By Amos Tauna, Kaduna
The Middle Belt Forum, Kaduna state chapter, has called upon President Bola Tinubu and Governor Uba Sani to reverse what it describes as “former governor El-Rufai’s Southern Kaduna traditional structures,” which undermine their cultural identity and political autonomy.
The forum stated, “The administration of former Governor Nasir El-Rufai (2015–2023) bequeathed a legacy of division and distrust in Kaduna State through reckless restructuring of traditional institutions. These changes, widely viewed as ethnoreligious gerrymandering, were targeted at Southern Kaduna communities and other minorities, undermining their cultural identity and political autonomy.
“Today, we beseech Governor Uba Sani and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to heed the calls of justice-loving Nigerians by reversing these ill-conceived policies, which have deepened the fractures in our pluralistic society.”
Under the pretext of “inclusivity,” the forum, in a statement issued by Daniel Ejembi, the forum’s state chairman, asserted that El-Rufai’s government executed a deliberate erosion of Southern Kaduna’s traditional structures, where 13 chiefdoms and emirates were renamed, stripping them of their ethnic identities.
He elaborated that the Adara Chiefdom was controversially renamed as “Kajuru Chiefdom,” erasing the historical presence of the Adara people. The traditional title of “Sir Gbagyi” (associated with the Gbagyi people in Chikun LGA) was replaced with “Etsu Chikun,” an unfamiliar designation, further alienating indigenous communities.
The statement added, “Such renamings occurred throughout Southern Kaduna, where non-Muslim majority chiefdoms were systematically stripped of their heritage.”
Ejembi noted that chiefdoms in Christian-majority areas, such as Kauru, were unilaterally upgraded to emirates, with traditional rulers pressured into adopting the title of “Emir,” a move perceived as Islamisation, which violated the cultural and religious sensibilities of communities, despite El-Rufai’s assertions that chiefs “applied” for the changes.
The forum further stated that the administration unilaterally altered local government boundaries without adhering to constitutional procedures, emphasising that “Ladduga District” (Ikulu Chiefdom, Zangon Kataf LGA) was transferred to Kachia LGA to expand grazing reserves, thereby dispossessing indigenous communities of their ancestral lands.
He added that Section 8 of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution mandates that boundary adjustments must follow a stringent process, beginning with a request from the Local Government Council, followed by approval from a two-thirds majority of the State House of Assembly, ratification by the National Assembly, and involvement of the National Boundary Commission (NBC).
He stated, “El-Rufai’s administration circumvented these steps, acting without federal approval, community consultation, or NBC oversight. These illegal adjustments were not only arbitrary but also unconstitutional.”
The chairman explained that chiefdoms such as Koro, Jere, Piriga, and Kurama were forcibly merged under Hausa-Fulani emirates, diluting their autonomy. He pointed out that chiefs who resisted, such as “Jonathan Zamuna” of Piriga, were deposed, although Zamuna was ultimately reinstated by court order; nevertheless, the damage to intercommunity trust remains.
He remarked, “El-Rufai’s leaked video confession, in which he candidly admitted plans to marginalise Christians and deceive them to empower Muslims, confirms what Southern Kaduna communities have long suspected. These reforms were not about governance but subjugation. Such blatant ethno-religious engineering has no place in a democracy.”
He called upon President Tinubu to intervene and reverse the “illegal boundary adjustments.” The unconstitutional redrawing of local government boundaries, which falls under federal jurisdiction, should be revoked, and an investigation should be conducted to halt the expansion of grazing reserves on unlawfully acquired lands and to restore disputed territories to indigenous communities.
