Zaar Chiefdom: We Are Tired Of Political Promises, Actualize It Now-ZAYODA Tells Bauchi Govt

Ajiya Ayuba

The Zaar Youth Development Association (ZAYODA) has over the weekend said that they are tired of political promises, tells governor Bala Mohammed Abdulkadir of Bauchi State to actualize their chiefdom.

In a one-day prayer and fasting, the community lamented that, after many years of struggle for self-determination, successive administrations in Bauchi have failed or refused to do justice to their plights despite being bonafide citizens of the state.

Speaking during the prayer rally on a mountain known as Pusji (black stone), the National Chairman of ZAYODA, Comrade Ga’Allah Daniel said, having waited for a long, even after recommendations of Justice Babalakin Commission of inquiry almost 31 years ago, the government need to appreciate the sacrifices of his people and actualize the Chiefdom in the spirit of justice and fairness.

“We demand for justice, equity, fairness, we have a constitutional right as people of Bauchi to share the same thing with our compatriots from other places in the state, we are tired of the political promises, let them do the needful”, he said.

Daniel who called on Politicians to stop using the struggle as a political tool to get votes, enjoined his kinsmen to persevere and continue with the agitation patiently and peacefully, expressing optimism that God is going to answer their prayers one day.

Comrade Ga’Allah who appealed to the youth to ensure that they use their voter cards wisely by voting for credible Candidates without any influence of money warned them against involvement in any form of Violence or being used as political thugs during elections.

In his part, Mr. Timothy Bitson Tafare who is the secretary to RTD Air commodore Ishaku Komo, the Gung Zaar select wondered why successive governments in Bauchi have failed to actualize the Chiefdom.

The secretary queried the rationale behind the inability of the state government to confirm the Gung-zaar select, retired Air Commodore Ishaku Komo as the substantive paramount ruler of Sayawa and present him with a staff of office.

He lamented that the issue of Zaar Chiefdom is not been remembered until another round of elections, alleging that the politicians working with the governor from the area have been telling him the truth about Zaar/Sayawa people.

“I am sure those Politicians telling the Governor lies that we are not with the government are part of the problem. We don’t have a problem with the Governor”, he said.

 “Are we not part of the people that elected the Governor in 2019? Is our votes not inclusive? Why are there insinuations that we the Sayawa people are not with the government? We are always loyal to the government”, Mr Timothy Bitson said.

The secretary boasted that no ethnic group has done so much in terms of loyalty to the government in Bauchi state as Sayawa people.

Timothy Tafare stressed that due to respect and loyalty to the government, no Politician, including the Governor has been harassed with stones in the entire Sayawa land during campaigns.

“Did anybody pelt any Politician with stone during the campaign? Was the Governor thrown with stones? Who can now say that we Sayawa people are not loyal to the government, perhaps it’s you working with him that is telling him that we are not obedient to the government and that we are rebels”, he alleged.

“Anybody deceiving the society that Sayawas are not obedient and loyal to the government is a blatant liar. We are loyal. So many things have happened that if we were not loyal, things would have been very bad but because of our loyalty, whenever the government comes in, we understand. We have done that severally”, the secretary added.

“The truth is, No going back, Gung-zaar has been selected, Ishaku Komo is our Gung-zaar, anybody there that is making attempt to say let there be somebody different, that person is our enemy and is the enemy of the government because that person is trying to create conflict between us and the government”, he said.

While citing example, Mr. Tafare said, “even the emir of Bauchi contested with some people but after his emergence, they have to go. Ishaku Komo did not select himself but the community selected him, anybody saying a different thing is on his own”.