The Walin Kano, Mahe Bashir Wali made the announcement. According to him, the Emir died at about 6am today. Late Alhaji AdoBayero will be buried at his Nasarawa GRA residence. The Late Emir was aged 84, is survived by 63 children.
Tens of thousands of people, including dignitaries from across Nigeria, are expected to attend despite the short notice. Already, the Kano State governor, Musa Kwankwaso, who was in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, for a Governors Forum’ program left the venue for Kano on Friday morning.
Ado Bayero was a successful businessman and had worked as a banker, police officer, MP and diplomat.The emirate of Kano is close to the British crown and Prince Charles (C) and his mother have visited
Alhaji Ado Bayero, on the throne of the northern city ofKano since 1963, died after a long illness. He was the longest-serving emir in Kano'shistory and sought to reduce tensions with Nigeria's Christians. Born 83 years ago, on July 25, 1930, Alhaji Ado Bayero was appointed Emir on October 22, 1963. He was a former Nigerian ambassador to Senegal. His father, Abdullahi Bayero, also reigned as Emir for 27 years.
The Emir survived an attack on his convoy by suspected BokoHaram fighters in January, 2013 though his driver and a security detail died in the attack. The gunmen laid ambush on the convoy of the Emir around the Zoo road when he was returning from the MurtalaMosque in the city where he had gone to attend a Quranic recitation competition.
Although the Sultan of Sokoto is Nigeria's most senior Muslim leader, the late Emir of Kano Alhaji Ado Bayero was seen by many as the country's most respected and influential emir. This is down to his long reign - he spent 50 years on the throne, his efforts to build peace and the way he always stayed out of Nigeria's sometimes murky politics.
Every year at the end of Ramadan, the emir (R) oversaw a three-day royal horse parade
Whenever there were tensions between Kano's Hausa-speaking Muslim majority and the large number of mainly Christian Igbo businessmen in the city, he always intervened to calm the situation.
As emir, he invested a great deal of time and effort to promote Kano'sdurbar - the celebrations held at both Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adhar. This has now become the biggest in Nigeria and is a huge tourist attraction. During the durbar, he rides a horse around Kano, accompanied by a troupe of his cavalry wearing colourful, traditional robes. Later, Kano residents queue up to pay homage to him.
During the emir's 50 years on the throne, Nigeria has experienced a great deal of turmoil with military coups and unrest but he always stayed out of politics.
He had recently returned home from London where he had been receiving treatment.
The emir of Kano turned the durbar into a huge tourist attraction
President Goodluck Jonathan, a Christian from southern Nigeria, said the emir would be remembered for his "immense wisdom." He used "his exalted throne to build bridges of unity, friendship and harmony across the nation", the president said in a statement.
Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun expressed deep regret at the death of the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero (CFR). The governor expressed his condolences to the government and people of Kano State, the State Emirate Council and Nigeria in general on the exit of the foremost traditional ruler.
In a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Mrs. Olufunmilayo Wakama, Amosun described Bayero as one of the revered traditional rulers in Nigeria, who preached peace and believed in the unity of the country.
"The death of Alhaji Ado Bayero is regrettable because, even at his age, he was in the vanguard of efforts to curb the activities of insurgents in the North. As a royal father, he was committed to the development of his people and Nigeria as he deployed his influence to foster peace and attract development to the emirate and by extension, the State as a whole. We can only hope that his colleagues will follow the good work he started.
"The royal father also devoted his wealth and life to the propagation of Islam. He would be solely missed," the governor said.
Amosun, who commiserated with the family of the late Monarch and his Council of Chiefs, urged them to take solace in the fact that the late Emir led an exemplary life and left his prints in the sands of times through his unwavering stance in the propagation of Islam.
Amosun prayed to Allah to grant his soul eternal rest and Aljannah Firdaus.
Before he ascended to the throne, he worked as a banker, police officer, parliamentarian and diplomat; he was also a successful businessman.
The emir's driver and two guards were killed when suspected Boko Haram fighters tried to assassinate him in January 2013. Boko Haram has accused traditional rulers of being too close to the political elite - just last week the emir of Gwoza was killed by suspected militants in the north-east.
Correspondents say Nigeria's traditional leaders hold few constitutional powers, but are able to exert significant influence especially in the mainly Muslim north where they are seen as custodians of both religion and tradition. Under British rule, the northern emirates were adopted as an integral part of the colonial administration and they became increasingly powerful.
BBC
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