What exactly did that Emir say?

Apart from being the most revered person in the room, the Emir wasalso obviously the most handsome. He stood remarkably tall and is well built. I agree that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. Consequently, I will admit being swayed by David Hume’s contention in his famous 1757 essay, “Of the standard of Taste” that “beauty in things exists merely in the mind which contemplates them.” However, by general standards, the Emir is a very handsome man, regardless of whether beauty is in the eyes of the beholder or not. And it is such a good thing that this profound saying is not only about the male versus the female gender.

The Emir’s smooth, well-paved face was visible through the turban that cascaded down his neck from his royal head. He also spoke regally, and spoke royalty through his silky, controlled voice. And his words were measured, highlighting his good diction. He moderated his voice with an attractive demeanor which awed me. He must have been ingrained in how to be a royalty. I was simply enamoured or, maybe starstruck by the handsomeness of the man in the royal robes. His enormous regalia could neither hide nor dominate it. The pristine turban also could not subdue it. I must have mentioned it to someone at the vicinity: This Emir is a very handsome man.

While I thought about these, and perhaps might have also shared my thoughts while the reception ran, it did not stop me from freely clicking away at my camera. My forefinger was almost permanently on the shutter of my Minolta XG1. The camera was very useful during the national media tour organised by the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) of Mr. Smart Adeyemi, and the Federal Ministry of Information of Professor Jerry Gana as the Minister. That camera was actually the reason I travelled with the NUJ President, the Minister and senior journalists to Argungu in Kebbi State… to the palace where I saw the Emir, Alhaji Sama’ila Muhammadu Mera.

I still habour beautiful memories of that visit even though I no longer remember what was said in particular during that outing. However, I prefer the fond memories of a firm, frank and fair-minded Emir Mera of Argungu to the hypocrisy of the Emir of Katsina.

The Emir of Katsina, Alhaji Abdulmumini Kabir Usman, is trending like a ‘current champion’ in both his Emirate and in the news. I do not recollect seeing the Emir of Katsina during the months of that national media tour. The things one knows through which one can mirror the Katsina traditional ruler came through media reports. And going by these reports, including the most recent ones, Alhaji Abdulmumini Usman has, at best, been hypocritical in his views on the Nigerian security situation. Parochial could also best represent the views that have been reported as those of the Emir of Katsina.

In terms of insecurity, his Katsina is one of the most harassed states in Nigeria. In the North West geo-political zone of the country, Katsina easily ranks among the hardest hit and is right in the epicentre of mass abductions, banditry and terrorism in the region. The Katsina Emir needs no reminder how bad it got in his state, even if his immediate domain has not been in the news. Eight local government areas in the state have had it so bad that people took desperate steps, including paying taxes to bandits to be able to live. The state also has 240,000 people in internally-displaced people’s camps.

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Alhaji Abdulmumini Usman might need to be reminded that the Katsina State government under Governor Aminu Bello Masari signed peace agreements with bandits. The Emir also knows how those agreements emboldened the criminals and led to deeper rot in the security of the state.

While he can be excused on the grounds that he might be just as helpless as the victims of the searing insecurity, why did he not utter even a word of caution? Nigerians did not hear from Emir Abdulmunini, rather he endured the atrocities of the criminals and blamed it on politicians. “Ninety-nine per cent of the security challenges this country is facing are caused by the enemies of the administration who want to discredit it and incite the people against it because of the good work it is doing.”

So to Emir Abdulmumini Usman, the lamentable mass killing of worshippers in Malumfashi in August 2025, and incident which remains one of the most gruesome among many others in Katsina State, is as a result of the hate for President Buhari? The abduction of 300 school boys in Kankara was also because politicians want Buhari to fail, according to the Emir. There were also many reports of violation of truce between the criminals and government. That too is because of Buhari’s good works? The Emir thought all these were orchestrated and executed by politicians just to taint the Buhari government, but nothing from the broken education and family system in his state?

So, what exactly is the Emir of Katsina saying? There are footprints of hypocrisy in his latter-day reproach to the current crop of politicians. His public speeches reflect the position that could be interpreted in various ways. His simplistic submission that politicians are behind the worsening insecurity in the country is simply untenable. An interpretation of this contention could therefore be that he knew that politicians were aiding insecurity in the country for their selfish reasons even during the administration of Goodluck Jonathan. Why did the Emir not point fingers? Further to this argument, the same politicians move from one political party to another. These men would be in one political party in the day and in another political party by night.

The Emir must go further then and demand that these Nigerians must be queried and made to speak about what happened to Goodluck Jonathan’s Nigeria. Or, are we to simply overlook the grave crimes committed against this country beginning from Borno State?

This is not to say that the Presidential Campaign Council team which visited the Emir in Katsina does not deserve what they got at his palace. The Tinubu campaign is looking desperately for Nigerians’ endorsement, and its leaders must have been stunned that an otherwise reserved Emir lashed out. It is a pointer to the feelings out there among Nigerians.

Emir Mera made such impression holds opinions on national issues and he reinforces them whenever the opportunity presents itself. He has proven that he knows what education and peace means to human capital development, a precursor to national development. Those who see every call for a proper governance of Nigeria as personal attacks must have a rethink.

The Emir of Katsina has been on the lips of many since he spoke about insecurity in his domain, and in his state. He is reigning online and offline, and has now joined the league of

There lies the difference. Alhaji Mera once called on his subjects and indeed the indigenes of the state to acquire means through which they could competently defend themselves in the face of rancid insecurity. The Emir of Katsina told the custodians of those means how not to secure the country and the people. It is a telling visit, and there would be more.

One Emir had always been known for speaking up against poor governance and insecurity regardless of the person in power. The other has not been speaking up until he showed some frustration. Tinubu and his campaign team must take note.