It was sometime in October 1963 that Alhaji Ado Bayero was crowned the Emir of Kano to succeed his late uncle Muhammad Inuwa, thereby becoming the 13th Emir since the Sokoto Jihad in 1804. He is therefore 45 years old on the throne making him the longest-reigning emir in Kano. Bayero is certainly a man of destiny whose reign has been most exciting and eventful.

Like Prophet Yusuf, whose father Prophet Yaqub and grandfather, Prophet Ishaq were both prophets of God, Bayero's father (Abdullahi Bayero, 1926-1953) and (Muhammadu Abbas 1903-1919) were both emirs of Kano. In fact, his two great grandfathers were also emirs beginning with the second emir, Ibrahim Dabo, who reigned between 1819 and 1846 and Abdullahi, the father of Abbas, who reigned between 1855 and 1883.

Kano is therefore getting agog to celebrate the 45th anniversary of their highly-respected Emir in November with organising committees already set up. The National Organising Committee was set up by the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence, Alhaji Muhammad Sa'ad Abubakar (III) under the chairmanship of the Emir of Kazaure, Alhaji Najib Adamu. The Local Organising Committee under Professor Sani Zahraddin was recently inaugurated by the Kazaure emir. We rejoice with the Emir for this great feat and thank God for witnessing it. I was there in 1963 when he received his staff of office at the Kofar Mata stadium, Kano. As a young primary three school kid, one recalls the exhilarating excitement and glorious ceremony at the time.

History is now set to repeat itself as Kano is mobilising for the ceremony being organised by the Caliphate itself in honour of one of its commanders during the jihad, the Sarkin Yaki of the whole Caliphate and the Emir of Kano. One of the events being slated is a public lecture at which President Umaru Yar'adua is expected to attend. The Guest Lecturer is no other than the Dan Masani of Kano himself, Alhaji Yusuf Maitama Sule. The Emir's contemporary and schoolmate, no one is better suited to talk about the Emir than the Dan Masani who knew him right from an early age of life. He is a witness to virtually all the Emir's achievements in life: whether as a policeman, a diplomat or as an emir. The lecture is expected to be very revealing and promising: we will probably know how and what makes come to come to become!

The legacy of Bayero's reign is quite chequered and will be remembered for centuries to come. Though this is not his eulogy, occasions of this nature demand the recounting of someone's achievements in his lifetime. I believe he will best be remembered and cherished as a dynamic sustainer of both tradition and change in Kano. While supporting modernity and change in all aspects of the society, he also vigorously championed the preservation of traditions of the royalty and the Hausa culture and Islam. How he survived the military and civilian administrations since the First Republic is still a mystery to me.

Maybe one day, historians will tell us the secret behind his success in maintaining the balance between tradition and modernity with honour and dignity. He is today one of the greatest promoters of Islam in Kano in all the 44 local government areas. He is always very busy either commissioning mosques, Islamic schools or one Islamic school or the other. Islam has received tremendous boost from his active financial and moral support in the state. Similarly, western education blossomed like wildfire during his reign.

Under my very eyes, primary and secondary schools systematically grew and spread throughout Kano. Whereas in the 1960s one could count the number of schools on one's fingers, it is now almost an impossible exercise. For example, in 1967, there were only about five government-owned secondary schools and less number of teachers' colleges in the state; now the number is in hundreds. Kano Emirate under him has expanded now with forty-four district heads even as the Emirate lost some areas with the creation of Jigawa State.

In the field of business, Kano continues to grow with several markets adorning the Emirate. With its slogan as the "Centre of Business", an environment that's conducive for the growth of business and industries was created. His Highness was always present at commissioning industries. The population has also swelled making the state or if you like the Emirate the most populous in the country. The existence of a ready-made market because of its huge captive market makes Kano an additional attraction for business and industries.

Business and industries also attract a large army of job seekers from far and wide with skilled labour of all manner of persons looking for greener pasture. Above all, the personal character of the Emir of humility and integrity and non-involvement in business created an even field and participation of all without any fear of discrimination. To date, the Emir has resisted the temptation to actively participate in business either as a contractor or trader; He has also shielded his children and close relations from engaging in market, trading and government contracts.

Anyone close to him interested in business should do so outside the state. In other words, the principle was that the royalty should not compete with their subjects in their area of livelihood. This singular act to my mind is what makes Bayero a shining example of justice and fairness throughout the Caliphate unlike other places where the royalty is deeply in competition with their subjects, thereby creating disharmony in the system.

Certainly, it has not been smooth sailing for the Emir in the last 45 years. His greatest challenge came in the early 1980s when Governor Muhammad Abubakar Rimi issued him a query for crossing his line of authority. This led to serious breakdown of law and order when the opposition political party seized the opportunity and organised mayhem in the city. A few years later, General Buhari was disciplined together with the Oni of Ife for visiting Israel.

Finally, we congratulate the emir and wish him more years of service to humanity in general and to the people of Kano in particular. We urge him to maintain his role as the father of all and refuse the subterranean pressure to support or be identified with any political party. He should also train his children to avoid getting involved in business as he has been doing and learnt from his father, Emir Abdullahi Bayero. It was said that his father's (Sarki Alhaji's) policy when Arab traders or even British businessmen came to him to send them to the Madaki of Kano (Senior Councillor) to introduce the businessmen to only reputable Kano businessmen. He never sent them to his children or relations as is very common these days elsewhere. We pray to also witness the celebration of his golden jubilee (50th) anniversary in 2013. May the Emir continue to live long!