Ex-Governorship Candidate Wants More Emirates, Districts In Bauchi

A former Bauchi State governorship candidate of the African Liberation Party (ALP), Alhaji Umar Musa Gwaskwaram, has appealed to Governor Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed and the Bauchi State House of Assembly to create additional emirates and districts across the state in the interest of justice, fairness, and accelerated development.

Gwaskwaram made the appeal yesterday while speaking to journalists in Bauchi. He commended the governor for strengthening traditional institutions in the state but argued that some areas were still shortchanged and required urgent attention.

According to him, the government should be more proactive by creating new emirates from the Katagum Emirate and additional districts within the Bauchi Emirate to ensure equity and balanced development.

He proposed the creation of Zaki and Sakwa Emirates, Itas and Gadau Emirate, and Shira and Disina Emirate from the present Katagum Emirate.

Gwaskwaram noted that some of the oldest kingdoms in Bauchi State, such as Tashena, Shira, and Mashema, which emerged between 1000 and 1400 AD, originated from these areas and deserved recognition.

In the Bauchi Emirate, he said areas like Munmunsal and Gwaskwaram had suffered neglect since the colonial era, lacking proper governance structures.

He stressed the need for the creation of districts, wards, and village heads in these areas as a strategic step toward grassroots development.

Gwaskwaram lauded Governor Bala Mohammed’s recent creation of 13 new Emirates, 1 Chiefdom and 144 additional district heads, describing the move as commendable and capable of enhancing the delivery of democratic dividends.

However, he pointed out that out of the 14 emirates, eight were created from the Bauchi Emirate, namely Bununu, Lere, Darazo, Duguri, Toro, Lame, Jama’a, and the Sayawa Chiefdom.

Three were created from Ningi Emirate, Burra, Ari, and Warji, one from Misau, and only two from Katagum Emirate, despite Katagum having seven local government areas.

He appealed to the government to review the imbalance in the interest of justice and fairness.

Gwaskwaram, who once served as Special Adviser to former Governor Isa Yuguda on Giade Local Government Area, urged the governor to go further by establishing more emirate councils to enhance socio-economic growth and improve access to traditional leadership.

He expressed optimism that the governor and the state assembly would heed the call of the people, urging them to consider the merits of creating additional districts even in the face of opposition from what he described as self-centred interests.

He advised the governor not to allow interference from a few individuals but to focus on policies that would deliver sustainable development to the electorate.

Gwaskwaram emphasised that the Katagum Emirate is vast and difficult for the Emir to effectively tour all districts, making the creation of three additional emirates necessary to bridge the gap and strengthen grassroots governance.

He recalled that even the Sokoto Caliphate was restructured in the interest of development, just as states and local governments were created to replace regional governments.

He listed the benefits of the proposed reforms to include enhanced socio-economic development, wider distribution of democratic dividends, fair sharing of political offices based on balanced representation, and healthy competition in the implementation of government policies and programmes.