By Louis Okoroma<\/p>\n
To those who are used to Atiku Abubakar, it did not come as a
\nsurprise though the
\nnews raised eyebrows in a pleasant way, when whispers turned
\nto reality. On
\nJune 1st, 2017, a routine meeting of the Adamawa
\nEmirate Council, held
\nin Yola, capital of Adamawa State, under the able leadership
\nof the Lamido of
\nAdamawa, Dr. Muhammadu Aliyu Musdafa. The meeting took the
\nsignificant and
\nimportant decision to elevate the former Vice President,
\nAtiku Abubakar in the
\nhierarchy of the nobility of the Emirate.<\/p>\n
The
\nformer Vice President and an illustrious son of the Emirate
\nwas pronounced the
\nWaziri Adamawa, or traditional Prime Minister of the
\nEmirate. For Atiku, as he
\nis fondly called by all and sundry, the journey to the
\nrevered rank of Waziri
\nhas been a long one. Before now, he has been the proud and
\ncontented holder of
\nthe revered and princely title of \u201cTuraki\u2019\u2019, a title
\nwhich has competed and
\ninterchanged with his name Atiku for more than three
\ndecades.<\/p>\n
In
\ntraditional Fulani society, the Turaki, is a prince who is
\nin charge of the
\nhousehold matters of the Lamido or Emir and he is usually
\nregarded as a
\nfavourite of the ruler. Thus, the holder of the title, is
\nnot a commoner or
\noutsider but someone who has blood ties to the royal
\nhouse.<\/p>\n
It
\nis a testimony to the staying power of this man, and divine
\nfavour, that he is
\naround to have the title bestowed on him having been the
\nTuraki Adamawa for
\nclose to 35 years. It was on November 19, 1982 that in pomp
\nand pageantry, and
\nin the presence of Nigerians of all walks of life, that
\nAtiku Abubakar, was
\nturbaned as the Turaki Adamawa at the palace of the then
\nLamido, the late
\nLamido Aliyu Musdafa, of blessed memory.<\/p>\n
Therefore,
\nthose who initially raised eyebrows about the Lamido\u2019s
\ndecision to confer the
\nWaziri title on Atiku Abubakar could be pardoned because it
\nseemed the decision
\nwas taken by consensus and spontaneity, by the members of
\nthe Emirate Council following
\nthe demise of the former occupant of that position, and the
\nurgent need to fill
\nthe position with a popular, and effective person. Being a
\nmember of the royal
\nfamily of the Emirate by virtue of his marriage to one of
\nthe daughters of the
\nlate Lamido, Princess Rukaiyat, who is a sister of the
\ncurrent traditional
\nruler, Atiku\u2019s qualification is not in
\ndoubt.<\/p>\n
Added
\nto his eligibility, is the fact that all through the years
\nthat he served as
\nTuraki, he displayed utmost loyalty to the traditional
\ninstitution and
\nsupported the latter to ensure the peace, prosperity and
\ndevelopment of the
\nEmirate. Atiku\u2019s energy and appeal, according to
\nobservers, has greatly
\ndelighted the Lamido and his Council. It was therefore
\nnatural that they found
\nfor him higher responsibility, an opportunity which
\npresented itself when the
\ncritical and strategic position of Waziri or prime minister,
\nbecame vacant.<\/p>\n
As
\ntraditional prime minister, the new Waziri would be expected
\nto be a reliable
\nCounsellor to the Lamido, assisting him with advice for the
\ngood governance,
\npeace and stability of the Emirate. The new Waziri, in the
\nthinking of those
\nwho know him will excel in this task given the great love he
\nhas for his native
\nAdamawa State and its people.<\/p>\n
Adamawa
\nEmirate and by extension Adamawa State, is endowed with many
\noutstanding
\nindividuals who have played prominent roles in the life of
\nthe Nigerian nation
\nand Adamawa State. Atiku Abubakar is a primus inter pares
\namong Adamawa\u2019s
\nillustrious sons and daughters.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou
\nare fit for this position (of Waziri) because of your total
\nloyalty and support
\nto the development of the (Adamawa) Emirate. Since
\nindependence of Nigeria, no
\ncitizen of the Emirate had shown love and patriotism to
\nAdamawa like you. You
\npromoted Adamawa to the world and may Allah bless you and
\ngive you more health
\nand long life to continue the good work,\u201d Galadima of
\nAdamawa, Alhaji Mustafa
\nAminu had eulogized the new Waziri when he led a delegation
\nto pay homage to
\nhim.<\/p>\n
In
\naddition, the new Waziri Adamawa would easily qualify as
\nthat one among the
\nmany distinguished sons and daughters of the Emirate who has
\nperhaps had the
\nmost profound impact on the area, its people and its
\ncontemporary history.<\/p>\n
Yola,
\nthe capital of Adamawa State and the seat of the Emirate is
\na lively, burstling
\nand academically towering town, thanks to the fame of the
\nAmerican University of
\nNigeria (AUN), founded by Atiku and located in the town. A
\nDevelopment
\nUniversity, the first of its kind in Africa, together with
\nother tertiary
\ninstitutions in the capital, either owned by the Federal or
\nAdamawa State
\ngovernment, has changed the outlook and atmosphere of the
\ntown and the entire
\nState.<\/p>\n
The
\nWaziri Adamawa is an enthusiastic entrepreneur, businessman,
\npolitician and
\nphilanthropist. He has put a huge population in the Emirate
\nand beyond to work
\nby providing them employment in the University that he built
\nand the other
\nbusinesses that he has founded in the area. The Waziri has
\nset up agricultural
\nfarms, a beverages company and an animal feed company. Aside
\nthe desire to
\nenrich agriculture and livestock in the Northeast region and
\nother regions of
\nthe country, one other purpose for which reason the new
\nWaziri ventured into
\nanimal feed business, is to provide cheap, quality and
\nnutritious animal feed
\nthat would make open grazing by herdsmen across the country,
\nless attractive,
\nthereby assisting the nation to put an end to the bloody and
\nviolent clashes
\nbetween herdsmen and farmers in the country and which has
\ngreatly soured social
\nand ethnic relations among Nigerians. Thus, the person
\nchosen as the new Waziri
\nof Adamawa, is a practical person who solves problems and in
\nthe process,
\nbrings diverse peoples together.<\/p>\n
Observers
\nare of the view that the detribalized person that the Waziri
\nis, as well as his
\ninterest and ability in development and transformation of
\npeople and the
\nenvironment, would recommend him highly to the diverse
\npeoples of Nigeria who
\nare in need of a true democratic leader to guide the nation
\nin justice and
\nequity. Thus, his elevation to the second most important
\nleadership position in
\nthe Emirate is a recognition for his many years of
\nphilanthropy that has
\ntouched lives and impacted on the aesthetics of the
\nEmirate.<\/p>\n
The
\neducational and business enterprises set up by the Waziri
\nAtiku Abubakar has
\ngreatly changed the appearance of Yola, the seat of the
\nAdamawa Emirate, from a
\nsleepy town that it used to be, to a modest cosmopolitan
\ncity that it is today,
\nwhich has a huge potential for growth and development. Yola,
\nis now home to
\nNigerians of all walks of life and foreigners alike, who in
\nvarious ways keep
\nthe many enterprises of the Waziri running and
\nwell.<\/p>\n
Going
\nby the above, it is clear that the appointment of the former
\nVice President,
\nAtiku Abubakar as Waziri Adamawa by the traditional ruling
\nCouncil of the
\nEmirate, was well thought out. It is a win-win situation for
\nthe people and the
\ntraditional authority in the area. And to ensure that the
\nEmirate retains the
\nAtiku persona in the affairs of the area, like Oliver Twist,
\nthe council in its
\nwisdom, decided to also appoint one of the Waziri\u2019s many
\nsons, Aliyu Atiku
\nAbubakar, son of the Princess Rukaiyat of Adamawa, to step
\ninto his shoes as
\nthe new Turaki Adamawa.<\/p>\n
As
\nthe new Waziri starts to discharge the responsibilities
\nattached to this
\nimportant traditional political office, one hopes that he
\nwould as usual do his
\nbest and also remain his humble self, a friend, leader and
\nbenefactor to
\nseveral people in the Adamawa Emirate and the nation at
\nlarge.<\/p>\n
Louis Okoroma is a Public Affairs Analyst
\nbased in
\nAbuja.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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