Kano State to Ban Men And Women Moving Together

Tricycles in Nigeria

The Kano state government led by Abdullah Umar Gandule has set  January 1^st 2020 for the ratification of the ban on men and women sharing the same public tricycles. 

He made this known at the closing of the 77^th annual Islamic Vocational Course

(IVC) of the Muslim Students Society of Nigeria (MSSN) held today (26^th December) at the Ado Bayero University Kano. 

The head of Kano Hisba, Huruna Ibn Sina, was there to show the agencies readiness to enforce the ban across the state. The ban seeks to make sure all public transport vehicles (buses, taxis and tricycles) carry only members of one gender at a time according to the belief that free mixing of members of opposite gender is haram (forbidden). 

Kano state adopted elements of the Shari'ah penal code on June 21st 2000.

Previous attempts to enforce the ban have received both praises and bashing. 

Those who hail the move say they’ve always been irked have the body of people of opposite gender rubbing against theirs. 

Those who have always inveighed against the plan raise concerns that relatives of opposite gender (brother and sister, husband and wife, son and mother, etc) might want to visit places the location of which is known by only one party ergo, boarding different vehicles could lead to a surge in missing person’s cases. 

Some of those in opposition have also argued from the Islamic point of view. They have said the move would make it impossible for women to go out with a mahram which is mandated by scripture from the point of view of majority of Islamic schools of thought. 

The mahram of a woman is a male relative of hers, either her husband or any matured male with whom marriage is not permissible i.e. her father, brother, uncle, nephew and grandfather. 

Critics have also opined that the move is intended to divert attention away from the acute lack of basic necessities of life in the state. 

There are also fears that the move could lead to a hike in transport fare in towns as transport operators will be restricted to the gender of the first person to board. Operators might start going the same distances with fewer passengers. 

Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje

Abdullahi Umar Gandule who has been nick named ‘Gandollar’ by  some has been heavily criticized as being both sanctimonious and obsequious and being only interested in enforcing the law on everyone safe himself and associates. 

On October 14th and 15th 2018, Ganduje appeared in videos that showed him receiving bribes for contracts. On December 6th 2018, a High Court in Kano state presided over by Justice A.T. Badamasi blocked the Kano state house of assembly from probing him for corruption. 

The premise was that the House did not have the constitutional right to probe the case, he still has a $5 million fraud case on his head which could take the death penalty under Shari'ah law. 

On January 18 2019, the Kano state government revoked the 1.6 billion naira contract with Tiamin Multi Services Ltd, the company is owned by Aminu Mohammed, the person behind the video recording. 

On January 31st 2019, Ganduje was endorsed for a second four year term as governor of Kano state by the president, Muhammadu Buhari who became president on the mandate of fighting corruption. Ganduje won the election amidst gross irregularities and bloodshed.