Nasarawa State's Governor Al-Makura joins the ongoing trend by creating four new chiefdoms

NASARAWA State's Governor Umaru Al-Makura has joined in the growing trend of creating new traditional emirates across the country by asking the state house of assembly to create four new chiefdoms.

In what is now becoming a growing trend across Nigeria, Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State decided to carve the Kano Emirate Council into four earlier this month, as a means of reducing the influence of the Emir of Kano Emir Lamido Sanusi Mohammed. Last year, Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State tried to do something similar by creating 10 additions monarchs in the state capital to reduce the influence of the Olubadan of Ibadan.

Plateau State's Governor Simon Lalong also sought to reduce the influence of the Gbong Gwom of Jos Da Jacob Gyang Buba by carving out two traditional councils from his domain. With traditional rulers increasingly being forced by their subjects to criticise bad governance, several governors are not finding their intervention in the political arena funny, thus this trend of curtailing their influence looks set to continue.

On Friday, the Nasarawa State House of Assembly granted approval to the request of the state government to create four new chiefdoms in the state. Hon Ibrahim Balarabe-Abdullahi, the speaker of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly revealed that lawmakers passed the bill to amend the Nasarawa State Local Government Amendment Law 2018.

He added that the House gave the bill accelerated passage considering the importance of traditional institutions towards the maintenance of peace and for societal development. According to Hon Balarabe-Abdullahi, Governor Umaru Al-Makura had sought the approval of the assembly for the creation of Gudi, Musha, Gitata and Gude chiefdoms with third-class status.

Hon Balarabe-Abdullahi said: “Gudi chiefdom to be carved out of Ngah chiefdom in Akwanga Local Government Area, Musha chiefdom to be carved out of Migili chiefdom in Obi Local Government Area and Gitata and Gude chiefdoms will be carved out of Karu and Obi Local Government Areas respectively, all with third-class status. The governor said that the creation of the additional chiefdoms in the state was in line with the power vested on him by the constitution as well as in line with the State Local Government Amendment Law."

He explained that the House approved the governor’s request in order to give the affected communities a sense of belonging and to enable them contribute their quota to the development of the state. The speaker, then, directed the clerk of the House to produce a clean copy of the bill for the governor’s assent.

Hon Tanko Tunga, the majority leader, who read the governor’s letter and moved a motion for the amendment to the Local government Law 2018 at plenary, solicited the support of his colleagues to give the amended bill accelerated passage in order to grant the executive request. He said with the creation of the additional chiefdom would foster peace and development within the various communities in the state.

Alhaji Mohammed Okpede, the minority leader of the House seconded the motion for the speedy passage of the bill. Consequently, the House unanimously passed the bill, thereby approving the governor’s request.