Traditional rulers and Nigerian unity

By It gives me great pleasure to welcome Your Royal Highness, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero and your entourage to the ancient kingdom of Benin. My decision to visit Kano Emirate early 2020 on a thank you tour was in demonstration of the mutual respect and love that exists between the Emirate, the Royal Household of Kano and the Royal Household of Benin. It particularly gladdens my heart that Your Royal Highness decided to reciprocate that gesture in continuation of the tradition of respect and conviviality between the Kano Emirate and the Benin Kingdom. Your Royal Highness, your visit today specially marks the opening of new vistas of possibilities and clearly buttresses the age-long traditions of our forefathers.

I started my coronation tour Thank You Tour in 2017 with a visit to Mr President, His Excellency, Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces Federal Republic of Nigeria. Though I had earlier paid a similar thank you Visit to His Eminence the Sultan of Sokoto; I decided to extend the Thank You Tour to Kano last year for several reasons, particularly to thank the former Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi and members of his entourage then, which included Your Royal Highness for attending my coronation ceremonies.

May I at this juncture commiserate with your Royal Highness and express our deep condolences to you and the good people of Kano emirate and indeed the entire Royal Family over the painful loss of your dear mother late Hajiya Maryam Ado Bayero, whose sad event took place on Saturday 24 April 2021. May Allah grant her eternal rest even as you remain comforted by the legacies of her good life while here on earth.

Your Royal Highness, on behalf of the Royal Family of Benin and the entire Edo people, I congratulate you on your recent ascension to the throne of your ancestors. It is our prayers that the wisdom and blessings of Allah and our ancestors continue to be with you and guide you all through this journey. Be assured of my support at all times when needed as much as I can enjoy your support during my reign.
I also congratulate you on the successful completion of the fasting period during the holy month of Ramadan. It is my solemn wish that the spiritual blessings that accompanies the holy month which also accompanied you to Benin City be with us all.

Your Royal Highness, I know you are already aware that I have a soft spot for Kano. My thank you visit to Kano was also to honour the memory of my maternal grandmother, Princess Ebose Eweka who relocated from Benin to Kano and thereafter established a business and lived there all her life. I recall how after her demise, her estate was placed under the care of your highly revered father while I was still undertaking undergraduate studies abroad.

My dear Mother who is now, by our tradition, the Queen mother albeit posthumously also lived in Kano with my grandmother before she married my father. Since then, the Benin Royal Family and the Kano Royal Family had had close ties and your historic visit to Benin City today will go a long way to further strengthen that family bond and friendship that already exists between us.

Your Royal Highness, we both share some similarities as managers of men, women and resources albeit from different professional and career perspective. Your Royal Highness being an experienced banker and versatile boardroom maestro and I having served as pioneer director on the board of one of the NNPC subsidiaries for several years, and later served the Federal Government of Nigeria as an Ambassador for several years in several countries.

And now by divine providence we both now occupy the historic traditional thrones of our kingdoms in service of our people, meeting their traditional and religious needs in prayers while we hope to build on the great legacies of our forefathers to further strengthen the bond of friendship and for the greater development and welfare of our people and our beloved country.

We pray that God Almighty and our ancestors will grant you good health, long life and the enablement for a peaceful and successful reign over your people.

On behalf of my people and the multi-ethnic communities here in Benin City, Edo State and, all Edo indigenes living in Kano, both home and abroad welcome Your Royal Highness to Benin Kingdom and I hope you will enjoy your stay and the hospitality our people have to offer.
Thank you and God bless.

Being A Welcome Address by His Royal Majesty, Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo Ewuare II on the occasion of the Historic Visit Of His Royal Highness, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero the Emir Of Kano, From 29th To 31st Of May 2021.

It was sent in for publication by WADONOR editor in chief, cultural voice of the Niger Delta