Meet Kano Musician Loved By Tinubu Who Nominated Ministers

There are few musicians who have the ears of presidents.

Kano State-based musician, Dauda Kahutu, popularly known as Rarara, is one such privileged singer in Nigeria.

Rarara is close to both former president Muhammadu Buhari and the incumbent President Bola Tinubu.

The political relationship between Rarara and President Tinubu dates back to 2022 when he started supporting the latter to win the February 25 presidential election.

Prior to the election, Rarara released a song titled ‘Jagaba Shine Gaba,’ which served as a tribute to President Tinubu.

The song was widely played during Tinubu’s political campaigns and rallies in the northern region, contributing to his acceptance by voters.

Following President Tinubu’s electoral victory, Rarara continued to show his support through music.

He released another song titled ‘Tinubu Shugaban Kasa,’ where he celebrated Tinubu’s presidency and his entrance to “the white house,” referencing the Aso Rock Villa.

However, Rarara’s involvement in politics has not been without controversy.

In March 2023, his residence in Kano State was reportedly set ablaze by political thugs due to his campaign songs and performances at various rallies during the election period.

The incident prompted the Katsina State Government, then led by Governor Aminu Masari, to compensate him and one other musician with a sum of N80 million.

RARARA’s LINK TO BUHARI

Rarara rose to prominence during the 2015 general election in Nigeria, when he produced numerous campaign songs supporting Muhammadu Buhari and criticizing the leadership of Goodluck Jonathan.

He became widely recognized as Buhari’s praise singer.

In September 2020, Rarara garnered attention for a unique fundraising initiative.

He appealed to supporters of Buhari to contribute N1,000 each to fund a two-minute video in praise of the president and reportedly managed to raise a staggering N57 million in less than 48 hours.

Some of Rarara’s notable songs praising Buhari include “Masu Gudu-su-Gudu”, “Buhari ya Dawo”, and “Baba Buhari dodar”.

MINISTERIAL NOMINATIONS

A source told THE WHISTLER that Rarara was instrumental in the nomination of two individuals among the 48 ministerial nominees recently sent by President Tinubu to the Nigerian Senate for confirmation.

The source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, disclosed that Rarara’s influence led to the inclusion of Sani Abubakar Danladi from Taraba and Maryam Shettima from Kano, known as Maryam Shetty, in the initial list of nominees.

They reportedly became close during the different campaigns for Buhari and Tinubu.

However, Shetty was later substituted with another candidate less than 24 hours after the list was submitted.