Zazzau Emirate is famous for its legendary Queen Amina, the city wall and gates, the inselbergs of Turunku, the Kufena and Madarkaci Hills, and Rimaye (silk cotton) trees. It has seen 19 emirs who have immeasurably contributed to making the emirate one of the most productive in the Sokoto Caliphate, possibly second only to Sokoto itself.
Ambasador Ahmed Nuhu Bamalli CFR was appointed as the 19th Emir of Zazzau on October 7, 2020, succeeding his great-great father, Mal Musa – the first flag bearer. Recently, the emir marked two years on the throne. Although there was no fanfare during the celebration, his reign within these two years is a living testimony of service to humanity that calls for elaboration. His inaugural speech and subsequent follow-up actions foreshadow what the Zazzau emirate will witness during his reign.
His Highness, a trained lawyer and banker, has set an agenda to transform the emirate quickly. Consequently, the transformation through the construction of new edifices and renovation of old ones that the emir’s palace has witnessed within this spate of two years is unbelievable. The palace has not only become a fascinating and irresistible place to visit but has also become a tour centre of attraction.
The emir began by restoring the symbols of authority of the emirate. The flags and swords as emblems of power from the Caliphate were curated. He also added a logo of “Z”, representing Zazzau, sitting on two crossed swords for the emirate, which is now conspicuously adorned in all the properties of the Zazzau Emirate Council. The emir brought his vast experience as Magajin Garin Zazzau into play by engineering the reconstitution of the emirate council, which is now made up of seven full-time and four part-time members from the four Zazzau ruling dynasties for justice, fairness and equity, as well as effective governance. The choice of the council members was very calculated and with these “cream of technocrats” in their respective professional areas and years of experience as traditional title holders, the emir has formed a formidable team that will make the governance of Zazzau emirate undergo a paradigm shift.
Emir Ahmad Nuhu Bamalli CFR – Redefining Zazzau Emirate
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His Highness’ keen interest in history and cultural studies made him create a 17-member project committee to update the history of the emirate. Following this and to support the committee, His Highness constructed the Aliyu Dan Sidi Museum and Documentation Centre to house the intellectual properties of Zazzau’s scholars and other valuable information resources of the emirate and beyond. The documentation centre is an important part of His Highness’s transformation agenda for the emirate. The centre houses a library, archives, a viewing section, and a museum, and to make the museum unique and lively, the emir has converted an old and popular traditional building with over 600 years of standing in the palace to be part of the museum. The building known as Takon Giwa has been redesigned and renovated with traditional decorations.
The infrastructural development achieved by the emir included a perimeter fence, four gates named after the first four Jihadist rulers, renovation of buildings, and a hard landscape garden that has been transformed into a magnificent spectacle of beauty and an elegant location to organise many occasions. The palace now has a fresh appearance thanks to the garden, which is brimming with lovely blossoms of flowers and colours and fills the air with wonderful scent.
The emir has been instrumental in revitalizing the old traditional Gidan Baki (Guest House) at Durumin Mai Garke and building new befitting guest houses. He, also, for the first time constructed a clinic to provide basic health amenities to all the people in the palace. He has also facilitated the construction, renovation, and upgrading of infrastructures in some schools by private sectors under their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) windows.
In the religious and social spaces, the emir has established an excellent relationship with the leadership of the different ethnic and religious groups, including Christians in the emirate. He has appointed and turbaned the representatives of Igbo, Yoruba and Fulani as Eze Ndigbo, Sarkin Yarbawa and Ardon Fulanin Zazzau respectively. To strengthen the traditional institution further and improve governance, His Highness initiated a new ad-hoc committee of clerics, the likes of Sarkin Malamai, Garkuwan Malamai, Makaman Malamai, etc. to advise the emirate council on religious issues, coordinate and represent His Highness in religious events, such as Qur’anic competitions, graduation ceremonies.
Related to this, His Highness out of deep concern for Jama’atu Nasiril Islam (JNI) constituted a committee to restructure and reposition the state branch with a view to making it a model for other states’ branches and the national. In line with this, eminent scholars, judges, and seasoned administrators formed members of the committee. The committee produced a compendium of policies, rules, and regulations governing Da’awah, Zakkat, and Waqaft. In the area of human capital development, His Highness has, within these two years, secured employment in public and private sectors to dozens of his subjects, influenced the recruitment of many cadets into military and paramilitary institutions.
In conclusion, it is said that the beginning always defines the future. With these spectacular and compelling achievements recorded in only two years by this dynamic, pacesetter and goal-getter emir, the people of Zazzau can expect a radical departure and rapid sustainable development of the emirate in no distant time.
His Highness has already devised a development strategy and assembled a team of traditional title holders and season technocrats to carry it out.
Ibrahim wrote from the Department of Library & Information Science, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria
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