One of the daughters of the late Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero, Zainab Ado Bayero, according report gathered by Raye24reporters, did not effectively manage the financial assistance provided by the Governor of Kano State, Abba Kabir Yusuf.
It would be recalled that the governor had intervened in June 2024 to help Zainab, her brother, and her mother, who were on the brink of eviction from their Lagos apartment.
Spokesperson to governor Yusuf, Sanusi Dawakin Tofa, had confirmed that the governor personally visited Lagos to resolve the issue.
Tofa recounted how Yusuf met with the apartment’s General Manager, Mr. Sunel Kumar, who was prepared to evict the family. The debt was paid off, and additional financial assistance was extended to Zainab.
At the time, Zainab expressed gratitude for the governor’s intervention, stating that her family had faced significant challenges since the passing of her father, the late Emir.
However, sources have now indicated that the money provided was not used effectively, leading to continued financial difficulties for the family.
Two months later, Zainab came out again to solicit for support for her family, saying the money given by the Kano State Governor wasn’t enough to take care of their expenses.
In an interview with Premium Times on Friday, Zainab said her family has been going through difficult time trying to survive.
She added that their hotel booking had expired, and they would have to check out on Saturday, August 23, with no place to stay.
The princess said she learnt the governor was planning to get her family a house in Kano, but they would prefer a ₦150 million residence in Lagos.
“We’ve been trying to survive and find ways to get back on our feet and return to a proper environment—to have a home, not renting or moving from hotel to hotel. We would love the governor to help us buy or give us money to get a house here in Lagos.
“Since our father’s death, we believe it would be better to relocate to Lagos and start a new life for safety and freedom and to live our lives the way we want. However, with the current skyrocketing prices, we’re looking at around ₦150 million for 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” she said in the interview.
However, some officials close to the Kano State government contradicted the princess, saying Governor Yusuf gave enough money to the family, but it was squandered.
The sources accused Zainab of mismanaging the money, saying instead of renting a house in Lagos, she (Zainab) focused on other things.
They said the Governor had spent N10m on Zainab and her family.
They said ₦6m was directly transferred to Zainab’s bank account to settle house rent for one year and other running costs, ₦1m for relocation from service apartment to rental apartment and ₦3m for settlement of backlog on accommodation.
But when contacted, Zainab refuted the allegation of squandering the money released by the governor.
“I can’t be in this situation with no home, my brother not in school and we’ll be going out from place to places. I decided to plead with him again. I did interviews and in those interviews, I thanked him. I’m not blackmailing him but said we need more help to get my brother back to school, to get a home, anything he wants to help us with. I was trying to reach out to him that instead of rent, maybe if he could buy us a home. I was pleading, seeking his assistance. That was why I went back to the media but he felt he has given us enough, he could have just made that clear but not making it seem like I’m greedy or I’m trying to blackmail him. It’s not the case,” she told Daily Trust.
