The Adara people have rejected a proposed bill by Kaduna State Government which seeks to make drastic changes in the traditional institutions in the state.
The Adara people have rejected a proposed bill by Kaduna State Government which seeks to make drastic changes in the traditional institutions in the state.
Adara natives who are the second largest ethnic nationality in Kaduna State, with a population of one million occupying Kachia and Kajuru local government areas of the Southern part of the state said the legislation will make the government not to listen to the views of the people.
This was contained in a Press Statement issued by Adara Development Association (ADA) and signed by its national president, Mr. Dio Awemi Maisamari on Sunday.
In the statement, ADA claimed that Governor Nasir El-Rufai was nursing a hidden agenda under the guise of reforms in the bill against the Adara nation which has the majority of Christian territories of Kaduna state.
“The Kaduna State Government circulated a draft bill with a covering letter dated 19th March, 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,’ 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 ADA said.
The reasons why the people reject the law are specified in the statement maintaining political leaders would hijack the appointments of the traditional rulers.
“It is a continuation and intensification of the unjust and unpopular restructuring of traditional institutions which started in 2017 and targeted at traditional institutions in Southern Kaduna.
“Going by previous experience, 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, there are sections that will alienate, cage and stifle them. They will be exposed to excessive politicisation, manipulation and intimidation.
“The appointment of traditional rulers will virtually be taken over by politicians as customary due processes are not recognised and respected in the bill.
“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.
“Finally, we oppose the new law because it has finally revealed Governor El-Rufai’s special hidden agenda against Adara nation and Adara land.
“The new law will legalise the unjust scrapping of our 1st Class Traditional Institution, legalise the balkanization of our community, legalise the suppression of our identity, history, culture and religion and also legalise the degrading, humiliation and marginalisation of Adara being the second largest nationality in the state.
“Furthermore, it will facilitate the implanting of other peoples to rule over Adara people and take over Adara land.
“In view of the above, we are totally opposed to the draft bill as it will heighten social injustice, communal frictions, social disharmony retarded development. We also fear that present democratic structures will be compromised to rubber-stamp the new law,” the statement added.