Baffa Bichi, Secretary to the State Government, said that the reason for demolishing the beautiful roundabout, which cost millions of naira, was the Christian cross engraved on it. The roundabout was constructed by the immediate past governor, Abdullahi Ganduje.Baffa emphasized that the existence of a Christian cross on the roundabout contradicted the beliefs and values of the predominantly Muslim population of Kano.
Baffa made the revelation during an interview recently on Freedom Radio in Kano. “The roundabout is obstructing the view of motorists, and secondly, if you use a drone camera, you will see that the roundabout has a large design of a cross on top of it.“And over 99.9 or 100 percent of Kano indigenes are Muslims.
So you can’t have a structure with a large inscription of the cross on it. It’s against Islamic values”, he said.He further added: “Our clerics told us that whenever our beloved Prophet Muhammad saw anything, no matter how little, with a sign of cross on it, he would ensure that such a thing is destroyed.
“So any picture of Kano you snap, you would see a large sign of the cross on it, even the Muhammadu Buhari underpass in Hotoro has a similar design, and I can assure you that plans are underway to make sure those symbols are removed from the bridge.”
The Chief Press Secretary, Sanusi Dawakin Tofa, previously stated in a released in Kano that the roundabout was of poor quality, leading the state government to instruct its demolition.
However, Bichi has provided additional clarification regarding the government’s decision, mentioning that the roundabout contained a Christian cross.
On the demolition of other private structures in the state he had this to say: “Anyone who is defending the encroachment of public institutions like hospitals, schools and Eid grounds is sick and needs medical attention.
“If you encroached on government land and the government collected it back, there is no way you could claim any compensation.“All these structures we are demolishing were illegally acquired and shared among officials of the outgone administration.“
So, anyone demanding compensation should go and meet the person that sold the properties to them because the monies were never remitted into the government account.
“If government collects your property to build infrastructure for the masses, it is obligatory that such individuals would be compensated, but that’s not the case here,” Mr Bichi stressed.
