Aminu Kano (1920—April 17, 1983) was a Muslim politician from Nigeria. In the 1940s he led an Islamic movement in the north of the country in opposition to British rule.^[1] The Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport and the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, both in Kano, Kano State, are named after him.

Life and early career[link]

Aminu Kano was born to the family of an Islamic scholar, Mallam Yusuf of the scholarly Gyanawa fulani clan, who was a mufti at the Alkali court in Kano. He attended Katsina College and later went to the University of London's, Institute of Education, alongside Tafawa Balewa. He earned his teaching certificate after completing his studies at Katsina College and subsequently became a teacher; he started teaching at the Bauchi training College.

While in Bauchi, he spoke freely on political issues and extended his educational horizon by engaging in some various political and educational activities beyond his formal teaching duties. He wrote a pamphlet, 'Kano, Under the Hammer of the Native Administration, and along with Balewa, was a member of the Bauchi General Improvement Union. He was also a secretary of the Bauchi Discussion Circle, a group whose activities were later constricted as a result of an attack on indirect rule by Aminu Kano.^[2] In 1948, he became the head of the teacher training center in Maru, Sokoto and was also the secretary of the Northern Teachers Association.

During this period, he established an organization to improve the quality of Koranic schools in the north.

Pre-Independence and first republic[link]

While in Sokoto, he became a member of Jam'iyyar Mutanen Arewa, a Northern Nigeria cultural association that later evolved into a political party and became the dominant party in Northern Nigeria during the Nigerian First Republic. However, in 1950, he led a splinter group of young radicals from Jam'iyyar Mutanen Arewa, and formed the Northern Elements Progressive Union (NEPU). Notably, a few years earlier, an Igbira man and trader, Habib Raji Abdallah had founded an organization called the Northern Elements Progressive Association in Kano. The organization was founded along the nationalistic political thoughts of Nnamdi Azikiwe.^[3] In 1949, a few of Azikiwe's supporters were jailed including Abdallah, leading to the breakup of the organization

Nevertheless, a new progressive union led by Aminu Kano and composed of progressive leaning teachers and some radical intellectuals such as Magaji Dambatta, Abba Maikwaru and Bello Ijumu emerged to fill any vacuum in political radicalism in the region. The members were largely connected together in their opposition to the management style of the native administration in Northern Nigeria. In 1951, the party contested for seats in the Kano primary elections and was fairly successful. However, with the formation of the Northern People's Congress, Mallam Aminu began to face formidable challenges especially in two federal elections. In 1954, Aminu lost a federal House of Representative seat to Maitama Sule and in 1956, he failed to clinch enough votes to win a seat on the Northern Regional Assembly. It wasn't until the 1959 parliamentary election that he succeeded in gaining a major regional seat. He won the Kano East federal seat as a candidate of NEPU, which was already in alliance with the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons.^[4] While in the Federal House of Representative, he was a deputy Chief Whip.

After the first republic was cut short by a military coup. Aminu Kano later served in the military government of General Yakubu Gowon as a federal commissioner for health.

Second republic[link]

After 12 years, the military government in September 1978, lifted its proscription of political parties. In the following months, five newly formed parties began to emerge: the Nigerian People's Party, the Unity Party of Nigeria and three others. Among them was the People's Redemption Party, led by Aminu Kano, Sam Ikoku, and Edward Ikem Okeke. The party leaned towards a populist framework and enjoyed the support of prominent labor leaders such as Michael Imoudu.^[5] In 1979, the party presented Aminu Kano as its presidential candidate but he could not muster enough votes to win. Nevertheless, the party won two gubernatorial seats.

Reformist ideas[link]

Aminu Kano co-founded the Northern Elements Progressive Union as a political platform to challenge what he felt was the autocratic and feudalistic actions of the Native Northern Government. He geared his attack on the ruling elite including the emirs, who were mostly Fulanis. The potency of his platform was strengthened partly because of his background. His father was an acting Alkali in Kano who came from a lineage of Islamic clerics, Aminu Kano also brought up Islamic ideas on equity in his campaign trails during the first republic. Many talakawas (commoners) in Kano lined up behind his message and his political stature grew from the support of the Kano commoners and migratory petty traders in the north.^[6] Many of the tradesmen later manned the offices of NEPU. He also sought to use politics to create an egalitarian Northern Nigerian society.

Another major idea of his in the prelude to the first republic was the breakup of ethnically based parties. The idea was well received by his emerging support base of petty traders and craftsmen in towns along the rail track. The men and women were mostly migratory individuals searching for trade opportunities and had little ethnic similarities with their host communities. He also proposed a fiscal system that favors heavy taxation of the rich in the region and was notably one of the few leading Nigerian politicians that supported equal rights for women.

Mallam Aminu Kano is highly respected politician in Northern Nigeria.He symbolized democratization, women empowerment and freedom of speech. A college in Kano and a major street are also named after him in Kano. His house where he lived and died and buried has been converted to Centre for Democratic Research and Training under the Bayero University Kano.

Political quotes[link]

References[link]

1. ^ "Reference Page on Federal Republic of Nigeria". NigeriaInfonet.com. KEK Technology Inc. http://www.nigeriainfonet.com/nigeriahistory.htm. Retrieved 2007-05-17. 
2. ^ Rosalynde Ainslie, Catherine Hoskyns, Ronald Segal; Political Africa: A Who's Who of Personalities and Parties. Frederick A. Praeger, 1961. p 122.
3. ^ K. W. J. Post; The Nigerian Federal Election of 1959: Politics and Administration in a Developing Political System Oxford University Press, 1963. p 73
4. ^ Ainslie p 123
5. ^ Ergun Ozbudun, Myron Weiner; Competitive Elections in Developing Countries, Duke University Press, 1987. p 211-214
6. ^ M. G. Smith; Government in Kano, 1350-1950, Westview Press, 1997. p 492-493.

Further reading[link]

• Callaway, Barbara J (July 1987). "Women and Political Participation in Kano City". Comparative Politics 19 (4): 379–393. DOI:10.2307/421813. JSTOR 421813. 
• Feinstein, Alan; Feinstein, Alan (1988). "African Revolutionary: The Life and Times of Nigeria's Aminu Kano". Canadian Journal of African Studies 22 (2): 347. DOI:10.2307/485917. JSTOR 485917. 

Kano
—  City  —
Panorama of Kano from Dala Hill
Kano Map of Nigeria showing the location of Kano
Coordinates: 12°00′N 8°31′E / 12°N 8.517°E / 12; 8.517Coordinates: 12°00′N 8°31′E / 12°N 8.517°E / 12; 8.517
Country	Nigeria
State	Kano State
Government
• Governor	Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso (PDP)
Area
• Metro	499 km2 (193 sq mi)
Population (2006 census)
• City	2,163,225
• Metro	2,828,861
	[1]
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+1)

Kano is a city in Nigeria and the capital of Kano State in Northern Nigeria. Its metropolitan population is the second largest in Nigeria after Lagos. The Kano Urban area covers 137 km² and comprises six Local Government Area (LGAs) - Kano Municipal, Fagge, Dala, Gwale, Tarauni and Nassarawa - with a population of 2,163,225 at the 2006 Nigerian census. The Metropolitan Area covers 499 km² and comprises eight LGAs - the six mentioned above plus Ungogo and Kumbotso - with a population of 2,828,861 at the 2006 Nigerian census.

The principal inhabitants of the city are of the Hausa people. As in most parts of Northern Nigeria, the Hausa Language is widely spoken in Kano. The city is the capital of the Kano Emirate, and the current Emir, Ado Bayero, has been on the throne since 1963. The city is home to the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, the main airport serving northern Nigeria and was named after Nigerian politician Aminu Kano.

History[link]

1850 steel engraving of Kano

In the 7th century, Dala Hill, a residual hill in Kano, was the site of a hunting and gathering community that engaged in iron work; it is unknown whether these were Hausa people or speakers of Niger–Congo languages.^[2] Kano was originally known as Dala, after the hill, and was referred to as such as late as the end of the 15th century and the beginning of the 16th by Bornoan sources.^[3]

The Kano Chronicle identifies Barbushe, a priest of a Dala Hill spirit, as the city's first settler. (Elizabeth Isichei notes that the description of Barbushe is similar to those of Sao people.)^[4] While small chiefdoms were previously present in the area, according to the Kano Chronicle, Bagauda, a grandson of the mythical hero Bayajidda,^[5] became the first king of Kano in 999, reigning until 1063.^[6][7] His grandson Gijimasu (1095–1134), the third king, began building city walls at the foot of Dalla Hill, and his own son, Tsaraki (1136–1194), the fifth king, completed them during his reign.^[7]

Gate to the Gidan Rumfa in 2005

Muhammad Rumfa ascended to the throne in 1463 and reigned until 1499. During his reign, he reformed the city, expanded the Sahelian Gidan Rumfa (Emir's Palace), and played a role in the further Islamization of the city,^[8] as he urged prominent residents to convert.^[9] The Kano Chronicle attributes a total of twelve "innovations" to Rumfa.^[10]

According to the Kano Chronicle, the thirty-seventh Sarkin Kano (King of Kano) was Mohammed Sharef (1703–1731). His successor, Kumbari dan Sharefa (1731–1743), engaged in major battles with Sokoto.

Fulani conquest and rule[link]

At the beginning of the 19 century, Fulani Islamic leader Usman dan Fodio led a jihad affecting much of northern Nigeria, leading to the emergence of the Sokoto Caliphate. Kano was the largest and most prosperous province of the empire.^[11] This was one of the last major slave societies, with high percentages of enslaved population long after the Atlantic slave trade had been cut off. Heinrich Barth, a German scholar who spent several years in northern Nigeria in the 1850s, estimated the percentage of slaves in Kano to be at least 50%, most of whom lived in slave villages.^[11]

The city suffered famines from 1807–10, in the 1830s, 1847, 1855, 1863, 1873, 1884, and from 1889 until 1890.^[12]

From 1893 until 1895, two rival claimants for the throne fought a civil war, or Basasa. With the help of royal slaves, Yusufu was victorious over Tukur, and claimed the title of emir.^[13]

British colonization and rule[link]

Kano in December 1930. Air photo taken by Swiss pilot and photographer Walter Mittelholzer.

British forces captured Kano in 1903 and made it the administrative centre of Northern Nigeria. It was replaced as the centre of government by Kaduna, and only regained administrative significance with the creation of Kano State following Nigerian independence.

From 1913 to 1914, as the peanut business was expanding, Kano suffered a major drought, which caused a famine.^[14] Other famines during British rule occurred in 1908, 1920, 1927, 1943, 1951, 1956, and 1958.^[12]

By 1922, groundnut trader Alhassan Dantata had become the richest businessman in Kano, surpassing fellow merchants Umaru Sharubutu Koki and Maikano Agogo.^[15]

In May 1953, an inter-ethnic riot arose due to southern newspapers misreporting on the nature of a disagreement between northern and southern politicians in the House of Representatives.^[16] Thousands of Nigerians of southern origin died as a result of the riot.^[17]

Post-independence history[link]

Ado Bayero became Emir of Kano in 1963. Kano state was created in 1967 from the then Northern Nigeria by the Federal military government. The first military Police commissioner Audu Bako is credited with building a solid foundation for the progress of a modern society. Most of the social amenities in the state are credited to him.^{[citation needed]} The first civilian governor was Abubakar Rimi.

In December 1980, radical preacher Mohammed Marwa Maitatsine led riots in Kano. He was killed by security forces, but his followers later started uprisings in other northern cities.^[18]

After the introduction of sharia in Kano State in 2000, many Christians left the city.^[19] 100 people were killed in riots over the sharia issue during October 2001.^[20]

In November 2007, political violence broke out in the city after the People's Democratic Party (PDP) accused the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) of rigging the November 17, 2007 local government elections.^[21] (The ANPP won in 36 of the state's 44 Local Government Areas.)^[22] Hundreds of youths took to the streets, over 300 of whom were arrested; at least 25 people were killed. Buildings set on fire include a sharia police station, an Islamic centre, and a council secretariat. 280 federal soldiers were deployed around the city.^[23]

In January 2012 a series of bomb attacks in Kano killed up to 162 people. Four police stations, the State Security Service headquarters, passport offices and immigration centres were attacked. Militants of the Boko Haram claimed responsibility.^[24] After the bombings, Kano was placed under curfew.^[25]

Geography[link]

Kano is located at 481 meters (or about 1580 feet) above sea level. The city lies to the north of the Jos Plateau, located in the Sudanian Savanna region that stretches across the south of the Sahel. The city lies near where the Kano and Challawa rivers flowing from the southwest converge to form the Hadejia River, which eventually flows into Lake Chad to the east.

Climate[link]

The region features savanna vegetation and a hot, semi-arid climate. Kano sees on average about 873 mm of precipitation per year,^[26] the bulk of which falls from June through September. Kano is typically very hot throughout the year, though from December through February, the city is noticeably cooler. Nighttime temperatures are cool during the months of December, January and February, with average low temperatures ranging from 11°-14°C.

Demographics[link]

Kano is largely Muslim. The majority of Kano Muslims are Sunni, though a minority adhere to the Shia branch (see Shia in Nigeria). Christians and followers of other non-Muslim religions form a small part of the population, and traditionally lived in the Sabon Gari, or Foreign Quarter.^[20]

Transportation/Aviation[link]

Kano is strategically located and owing to its leading position as commercial hub in the sub-Saharan Africa. Kano is linked to many African cities by road. Fleets of trucks and buses and other link Kano with many cities in Niger, Chad, Cameroon and Republic of Benin. Kabo Air, an airline, has its head office on the grounds of Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport in Kano.^[28] Kano is also linked to Europe, Middle east, and north Africa. Kano Airport is served by Egypt Air, Saudi Arabian Airlines, Middle East Air, KLM.^[29] It is also connected to Lagos and Abuja by several domestic airlines (IRS, Dana Air, Bellview, Arik and others)

Economy[link]

Elaborately dressed horseman returns after paying tribute to Emir of Kano during the Durbar of October 2006

Kano has long been the economic centre of northern Nigeria, and a centre for the production and export of peanuts. Kano houses the Bayero University and a railway station with trains to Lagos routed through Kaduna, while Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport lies nearby. Because Kano is north of the rail junction at Kaduna, it has equal access to the seaports at Lagos and Port Harcourt.

Formerly walled, most of the gates to the Old City survive. The Old City houses the vast Kurmi Market, known for its crafts, while old dye pits – still in use – lie nearby. Also in the Old City are the Emir's Palace, the Great Mosque, and the Gidan Makama Mosque. Kano has six districts. They are the Old City, Bompai, Fagge, Sabon Gari, Syrian Quarter, and Nassarawa.^[30] The city also contains the Gidan Makama Museum Kano, housed in a 15th century building that is a National Monument.

As of November 2007, there are plans to establish an information technology park in the city.^[31]

The city is supplied with water by the nearby Challawa Gorge Dam, which is also being considered as a source of hydro power.^[32]

The airline Kabo Air has its head office in the city.^[33]

Durbar Festival[link]

The Emir of Kano hosts a Durbar to mark and celebrate the two annual Muslim festivals and Eid-ul-Fitr (to mark the end of the Holy Month of Ramadan) and Eid al-Adha (to mark the Hajj Holy Pilgrimage). The Durbar culminates in a procession of highly elaborately dressed horsemen who pass through the city to the Emir's palace. Once assembled near the palace, groups of horsemen, each group representing a nearby village, take it in turns to charge towards the Emir, pulling up just feet in front of the seated dignitaries to offer their respect and allegiance.

References[link]

Further reading[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Kano

• Maconachie, Roy (2007). Urban Growth and Land Degradation in Developing Cities: Change and Challenges in Kano, Nigeria. King's SOAS Studies in Development Geography. Ashgate Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7546-4828-4. 
• Barau, Aliyu Salisu (2007). The Great Attractions of Kano. Research and Documentation Directorate, Government House Kano. ISBN 978-8109-33-0. 

External links[link]

Nigeria portal

• Kano Online