Once again I congratulate everybody who fought hard in the years gone by to see to the creation of 6 Chiefdoms and an Emirate out of Adamawa and Mubi Emirates. The agitation has paid off though short of full expectations.
With the creation, there is no victor and there is no vanquished in Adamawa. We are all winners and therefore need to put this behind us and work more to lift our people out of poverty.
Agitation for autonomy always stems from resentment of others by others for reasons that need not be over-flogged. I will not therefore be surprised with time, if even within the new Chiefdoms, more still emerge.
For Fufore, I also congratulate those who put up the request for an emirate. But I cried when I read in the Adamawa State official Gazette that all District Heads in Fufore LGA are put together under 2nd Class Emir of Fufore Emirate with headquarters in Fufore town.
Some people in Fufore LGA may have agitated for Fufore Emirate but I have not met anyone who told me that he agitated to have an Emir in Fufore town that would rule over all other Districts in the LGA. We all thought Ribadu District alone, failing which the older settlement and more historic town of Gurin alone would make up the Emirate.
When I read the news about the new arrangement, my first reaction was to ask whether the Emirate was necessary in the first place since Malabu, Daware and the other Districts in the local did not ask for it.
Secondly, Fufore and Gurin bear no grudge against Yola to evoke or elicit resentment that calls for separation. We are one and the same people.
Thirdly, historically Fufore has been part and parcel of Adamawa Emirate since it was established in 1809 as a single political entity. The one single entity was headed by Modibbo Adama who had under him a council of advisers, called Arɗo’en, who were Modibbo Adama’s governors and governors of today’s or future Lamido Adamawa, whoever he may be.
Fourthly, these Ardo’en-
- Ardo Zumo
- Ardo Song
- Ardo Malabu
- Ardo Daware
- Ardo Ribadu
- Ardo Mayo Farang
- Ardo Gurin (Wakili Gurin)
are District Heads of equal status and-
i. were and remain Governors of the territories that were the foundation of the Adamawa Emirate.
ii. were and still remain kingmakers of Adamawa Emirate. In other words each one of them has a vote in electing the Lamido Adamawa.
iii. were and are indisputable members of Modibbo Adama’s council.
iv. were indisputable lieutenants/field commanders of Modibbo Adama during the Jihad and they remain lieutenants of the present Lamido or any Lamido that may be so appointed in the future.
For Ardo Malabu, Ardo Daware, Ardo Ribadu and Ardo Gurin, Modibbo Adama actually gave them subordinate Jihad flags. And they are all in Fufore LGA. These Ardo’en have never been under any leader but Lamido Adamawa as their sovereign.
These field commanders of Modibbo Adama are co-equals. But today, the ruling houses of Gurin, Malabu, Daware and Ribadu are tasked to select one of them to become their leader as Emir of Fufore. This may be said to be a strange arrangement. But what is even more strange is that a District Head who is a kingmaker in electing Lamido Adamawa will now be a kingmaker in electing Emir of Fufore. What an INFRA DIGNITATUM.
For Fufore, these are interesting times.
- Dasin is a former member of the House of Representatives from Adamawa State
