Zainab Ado Bayero, one of the daughters of the late Emir of Kano, has publicly denied allegations that she mismanaged the financial assistance provided by Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf.
Kano, Nigeria – Zainab Ado Bayero, one of the daughters of the late Emir of Kano, has publicly denied allegations that she mismanaged the financial assistance provided by Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf. The accusations emerged after Zainab, who had previously sought help, made a second appeal for additional support.
In June 2024, Zainab made headlines when she requested financial assistance, revealing that she, her mother, and brother were facing eviction from their apartment in Lagos. She shared that her family had experienced significant hardships since the death of her father, including a lack of permanent housing and financial difficulties in continuing their education.
Responding to her plea, Governor Yusuf stepped in, covering the family’s accommodation expenses and other related costs. According to a statement by the governor’s spokesperson, Mr. Sanusi Bature, he visited Lagos on the governor’s behalf on Tuesday, June 25, 2024, where he met with the General Manager of the apartment, Mr. Sunel Kumar, who had threatened to evict the family.
Zainab expressed deep gratitude for the governor’s timely intervention, noting that they were on the brink of being evicted due to their inability to pay rent. However, just two months later, Zainab sought additional financial support, stating that they required more funds to settle bills and help her brother return to school.
This second request sparked mixed reactions, with some accusing Zainab of mismanaging the funds previously provided by the governor. In an interview with Daily Trust on Monday, Zainab refuted these allegations, insisting that she had no intention of extorting Governor Yusuf. She explained that her renewed plea was driven by the continued financial challenges her family faced.
“I can’t be in this situation with no home, my brother not in school, and we’ll be going from place to place. I decided to plead with him [the governor] again. I did interviews, and in those interviews, I thanked him. I’m not blackmailing him, but we need more help to get my brother back to school, to get a home, and anything he wants to help us with,” Zainab said. “I was trying to reach out to him that instead of rent, maybe 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 had given us enough. He could have just made that clear without making it seem like I’m greedy or trying to blackmail him. I’m not greedy. I’m not trying to extort the governor if that’s what they’re trying to suggest. That’s not the case.”
Zainab further lamented the judgment she faced on social media, stating that people were quick to label her as greedy without understanding her family’s long-standing struggles. She revealed that her father’s family had denied them any share of his inheritance since his death a decade ago, forcing them into a continuous struggle for survival.
“Different people pleaded with my father’s sons to give us something tangible to start living – to buy us a home, to get us back to school, to give us something to do business with, but they refused. That is why we have been seeking help from my father’s friends and others. The same people would inquire from my father’s family, but they would shut down and refuse to help us. I don’t know why, or what stories they tell about us. So that is why this has been going on. Some people helped us along the way, but it wasn’t much. They would rent a home for us for one year, then the rent would expire, and we would be back on the streets with nowhere to go.”
Zainab emphasized that she had made it clear that the Kano State governor had paid for their hotel bill and provided them with financial assistance, but the continued hardships forced her to seek further help.
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