Bauchi’s oldest monarch, Emir of Jama’are, buried amid tears

The remains of the Emir of Jama’are, Alhaji Ahmadu Muhammadu Wabi III, who died on Saturday night at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano, were laid to rest amid tears from residents at the cemetery inside the palace where past emirs were buried.

The Chief Imam of Bauchi, Bala Ahmad Limanchi, who led the funeral prayer, prayed to Allah to forgive the deceased.

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The funeral prayer was attended by people from different walks of life, including Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State; his immediate predecessor, Mohammed Abubakar, the emirs of Bauchi, Rilwanu Sulaiman Adamul; Katagum, Alhaji Umar Faruk II; Misau, Alhaji Ahmad Suleiman; Ningi,  Alhaji Yunusa Muhammad Danyaya; Dass, Alhaji Othman Bilyaminu Usman; Dutse, Dr Nuhu Muhammadu Sanusi; and Pataskum, Alhaji Umaru Bubaram Ibn Wuriwa Bauya.

The royal family led by the eldest son of the deceased, Alhaji Nuhu Ahmad Wabi, received the governor, the emirs and people that attended the funeral prayer.

He prayed for the deceased and the sympathisers.

Meanwhile, the governor of Bauchi State described the death of the emir as a monumental loss to the emirate and the entire people of the state.

The governor who attended the funeral prayer of the late elder statesman with his deputy and other top government functionaries conveyed the condolences of his family, government and the good people of Bauchi State to the immediate family of the late emir and Jama’are emirate council.

Governor Mohammed said the late emir “was a man of many solid parts, a peace-loving royal father who detested violence and his greatest legacy was his dedication to a stable and united Bauchi State.”

These sterling qualities, according to the governor, will forever remain in the hearts of our people.

“Our late father was a distinguished statesman, gentleman and a bridge builder who always stood for peace, justice and stability of the people of his domain and our beloved state,” he added.

The governor prayed that Almighty Allah will bless him with Aljanna Firdaus and grant the royal family and the entire people of Bauchi State the fortitude to bear the loss.

Similarly, President Muhammadu Buhari has said the death of the Emir of Jama’are, Ahmad Muhammadu Wabi III, one of the longest-reigning traditional rulers in Africa, “is the end of an era.”

The President, in a statement issued by his media aide, Garba Shehu, said: “The demise of Emir Ahmad Muhammadu Wabi who had ruled for fifty years is a great loss not only to Bauchi State but also the entire country because his enormous contributions to peaceful coexistence are incalculable.”

According to him, “the late Emir was a decent man who had spent fifty years serving his people without any controversy trailing his remarkable reign.”

“I wish to extend my heartfelt sympathy to the family, the Jama’are Emirate Council, the government and the entire people of Bauchi State over the death of this great traditional ruler. May his soul rest in peace. May Allah reward his good deeds with Aljanna,” the President prayed.

The Bauchi State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) has described the death of the emir as a great loss not only to his immediate family, Jama’are emirate council or Bauchi State alone, but to the entire country.

A statement signed and issued by the council’s secretary, Isah Garba Gadau, said the NUJ received the news of his demise with shock.

The union said the longest serving emir in the state had 52 years’ record of excellent rulership to his credit.

The emir of Jama’are, who died at the age of 92 after a brief illness, reigned for 52 years.

One of the deceased’s sons, Hassan Ahmad Wabi, Chigarin Jama’are, who announced the demise of the emir on Sunday, said the oldest monarch in Bauchi State was survived by two wives and 36 children.

The deceased, who was born on August 2nd, 1938 as a prince, attended Bauchi Middle School between 1952 and 1956 and worked at the native authority before joining the agricultural sector to become the livestock officer in 1962.

Late Wabi worked as the chief scribe and clerk to the Jama’are Emirate Council from 1964 to 1970.

He was also a member of the defunct Northern Peoples Congress (NPC).

The deceased emir was appointed as the 9th emir of Jama’are at his youthful age on November 19th, 1970, and was given a staff of office on May 11th, 1971.

In 2008, the then President Umaru Musa Yar’adua conferred the National Merit Award of Officer of the Order of the Niger, OON, on him.

The late emir, who worked with 17 governors, both military administrators and civilians, that governed Bauchi State, was the longest monarch in the history of Jama’are Emirate Council.