By LAMI SADIQ, Kaduna

The Kaduna state government is working on an executive bill that will reform the composition and classification of the state’s chieftaincy and traditional council, Daily Trust reports.

The bill comes amidst speculations that Governor Nasir El-Rufai is trying to balkanize the Zazzau emirate into three emirates to accommodate the top three contenders for the throne.

The Zazzau emirate is a first chiefdom which is also the largest emirate in Kaduna state, comprising of 11 local government areas including Zaria, Sabon Gari, Giwa, Kudan, Makarfi, Ikara, Kubau, Soba, Igabi, Kaduna north and Kaduna south LGA’s

The stool became vacant on September 20, following the death of the 18th emir, Alhaji Shehu Idris who died at the age of 84 after a brief illness at the 44 Reference hospital, Kaduna.

Governor El-Rufai last week directed the five kingmakers of the Zazzau emirate to begin a fresh selection of candidates for the 19th emir of Zazzau after it jettisoned an earlier list submitted to it.

There have been insinuations in the state that a bill for the amendment of the emirates and chieftaincy is being prepared for onward submission to the state assembly.

The bill when assented according to some reports will have the Magajin Gari, Alhaji Ahmad Nuhu Bamali, the governor’s ally as the emir of Kaduna, the Yariman Zazzau, Alhaji Muhammed Munnir Jafaru will serve as emir of Zaria and Iyan Zazzau, Alhaji Bashar Aminu as the emir of Kudan.

Both the government and the state assembly have not responded to our request for comment on the report.

However, confirming the existence of the bill, Governor Nasir El-Rufai on Tuesday while presenting the 2021 budget before the state House of Assembly stated that his administration was working on the chieftaincy and traditional council bill which will be forwarded to the house.

El-Rufai stated that: “We shall be approaching the house with more bills to further strengthen governance in the state.”

One of the bills as mentioned by the governor was the chieftaincy and Traditional Council bill which he said “will entrench the reform of the chieftaincy system, specify composition and classification of emirates and traditional council and update the provisions of colonial laws and chieftaincy matters that we inherited.”

Kaduna state government has not responded to Daily Trust‘s request for comment on the Chieftaincy and Traditional Council bill it is proposing but our correspondent gathered from the State House of Assembly that the bill will be part of the legislative programme for 2021. (Daily Trust)

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