‘We’ve not had light since he came but we are happy to have him’ — Awe residents speak on Sanusi’s presence

There has been no electricity in Awe town, Nasarawa state, Since Muhammad Sanusi II, deposed emir of Kano, was brought to the town, residents have told TheCable.

However, the residents say they are happy to have him around with them.

“We have seen him on television, read about him in the newspapers, but we have not seen him in real life. So it’s a thing of joy to have him with us,” Armau Yusuf, one of the workers in the Palace of the emir of Awe, told TheCable.

“In my opinion, I believe he is a true leader. And with patience, the matter could have been handled differently.”

Another palace staff, who asked not to be named, said the wife of the emir of Awe, made food for Sanusi, but the former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, was not allowed to take it.

“His food is being provided by the government,” the palace staff told TheCable.

Nurudeen Mohammed, one of the residents, who prays next to Sanusi’s exile home, said the town has not had electricity since Sanusi came.

“Since Seriki (Sanusi) came here, we have not had light. But we are happy to have him,” Mohammed said.

“We had light for about three to four hours on Monday, but since then, we’ve been in darkness.”

“At night, nobody is allowed to pass here; security everywhere,” he said, pointing to the front of Sanusi’s exile home.

“He’s in the care of the local government chairman (Umar Dan Akano), so they run generator for him. They have been running generator for him since he came”.

Mohammed added that Sanusi’s presence in the community has also created a few jobs, stating that the jobs could be more if government will allow.

“You see the people working on the house, some of them are from here. They just got this work. But others were brought in,” he said.

“We are not allowed to do anything for him, they bring his food, they bring everything he needs. If they allow us, we can supply some of these things.”

When asked if Sanusi had been allowed free movement in the community, the people at the Mosque, who listened to our conversation chorused “no”.

“After seeing him the first day he came, we have not seen him again,” Mohammed added.

“We are glad to have him because we have never had this kind of attention,” one of the men at the Mosque said.

The former emir of Kano was deposed by Abdullahi Ganduje, governor of the state, on Monday, and was immediately banished from the state to Loko, a small town in Nasarawa.

Sanusi was relocated from Loko to Awe on Tuesday afternoon. He has since been housed in Awe.

On Thursday, he was visited by traditional chiefs from within Awe.