I had a group of friends with whom I used to sit and chat together. I could stay out with them up till certain time before night, keeping company with them. As an Emir, I cannot do that again. This is one of the things I miss. But overtime, you forget about that. I am still in touch with them though. They come here and we discuss and laugh together. I usually host my classmates annually in this palace. They usually come here, and spend the whole day with me. Another thing I miss is driving around in the evenings. I cannot do that again. But I have learnt to continue to do good things every day of my life, and many people have been coming here to appreciate our efforts. I am happy that I have the privilege of being in a position to help the less privileged, and I shall continue to do more ‘in sha Allahu.’
What could you say have been your major achievements since you became the Emir of Argungu?
I think that question should be left for the general public to answer. My people are the ones to determine my achievements. But what I can say is, I have improved upon all that I inherited from my father. Everything I inherited from him, I have improved on them.
Were you subjected to special training before you became the Emir?
No, no, I wasn’t. The only thing I had was the privilege of travelling with my father. As a young boy in primary school, I travelled a lot with him throughout our villages. I was really close to him. I used to follow him on most of his trips within and outside the state. And, I was with him when he was sick for almost two months. I was the only person managing him until he returned to his Creator. That privilege of being close to him, discussing with him, observing how he did things and administered justice, I can say, was what prepared me ahead. I was born in this palace and I observed everything that went on here, about our parents, about people coming to visit our father in the palace. I just thank God for the time that I spent with him.
What would be your advice for the Nigerian youths?
We all knew how we grew up before 60s, after independence. Some of us grew up in an extended family, family of plenty and our parents were careful about what they taught us. They only trained us how to be good persons, and approved good behaviour for us. Today, we don’t do that; we expose them to all sort of luxuries. And, the result is what we are harvesting now. I think the education system, easy access to drugs, easy access to internet; movies are not helping the matter. For you to know what is happening across the world, all you need is buy a handset, and access both the good and bad things on the internet. I think every parent has the responsibility to their family. They should remember that they would be called upon to account for it before our God and hereafter. So, we all have responsibilities over our children and we should take them seriously. Again, those teachers we are sending our children to in schools for learning, they too should know that they have a lot of responsibilities. In fact, our responsibilities in nurturing our children are a collective one.
What is your dream for Argungu Emirate in the nearest future? Which position would you want the emirate to occupy in the comity of traditional kingdoms and dynasties in Nigeria?
I will want the people of my emirate to continue to embrace peace which they are known for. I will also want to see my people prosper in all spheres of life. I want to see many of my people well educated. I want to see a society that is more united, hardworking and enlightened. Our people are not lazy. I want to see more of them prosper and I want them to live a better life in peace.
How far have you been able to preserve the tradition and culture of Argungu emirate?
I don’t work alone. The magic in Argungu is about communal teamwork. We used to do everything together before I became the Emir. And, since I became the Emir too. I do consult with my people on every issue, and I do delegate responsibilities to them. So, together with the community, we work hard to preserve our heritage, the Argungu international fishing and cultural festival and other cultural heritages we inherited from our forefathers. I have a lot of respect for our elders. I work with the youths and my door is always open to them for advice and support.
What role are you playing to ensure that there is increase in girl-child enrolment and retention in schools in Argungu emirate?
Number one step is enlightenment of our population on the importance of girl child education.
We are also supporting the communities in building schools, and we give priority to girl-child enrolment. We set this as a protocol, and all the district heads take the instruction to their respective domains and enforce it. Again, we do visit our schools to ensure that these girls are not only enrolled, but also retained. We have a very strong stand against withdrawal of girl-child from schools for whatever reason. We also encourage those who are rich to give scholarships to them, from secondary school to tertiary institutions levels. Individuals in our community can adopt a girl-child, give them scholarship or sponsorship, from secondary school to tertiary institution.
How would you describe the relationship of Argungu with other emirates in Kebbi State?
It is very cordial. I have the highest respect for my colleagues, and they accord me the same respect. We don’t have any problem with one another. We do sit down as one big family. As you can see, many of them across the North, South and West will be present during my 25th coronation anniversary. That is to show you the cordial relationship we have maintained for decades.
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