1) Adam Jama Bihi, who was a senior officer with the Central Bank of Somalia in 1968 cannot recall who the governor of Mogadishu was at the time. He is, however, able to remember that the mayor of the city in 1968 was a very tall man by the name of Sharif Ahmed Aidarus. His surname can also be spelled "Aydarus" or "Eidarus."
A Mr. Sharmarke, who was in Somalia in 1968 and is now with Costi in Toronto, can only remember the nickname of the man who was governor of Mogadishu at the time, which was Harag Wein ("big skin").
2) According to Said Samatar, a professor of history at New Jersey University, governors under Sharmarke had considerably more power than in the successor regime of Siad Barre. They had command of the district police force and significant powers relating to taxation and tax collection.
Mr. Bihi adds, however, that in Mogadishu, because of the central government and the presence of a powerful elected mayor, the governor was little more than a figurehead.
3) According to Prof. Samatar, governors and district commissioners have the same type of powers. The area under a governor's jurisdiction, however, took in that of surrounding areas, making district commissioners subordinate to the governor's authority.