The Chief Pharaoh Law: A Death Knell for Adamawa’s Traditional Heritage
By Umar Ardo
Since the last general elections when the people of Adamawa State massively rejected my candidature at the governorship polls, I had kept my distance from the affairs of the state, letting the people to their fate in the hands of the incompetent and rapacious leadership they elected for the state. I had wanted to keep it so, but with how the government, governor and legislators, are running aground the affairs of the state, it is not just right to continue keeping quiet and allow the drift. Not only most of the policies of the state government are rudderless, but the circumvention of the requirements of law and time tested procedures in the enactment of inter-generational laws for the state is simply not right. If such a serious matter is given such a cavalier approach, then Adamawa State democracy will soon slide into dictatorship. This should not be allowed to happen – hence my putting up this piece!
2. In a move today that shocked the people of Adamawa State, the House of Assembly passed a controversial bill granting the governor sweeping powers over the traditional institution of the state, including the appointment and deposition of all traditional rulers. The new law, which was hurriedly and covertly passed without public hearings or any formal deliberations, effectively makes the governor the “Chief Pharaoh,” wielding absolute powers of “life and death” over an institution that has for centuries symbolized the soul of our communities.
3. This law is not just an affront to the dignity of Adamawa’s traditional institution but a blow to the very fabric of our culture and identity as a people. By centralizing such power to himself, the governor now holds the fate of our revered chiefs and emirs, District, Village and Ward Heads in his hands, reducing them to mere puppets in his palms, exclusive of any legislative and customary restraints. This not only undermines the sanctity of the traditional institution and erodes its significance in society, but also threatens to erode the communal harmony and stability that the institution had long fostered.
4. Furthermore, this law and another introduce a reckless expansion of the traditional institution, creating more Ward, Village and District Heads, as well as putting to the absolute discretion of the governor the powers to add limitless chiefdoms and emirates, and installing their occupants, but without any clear corresponding roles, powers or resources. This haphazard approach of fragmenting communities and creating overlapping jurisdictions will only foster confusion rather than cohesion. It risks plunging Adamawa into a quagmire of communal disputes over territory, authority and legitimacy, thereby undermine the institution’s ability to serve as a unifying force.
5. Tradition and culture are the lifeblood of any society. For Adamawa, they are the ties that bind our diverse peoples, the compass that guides our moral and social ethos. This new law threatens to sever those ties, imposing a political agenda on an institution that should remain above the fray of politics.
6. What Adamawa needs now is not a proliferation of titles and territories but a strengthening of the traditional institution in a way that respects its autonomy, strengths its powers and preserves its societal relevance. A functional democracy thrives on checks and balances, but this law upends that principle, concentrating unchecked power in the hands of one individual.
7. I sympathize deeply with the Adamawa traditional institution and, by extension, all Adamawa people; even though they should have known what they were electing into office in the first place! This law not only dishonors our heritage but also balkanizes our communities at a time when unity is paramount. It is a step in the wrong direction, and I advise the governor to reconsider signing this ill-conceived legislation into law for the sake of Adamawa’s future. And this has absolutely nothing to do with ethnic or religious colorations but rather about all entities.
8. Let us stand together to defend rule of law and constitutionalism, uphold our tradition, protect our culture and demand a governance system that truly serves the people. This cavalier approach to making important laws in the state is not progress; it is a perilous regression. Adamawa deserves better.
Ardo, PhD.
