Zainab Ado Bayero, daughter of the late Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero, has appealed to President Bola Tinubu, Governor Kabir Yusuf of Kano State, Senate President Godswill Akpabio and other well-meaning Nigerians to assist her family, saying they are currently facing severe financial difficulties.
The appeal came two months after Governor Yusuf intervened to prevent the family from being evicted from their apartment in Lagos. According to the governor’s spokesperson, Mr Sanusi Bature, he arrived in Lagos on June 25, 2024, to meet with the manager of the apartment, Mr Sunel Kumar, where the Ado Bayero family had been residing since early this year.
“The governor’s intervention followed a plea in the newspapers by Princess Zainab Bayero on behalf of her mother and brother, who were allegedly neglected by the royal family after the death of the late Ado Bayero,” Bature stated.
Zainab expressed gratitude for the governor’s timely intervention, noting that they were on the verge of being forcefully evicted when the help arrived.
Zainab however called for further assistance, emphasizing that the support they received from the governor could not sufficiently cover their ongoing expenses. “The assistance we received was not enough to rent a house for a year. Our hotel booking has expired and we’ll have to check out on Saturday, August 23, with no place to stay.
“Being born into a polygamous home, there are a lot of intrigues and divisions. The whole thing started when my daddy died; his death left a void within the family. Everyone was alone, especially me, my mother and my younger brother. We were not given a part of my father’s estate; so, we were left in a terrible situation,” she stated.
In her appeal, Zainab expressed a desire to relocate permanently to Lagos. “Since our father’s death, we believe it would be better to relocate to Lagos and start a new life. However, with the current skyrocketing prices, we’re looking at around N150 million for a house in Lagos.
“I reached out to the governor in a publication on June 23 when my mother, brother and I were staying at a hotel in VI. We haven’t had an apartment since last year and were behind on hotel bills. The next day, he sent someone to settle the bills and asked, ‘What do we need?’ We told him we wanted a home, for my brother to return to school, and something to do.
“The governor, through his representative, gave us some money but we didn’t meet the governor in person; it was all through an intermediary. We don’t know the governor’s plans but he mentioned wanting to buy us a house in Kano. I told him, no, we want a house in Lagos. What he gave us wasn’t enough to rent a house for a year. So, we’ve been trying to find a place but the funds aren’t sufficient. We’re in the same situation again.”
