Governor Nasir el-Rufai has crowned and presented the staff of office to Ahmad Bamalli as the 19th Emir of Zazzau.
The coronation ceremony of Bamalli was held in Zaria, Kaduna state.
Speaking during the ceremony, el-Rufai urged Bamalli to discharge his duties bearing in mind that his era is different from that of his predecessors.
The governor said: “I am delighted to join the people of Zazzau Emirate for the presentation of the Staff of Office to His Highness, Ambassador Ahmad Nuhu Bamalli, the 19th Emir of Zazzau, the firstborn after independence. This is a historic moment.
“Your Highness ascends the throne in a much-changed era to that of your illustrious predecessors. These are more modern times, with fresh opportunities and many old and new challenges. Ours is an incredibly young state, with 89% of residents being younger than 35 years.
“We are grappling with expanding the opportunities for jobs, sound education and decent healthcare that can help channel this youthfulness as a positive resource. Some of our communities are menaced by security challenges
“We need better data about who lives in the state, what they do and what facilities exist or are required in the communities in which they reside. The traditional institution can be a vital partner in addressing these challenges.
“This occasion of handing over the Staff of Office to the 19th Fulani Emir of Zazzau is taking place exactly 100 years since the colonial Governor of Northern Region, Herbert Symonds Goldsmith, unjustly deposed your grandfather, Emir Aliyu Dan-Sidi of blessed memory.
“The vacancy of the stool of Zazzau Emirate, therefore, gave the Kaduna State Government an opportunity not only to redress a colonial injustice, but to return to the enduring principles that guided the appointment of Emirs under the Sokoto Caliphate.
“Shehu Usman Dan Fodio in his seminal work ‘Bayan Wujub Al-Hijra’ was crystal clear that there are nine qualities of Islamic leadership – wisdom, learning, clemency, generosity, kindness, righteousness, patience, gratitude, and leniency which entails avoidance of harshness.”
