Some indigenes and residents of Kano State have condemned the demolition of the historic Kano Government House Roundabout by Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf.
Governor Yusuf ordered the demolition in the early hours of yesterday and personally supervised the demolition which lasted for three hours.
The roundabout known as Kano Golden Jubilee Monument was erected in 2017 to commemorate the state’s 50th anniversary.
Reacting to the development, a former special adviser to the immediate past governor Abdullahi Ganduje, Salihu Tanko Yakasai, said the demolition broke his heart.
Yakasai said, “I woke up to this madness by Abba Rusau, this really breaks my heart. What justifiable reason is there to demolish this monument that has become the symbol of Kano?
“We have not seen any plans for a new Kano. We have not heard of ways to make Kano greater; all they have been doing since assuming office is vindictiveness, some justified, others not so much. Once you lose the goodwill of Kano, there is no gaining it back, even if you will turn it to Mecca.
“The argument that the Kano Monument causes traffic is so baseball. There is huge traffic everyday around 5pm in different parts of Kano. Instead of solving the traffic situation in Kano, you can’t go about destroying a monument. While you’re at it, please look at the Kofar Kabuga underpass constructed by Kwankwaso. It also causes traffic. Since we are all being mad.
“We were told the Kano Monument causes traffic, we were told it causes accidents, we were told Ganduje used it to siphon funds. They don’t even know which argument to put forward in defending this madness. All of these can be addressed without demolishing the monument,” he said.
Also reacting to the demolition on his social media handles, the publisher of Daily Nigerian, Jafar Jafar, described it as a “thoughtless decision.”
Jafar said the monument was designed by a young female architect to commemorate Kano’s Golden Jubilee.
“We must all condemn this thoughtless decision to demolish this monument, designed by a young female architect to commemorate Kano’s Golden Jubilee.
“I support the ongoing demolishing of private buildings in schools, hospitals, mosques, but not wanton destruction of public monuments/buildings, simply because they were built by Ganduje. I do not like the politician in Ganduje but I like some of his projects as a governor.”
Another commentator, Abdullahi Mohammed said the historic roundabout “was the brainchild of the sub-committee on monument, headed by a renowned Kano-born architect and endorsed and approved by the main committee of 51 prominent Kanawas, chaired by the late Prof. Umar and co-chaired by then deputy governor of Kano State, Prof. Hafiz Abubakar.
“The design of the monument was even picked among ten others presented by young and aspiring architects, if my memory doesn’t fail me, I think it was the one designed by a lady that was selected. In their presentation to the main committee back then, the idea behind the design as postulated was that, the lower gate signifies the old city state of Kano, while the bigger gate stands for the ever growing and expanding modern Kano, as for the trumpet atop of the structure, that embodied the hospitable nature of Kano and Kanawas.
“Now back to the senseless destruction of this beautiful edifice, admired not only by Kanawas, but all lovers of classic architecture, of all the recent acts by the State government, this is the most cruel, ill-conceived, and malicious display of insensitivity and common sense.
“The records are at the government’s disposal. Allah ya kyauta,” Muhammed said.
Also lamenting the demolition, another Kano resident, Ali Ahmad Geidam, described the edifice as one of the beautiful landmarks in Nigeria he adores so much.
Geidam wrote on his Facebook page: “One of the most beautiful edifices and landmarks I adore in Kano and Nigeria in general. Sadly, it is now no more.”
The governor had on Sunday demolished shops built by the fence of Sani Abacha Stadium at Kofar Mata, GSS Kofar Nasarawa facing IBB Road and buildings by GGSS Dukawuya, Goron Dutse.
…Governor Yusuf Explains
Kano State governor Abba Kabir Yusuf has stated that the demolition of the Government House Roundabout was in the best interest of the people and the state.
According to a statement by his chief press secretary, Sanusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, prior to the exercise, the government had consulted competent engineers who ascertained to the fact that the roundabout construction was substandard and had the tendency to collapse between 2023 and 2024.
“This is because it is done with used foam work and sandy materials instead of normal cement concrete.
“Also, the structure is too tall to be placed in front of the Government House as it defaces its main gate which blocks the view for security surveillance.
“Additionally, it poses traffic challenges around the area because of its size, blocking the view of drivers accessing all routes linked through the roundabout.
“The government wishes to make it clear that it became very necessary to take down the structure for the purposes of immediate reconstruction and downsizing to ensure visibility of the Government House entrance and safety of motorists,” he said.
