The Wazirin Katsina, Sani Lugga, has resigned shortly after responding to an administrative query issued by the Emirate Council requesting him to explain his comment on insecurity in the state.
The Wazirin Katsina, who is the political adviser to the Emir of Katsina, Abdulmuminu Kabir, is one of the most influential counsellors in the palace. He is a professor of management studies and has a masters degree in conflict resolution.
The emirate spokesperson, Sarkin Labarai Katsina, Ibrahim Bindawa, confirmed the development.
“As you have asked, let me be direct please. The Wazirin Katsina has sent in his resignation to His Highness,” he said without providing details.
Check made by this newspaper revealed that Mr Lugga was not the first public office or traditional title holder to complain on insecurity in Katsina.
Governor Aminu Masari, the emir, Abdulmuminu Aminu, District Head of Batsari, state lawmakers and other top appointees have also been vocal against banditry.
Several newspapers in the country reported how Mr Lugga, during a paper presentation in Ilorin, Kwara State said the security situation in Katsina is worsening.
He was quoted to have said: “We are no longer counting the number of deaths because there is no single day in the last two and half years that somebody will not be killed or abducted in the state. It is really a state of war. It is more than conflict.”
It waslearnt from a palace source, a senior district head and kingmaker in the emirate who asked not to be named, how the Waziri resigned.
“He responded to the query but also went ahead to resign. We are all not happy to be honest with you and His Highness didn’t take it personal when he (Waziri) was queried.
“He was expected to respond and have the response kept for record purposes. The resignation took us by surprise,” the highly placed monarch said.
He said the emirate has accepted the resignation though no official statement has been released on the issue.
Another palace source said Mr Lugga wrote in four pages as a response to the query issued to him and followed it with a two-page resignation letter, detailing why he could not continue serving the emirate.
“I actually didn’t see the query but I saw his response and the resignation letter.
“May be he didn’t seek clearance from the emirate council before commenting on the issue in his capacity as Wazirin Katsina.
“But in his response, he wrote that he said what he said because it is the truth. He insisted that the Emir, district heads and even the state governor have all complained on the level of insecurity in the state.
“So, I think it is because he felt the issue (insecurity) has become public knowledge that he said that. The query, I understand, is an administrative one; just for formalities and nothing more,” he said.
Mr Lugga was appointed as the Wazirin Katsina in 2002 by the father of the current Emir. Mr Lugga’s grandfather, Sheikh Haruna, was the first Wazirin Katsina. His father, Abubakar Lugga, was the Sarkin Dawa (Emirate Councillor in charge of Forestry and Natural Resources)
