ETUK-UDO SAMPSON
With the severe socio-economic crisis thrown up in Nigeria by the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a pressing need for leaders at all levels to focus on how to make the economies of their areas to provide succour for the citizenry.
Such is what the peoples of Zazzau would be expecting from their new king given his vast experience in both the public and private sectors of Nigeria’s economy. Zazzau is however, better known as the Zaria Emirate. It is a traditional state with headquarters in Zaria city of Kaduna State.
The new emir of the emirate is Alhaji Ahmed Nuhu Bamalli. He succeeds the departed emir, late Alhaji Shehu Idris. His announcement as the choice of the el-Rufai administration is coming less than a month since the stool became vacant. He is coming as the 17th Fulani emir of Zazzau. The previous emir reigned for 45 years before joining his ancestors on September 20.
Princes from three of the four dynastic lines of the emirate jostled for the post with four of them believed to be the frontrunners.
The three page report gave verdict on two-stage selection process followed on three princes. Those graded were the Iyan Zazzau Bashar Aminu, the Yariman Zazzau Munir Ja’afaru and the Turakin Zazzau Aminu Idris.
Zazzau Emirate
The ancient city of Zaria was established as the seat of the throne of Zazzau more than 700 years ago, while the whole kingdom of Zazzau is about 1000 years old and is among the oldest and most populous kingdoms in Northern Nigerian.
The emirate is situated in the centre of Northern Nigeria, and at present covers an area of approximately 20,800Sq Km, located between latitude 9 and 12 degrees North and longitude 7 and 9 degree East Zaria, the administrative headquarters of Zazzau Emirate, is named after the younger Sister of the famous Queen Amina, who conquered and annexed almost all the important Hausa States. Evidences of her conquests are still visible in some of the Hausa towns, where the security walls (Ganuwar Amina) still exist.
As a result of successful expeditions, especially during the reign of Queen Amina, whose activities have gone down into the books of history, the frontiers of Zazzau were extended to cover the present day Nasarawa State, its boundaries reached, Niger, Kano, Plateau, Katsina and Bauchi States. By the close of the 18th century, the Kindom of Zazzau covered an area of about 37,850 Sq MLs.
It is therefore, important to know that within that period, the capital of the kingdom was transferred from Turunku to Kufena (kufena rock can be sighted from emir’s palace) and finally to Zaria city, due to its fovourable geographical location. The long reign of the Habe (Non Fulani rulers) came to a close in the early part of the 19th century as a result of the Fulani conquest of 1804.
Following the success of Danfodio’s Islamic Reformation in 1804, some prominent Fulani Scholars were given flags (symbol of authority or permission) to carry out administration in their respective places. Mallam Musa (funder of Mallawa dynasty in Zazzau) became the flag bearer in Zaria, and was accompanied by Mallam Yamusa (founder of Bare-Bare dynasty in Zazzau) and Malam Abdukarimu (founder of Katsinawa dynasty in Zazzau) on the instruction of Danfodio.
On arrival to Zaria, the envoy attempted to enter into the city through Kofar Doka, when this proved to be fruitless, they entered through Kofan Bai, this event marked a turning point in the history of Zazzau .
X-raying Zaria’s Economy
Zaria’s economy is primarily based on agriculture. Staples are guinea corn and millet. Cash crops include cotton, groundnuts and tobacco. Not only is Zaria a market town for the surrounding area, it is the home of artisans from traditional crafts like leather work, dyeing and cap making, to tinkers, printshops and furniture makers. Zaria is also the center of a textile industry that for over 200 years has made elaborately hand-embroidered robes that are worn by men throughout Nigeria and West Africa.
Because Zaria is north of the rail junction at Kaduna, it has equal rail access to the seaports at Lagos and Port Harcourt. However, only the railway between Lagos and Kano is functional, as the eastern line of Nigeria’s rail network is not operational. This means that Zaria currently has rail access to Lagos and Kano to the north but not Port Harcourt.
From 1914 to 1927, Zaria was the break-of-gauge junction station for the Bauchi Light Railway to the tin mines at Jos.
Zaria sits on the Kubanni River (a tributary of the Kaduna). Headquarters of the Zaria Local Government Council and the traditional Zaria emirate, it is served by road and rail and by an airport just to the North-West.
Zaria is a major collecting point for cotton, tobacco, peanuts (groundnuts), shea nuts, and hides and skins. Cotton, peanuts, and shea nuts are processed locally and sent by rail to Lagos (430 miles [690 km] southwest) for export. There is an important market for sorghum, millet, soybeans, brown sugar, onions, locust beans, baobab leaves and fruit, cowpeas, kola nuts, cloth, cattle, sheep, and goats. Cotton ginning became Zaria’s chief economic activity after the opening of the railway in 1910, but leather tanning and cotton weaving and dyeing are traditional crafts of its Hausa and Gbari inhabitants.
Other significant industries include railway repairing, furniture making, cloth printing, cigarette and cosmetics manufacturing, and basket making. The first northern Nigerian newspaper, written in Hausa, Gaskiya Ta F: Kwabo (“Truth Is Worth More than a Penny”), was launched in Zaria in 1939.
Zaria is the educational centre of the northern states. Located at Samaru, 7 miles (11 km) west-northwest, is Ahmadu Bello University (1962), with its associated institutes of education, economic and social studies, administration, and health. Samaru is also the site of the Institute for Agricultural Research and Special Services (1924) and the Leather Research Institute of Nigeria. At Zaria are the Nigerian Civil Aviation Training Centre and a branch of the Katsina College of Arts, Science, and Technology. Zaria also has a commercial institute, a fine-arts school, and a school of pharmacy. There are several hospitals and a nursing school. Pop. (2005 est.) 847,000.
Having gained vast experience in administration, it is expected that the traditional ruler should engage relevant stakeholders in his domain and mobilise governments drive towards improving economic activities in his domain.
The Kaduna-Zaria road that has been an issue of security concern to many travellers, hence, security should be beefed up and other ancillary industries and amenities needed for businesses to thrive should be attracted to the Zazzau emirate.
Tourism and other key sectors of the emirates economy should be promoted, all these have the capacity of creating direct and indirect jobs for the teeming number if Zaria youths who are unemployed which will hence positively impact the security of the emirate for both her locals, visitors and travellers.
Until his appointment as the emir of Zazzau, Bamalli held the title of Magajin Garin Zazzau and served as Nigeria’s ambassador to Thailand, with concurrent accreditation to Myanmar. He has been a permanent commissioner in the Kaduna State Independent Electoral Commission in 2015. He has worked in banking and as Executive Director and later acting Managing Director of the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Corporation. He was a staff of the Abuja Metropolitan Management Agency before a stint as head of Human Resources at MTel, the mobile communications arm of the old Nigerian Telecommunications Limited (NITEL).
