TheCable

Sa’adatu Barkindo Musdafa, the new bride of Muhammadu Sanusi II, the Emir of Kano, will go to the UK for an undergraduate course in computer science in January 2016, TheCable understands.

The princess, who is a daughter of Barkindo Aliyu Musdafa, the Lamido of Adamawa, was officially given in marriage to Sanusi II on Friday after Jumma’at prayer — although the union will effectively be “on hold” until she completes her studies in 2019.

A family source told TheCable that Sanusi II, an advocate of female education in northern Nigeria, is “very delighted” with the resolve of his bride to pursue her academic interest in information technology.

All of his three wives are university graduates, while one of them is currently undertaking a master’s programme.

TheCable learnt that Sa’adatu demonstrated significant knowledge of computer science in her O’Level, scoring an “A” in the school certificate exam.

“Her ambition is to be an IT expert and she has already secured admission to a UK university to further her studies. Effectively, she will be there till the age of 21 when she is supposed to return to Nigeria and, as it were, officially assume the position of Sanusi’s fourth wife,” the source said.

Female education

The Lamido of Adamawa, who holds a PhD in engineering, is said to be very excited at the examples the northern royals are setting in giving education to women in a region considered to be very conservative about female and western education.

Sanusi II’s first wife, Sadiya, who is a daughter of the late emir, Ado Bayero, holds a bachelor’s degree in education (history) from the Bayero University Kano (BUK) and speaks Arabic.

The second wife, Maryam, holds a BA (combined honours) in Arabic and Islamic studies also from BUK and is about completing her dissertation for a master’s degree in education from the University of Abuja. She speaks Arabic and Italian.

The third wife, Rakiya, has an LLB (law) from Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) and an LLM from the University of London.

Sa’adatu will now complete Sanusi II’s Islamic marital quota after her university education at the age of 21.

Cultural differences

Another family source told TheCable that the “hysteria” on the social media about the new bride was “condescending and unfair”.

“To call an 18-year-old woman a child and spread propaganda about ‘child marriage’ is nothing but mischief taken to another height. In Nigeria, the legal age for marriage is 18. At that age, you can vote and you can drive. This is also the legal age for marriage in most western countries,” she said.

“It is very disrespectful to Sa’adatu to call her a child. There is a lot of ignorance about Islamic concept of marriage and many people are trying to force their own traditions on Muslims with this belief that they have a superior culture.

“Ordinarily, that the Lamido of Adamawa’s daughter and Emir of Kano’s wife is going to school in the UK is something that should set an example for how girls need to be educated.

“It also promotes the notion that marriage should never be allowed to interrupt the education of a promising woman. There is this assumption that once you marry, your education stops. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Two of Sanusi’s wives are still pursuing their academic interests.”

Sanusi’s daughters

Sanusi’s “obsession” with western education for girls and women, a family friend told TheCable, is evident in his immediate family.

“He has seven daughters and four of them are now undergraduates,” he said.

“One is studying law at Buckingham University in the UK. The second is a biology major at New York University, US. Both will graduate next year. The third is studying accounting and finance at Swansea University, UK, while the fourth is taking media studies at the American University in Paris, France.

“You can accuse Sanusi of all things but you cannot deny the fact that he takes educating girls and women very seriously. There is this stereotype out there that once a woman is married in northern Nigeria, she becomes a sex slave. It is very unfortunate.”

Limits of libido

Another source, who is an Islamic scholar, described as “laughable” suggestions that Sanusi took a new wife because he cannot cage his libido.

“It is ridiculous to even suggest that. The emir does not need to marry any new wife if it is all about sex. After all, you have monogamists who sleep with all kinds of women any day and any time. To suggest that he took a new bride because of sex is part of the backward thinking that women are only for sex,” he said.

“Those who think women are nothing but the object of sexual desire and marriage is nothing but sexual gratification need to understand the deeper meaning of marriage in Fulani and Islamic traditions.

“Sa’adatu is a young lady and a princess of noble birth whose mother is also a princess, and who has been brought up in a good Muslim home. This is the kind of woman that is prepared for giving birth to princes and bringing them up for the role expected of them in the society.”

A marriage of two emirates

Sanusi II’s marriage also represents a “cementing” of the historical ties between the two emirates.

Sanusi’s grandfather, Muhammadu Sanusi I, and Aliyu Musdafa, the father of the current Lamido (Sanusi II’s new father-in-law), were both turbaned around the same period in 1953-54.

The two emirs were known to be very close friends before the death of Sanusi I, while Sanusi II’s mother also married from Adamawa at some point.

“It is only natural that Sanusi II will marry from Adamawa if he decides to take another wife in the tradition of emirs and kings in most African societies,” he said.

It is not uncommon in northern Nigeria for new emirs to take new wives if they have not filled their quota — and the new brides are usually princesses.

Bayero, Sanusi II’s predecessor, also married princesses from Ilorin, Katsina and Sokoto.