The Kano State Government said it would rebuild a monument it demolished at a popular roundabout near the Government House at a new location within the metropolis.
The acting Press Secretary to the governor of the state, Hisham Habib, in a statement on Sunday, told reporters that the monument would be rebuilt at the Naibawa Flyover- along the entrance of the city on the Zaria Road.
The Secretary to the Kano State Government, Abdullahi Baffa, initially said the monument was pulled down because it carried the Christian symbol of the cross sign.
“The design in the roundabout is blocking road users’ front view because of its size. Secondly, if you use a drone shot of the aerial view of the monument, you will see a sign of a cross, and in Kano, we are 99.9 per cent, if not 100 per cent, Muslims. You cannot put a cross sign in front of a government house.
“Photos showing Kano State has two big crosses, big ones! The one in front of the government house and the one built on the Muhammadu Buhari Interchange flyover at the Hotoro area. The flyover, also from its aerial view, you will see a big cross, and we are now planning to redesign it and remove the cross sign,” Mr Baffa said.
But after residents reacted to the demolition of the monument with outrage, Mr Baffa recanted.
Mr Habib said the governor met with the monument’s designer, Kaltume Bulama, at the new site for the erection of the structure. He expressed the government’s commitment to infrastructural development.
“The place is suitable for the work and will not pose any challenge after a carefully conducted survey and assured the citizens of better projects ahead.
“The designer Kaltume Gana Bulama thanked the governor for preserving her unique work, which was adjudged as a masterpiece.
“The structure, which was designed like a traditional gate and a trumpet on top, was pulled down after it was deemed not suitable for the place, and a better replacement will be put in place,” Mr Habib said.
The structure, commissioned by the immediate past government, was designed in 2017 by Mrs Bulama, a virtual artist, to mark the state’s golden jubilee.
According to the government, the monument showcased the culture, commercial history, and cosmopolitan nature of the city.
(Premium Times)
