The National President of Adara Development Association (ADA), Dio Awemi Maisamari, has accused the Kaduna State governor, Nasiru Ahmed el-Rufa’i, of harbouring a hidden agenda against the Adara communities and majority Christian domains of Kaduna State under the guise of reforms in the Bill.
The accusation came via a press statement issued in Kaduna after the association’s congress, which was held yesterday.
The Adara people, the second-largest ethnic nationality in Kaduna State, who claim a population of one million and occupy Kachia and Kajuru local government areas (LGAs), in the southern part of the State, rejected a proposed legislation by the State government which seeks to make drastic changes in the traditional institutions of State.
According to an issued statement by the association: “The Kaduna State government circulated a draft Bill with a covering letter dated March 19, 2021, signed by the Commissioner of Local Government Affairs, marked/ ‘top secret’.
“The Bill is titled: ‘A Bill for a law for the traditional institution in Kaduna State, 2021,” which the ADA said, “the state government claims that the Bill is intended to ‘restore the fading glory of traditional institutions’ and to make them serve the people better”.
The statement further stated that the ADA totally rejects the law because, amongst others, “it is a continuation and intensification of the unjust and unpopular restructuring of traditional institutions which started in 2017 and targeted traditional institutions in Southern Kaduna.
It further stated that “going by previous experience, the government will not listen to the opinions and wishes of non-Muslim communities in this process, as it did in the past”.
“We cannot find any provisions in the law that will restore the glory of traditional institutions or make them serve the people better. Rather, some sections will alienate, cage and stifle them. They will be exposed to excessive politicization, manipulation and intimidation”, the ADA further stated.
“The appointment of traditional rulers will virtually be taken over by politicians as customary due processes are not recognized and respected in the Bill,” the ADA further observed.
“The law is seeking to enforce uniformity in Muslim and non-Muslim traditional institutions, which are fundamentally different”, adding that “the law will also subordinate, suppress and relegate non-Muslim traditional rulers to a permanent weak and inferior position”, it insisted.
“Given the above, we are totally opposed to the draft Bill, as it will heighten social injustice, communal frictions, social disharmony retarded development”, the ADA affirmed.
The association, therefore, called on the Kaduna State government to widen consultation with all relevant stakeholders in that State with the view of seeking for acceptable reforms in its traditional institutions and not via an Executive Bill which it said serves the interest of only one section of the State.
Recall that the slain paramount ruler of Adara-land, the Agom Adara, Dr. Maiwada Galadima, was ambushed in October, 2018 along the Kaduna-Kachia expressway, abducted and killed after a ransom was paid for his release. Shortly after his death, the Adara Traditional Council and the Adara Chiefdom were abolished and instead, a Kajuru Emirate was created, even when Muslims make less than 5% of the population of Kajuru LGA, as the ADA claimed.
