By Segun Adewale, Bauchi
The Fulani Community of Bauchi State, under the aegies of Daddo Pulāku and affiliated Fulani Associations, has opposed the move by Bauchi State Government to create new Emirates, Chiefdoms and Districts in the State.
The leader of the community,Hon Mohammed Aminu Tukur expressed disapproval to the move during a press conference held at the Conference Hall of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Press Center, Bauchi, on Thursday, 3 July, 2025.
According to Hon Mohammed Aminu Tukur who read the text, “We acknowledge the constitutional right of communities to seek traditional representation. However, we note with concern, that the current proposal for new Chiefdoms and Emirates seems heavily driven by ethnic demarcations, rather than historical legitimacy or administrative necessity.”
“As law-abiding citizens and stakeholders in the peace and development of Bauchi State, we categorically state that: The Fulani of Bauchi State do not wish to be subjected to any newly created Emirate or Chiefdom outside of the six existing Emirates,” they stressed.
According to them,”Our allegiance remains with the historic traditional institutions under which we have long coexisted in dignity and harmony.”
The Community stressed that, “We believe this position is both a constitutional right and a cultural imperative. Subjecting us to newly carved structures without our consent undermines the principle of free association, disrupts longstanding communal relationships, and could lead to avoidable tension.”
They added that, “We reaffirm our unshakable respect and reverence for the traditional institution in Bauchi State. The existing six Emirates: Bauchi, Katagum, Misau, Ningi, Jama’are, and Dass, are symbols of historical continuity and cultural harmony in our state.”
According to them,”They have played an instrumental role in preserving societal cohesion and serving as a stabilizing force across diverse ethnic and religious groups. The Fulani community has been an integral part of these institutions since their inception, contributing to their evolution through loyalty, leadership, and stewardship.”
“We respectfully draw attention to unfortunate precedents in other states such as Plateau, Kaduna, and Taraba, where the politicization and ethnicization of traditional institutions have led to deep societal divisions, intercommunal clashes. and lasting grievances. We must collectively guard against a similar trajectory in Bauchi, a state known for its relative peace and coexistence,” they enthused.
According to them, “The Fulani community is not a peripheral group in Bauchi State. We are farmers, herders, scholars, security providers, traders, civil servants, and traditional rulers.”
They argued that, “Our economic contributions, especially in livestock production, agricultural development, and inter-regional trade, are pillars of the state’s economy. Fulani settlements have historically served as stabilizing rural outposts, ensuring food security and promoting peaceful relations across ethnic lines.”
The Community stressed that,”Our communities have always responded to calls for peacebuilding, vaccination campaigns, education enrolment drives, and democratic participation. We are not secessionist. We are contributors. All we ask is fairness and dignity in representation.”
They however made a call for responsible Governance and priority reordering, urging the government to redirect scarce resources toward urgent developmental needs such as: rural education as many Fulani and non-Fulani communities lack functional schools and qualified teachers.
They also want Government to focus on Primary healthcare services, especially maternal and child health, livelihood support and agricultural extension services and rural road infrastructure to ease movement of goods and people as well as traditional institution expansion, especially when not broadly demanded or inclusive, should not take precedence over these critical needs.
They concluded stating that, “It was with sincere respect and unwavering loyalty to the leadership of our dear state, we, the Fulani (Fulbe) community of Bauchi State, under the unified banner of Daddo Pulāku and all affiliated Fulani cultural and developmental associations, hereby present our collective position regarding the recent public statement by the Government of Bauchi State on the proposed creation of additional Emirates and Chiefdoms.”
They explained that the communiqué, a result of broad-based consultations among Fulani elders. traditional title holders, women, youth, scholars, professionals, and community leaders across all 20 Local Government Areas, was issued in the spirit of dialogue, peace, unity, and fidelity to the constitutional values of justice and inclusivity.
