From Muhammad Ahmad saka, Bauchi
The Fulani Community of Bauchi State, under the Daddo Pulako and all affiliated Fulani Associations, has said that their people will remain under the existing six Bauchi Emirates not under newly created Emirate or chiefdoms.
They said on Thursday that their position followed the move by the Bauchi State Government to create new additional Emirates, Chiefdoms and Districts in the State.
The Fulani gave their position at a press conference held at the Conference Hall of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Press Center, Bauchi, on Thursday.
They said, ”Our allegiance remains with the Six historic traditional institutions under which we have long coexisted in dignity and harmony.
“We believe this position is both a constitutional right and a cultural imperative. Subjecting us to newly carved structures without our consent undermines the principle of free association, disrupts long standing communal relationships, and could lead to avoidable tension.”
Reading their position, former Bauchi State House of Assembly member, Alhaji Muhammad Aminu Tukur, said that “We acknowledge the constitutional right of communities to seek traditional representation. However, we note with concern, that the current proposal for new Chiefdoms and Emirates seems heavily driven by ethnic demarcations, rather than historical legitimacy or administrative necessity.
“As law-abiding citizens and stakeholders in the peace and development of Bauchi State, we categorically state that: The Fulani of Bauchi State do not wish to be subjected to any newly created Emirate or Chiefdom outside of the six existing Emirates,” they stressed.
Tukur, flanked by leaders of Fulani communities from the 20 local Government areas of the state, said that, “We reaffirm our unshakable respect and reverence for the traditional institution in Bauchi State. The existing six Emirates: Bauchi, Katagum, Misau, Ningi, Jama’are, and Dass, are symbols of historical continuity and cultural harmony in our state.”
He said ”They have played an instrumental role in preserving societal cohesion and serving as a stabilizing force across diverse ethnic and religious groups. The Fulani community has been an integral part of these institutions since their inception, contributing to their evolution through loyalty, leadership, and stewardship.”
“We respectfully draw attention to unfortunate precedents in other states such as Plateau, Kaduna, and Taraba, where the politicization and ethnicization of traditional institutions have led to deep societal divisions, intercommunal clashes. and lasting grievances. We must collectively guard against a similar trajectory in Bauchi, a state known for its relative peace and coexistence.”
Tukur said, “The Fulani community is not a peripheral group in Bauchi State. We are farmers, herders, scholars, security providers, traders, civil servants, and traditional rulers.”
He said “Our economic contributions, especially in livestock production, agricultural development, and inter-regional trade, are pillars of the state’s economy. Fulani settlements have historically served as stabilizing rural outposts, ensuring food security and promoting peaceful relations across ethnic lines.”
Tukur said ”Our communities have always responded to calls for peacebuilding, vaccination campaigns, education enrolment drives, and democratic participation. We are not secessionists. We are contributors. All we ask is fairness and dignity in representation.”
He callled for responsible Governance and priority reordering, urging the government to redirect scarce resources toward urgent developmental needs such as: rural education as many Fulani and non-Fulani communities lack functional schools and qualified teachers.
Tukur said they want the Government to focus on Primary healthcare services, especially maternal and child health, livelihood support and agricultural extension services and rural road infrastructure to ease movement of goods and people as well as traditional institution expansion, especially when not broadly demanded or inclusive, should not take precedence over these critical needs.
“It was with sincere respect and unwavering loyalty to the leadership of our dear state, we, the Fulani (Fulbe) community of Bauchi State, under the unified banner of Daddo Pulāku and all affiliated Fulani cultural and developmental associations, hereby present our collective position regarding the recent public statement by the Government of Bauchi State on the proposed creation of additional Emirates and Chiefdoms.”
He said that they came up with their position as a result of broad-based consultations among Fulani elders,traditional title holders, women, youth, scholars, professionals, and community leaders across all 20 Local Government Areas, were issued in the spirit of dialogue, peace, unity, and fidelity to the constitutional values of justice and inclusivity.
