There are fresh account how Princess Zainab Jummai Bayero, the daughter of the late Emir of Kano, Ado Bayero received N10 million from Kano government to upset her financial liability.
Zainab on Friday granted exclusive interview with premium times specifically requested Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf to support her housing and financial needs.
But before the recent public outcry, Zainab had made similar appeal in June 2024 for financial assistance to settle backlog of house rent in Lagos, a emotional concern that attracted the attention of Governor Yusuf who urgently approved the necessary financial support.
Barely two months later, Zainab had opened up again about the struggles her family has endured since her father’s death. She revealed that they have been living in precarious conditions, moving from one hotel to another, and have been unable to secure a stable home.
“I know a lot of people will be very surprised that the daughter of an Emir is in this kind of situation,” Zainab said, describing the challenges of being born into a polygamous family where divisions became more pronounced after her father’s death.
“His death left a void within the family. Everyone was alone, especially me, my mother, and my younger brother. We were not given a part of his estate, so we were left in a terrible situation, which has been going on for ten years.”
She told Premium Times that her family has been trying to rebuild their lives and find a permanent residence, preferably in Lagos, where they hope to start anew. She added that the escalating cost of living, particularly the high real estate prices in Lagos, has made this aspiration challenging. Zainab estimated that they would need around N150 million to purchase a house in Lagos.
However, available evidence indicated that Zainab received a total sum of N10 million from Kano state government between June and July 2024 for housing and upkeep and suddenly went broke again and return to seeking for another round of public begging.
According to evidence record, a transfer of N6m was directly made to Zainab’s account in July to pay a one year advance rent of new accommodation and take care of some financial needs courtesy of Kano state government.
Before the N6 million naira, it was also revealed that Kano state government made N4 million transfer to Zainab’s account in June 2024 to relocation from service apartment to a rental apartment and settle a backlog on previous rent.
Instead of Zainab to make good use of the financial support from the state government, she diverted the N6 million to pay for placement of her documentary film in a Lagos cenima, a credible source revealed.
Although, Zainab confessed to have received financial support from Governor Yusuf, she had failed to disclosed the exact amount and she lavished same to the public.
The same Zainab who openly appreciated the state government for coming to their rescue when it matters most, now telling the public that the earlier financial support received was insufficient to cover their expenses.
When contacted on the development, Director General, Media and Publicity, Kano state Government house, Sanusi Bature Dawakin-Tofa said Governor Yusuf has done the needful at the right time to rescue Zainab and her brother from public embarrassment.
