THE newly-appointed Emir of Zazzau, Ambassador Bamalli, has said he would carry all the ruling houses along in an effort to move the emirate forward.
He told the state governor, Malam Nasir el-Rufai that he was reaching out to each and every contender to the throne.
The emir was speaking when he led a delegation of Zazzau Emirate to thank the governor over his appointment at the Sir Kashim Ibrahim Government House, Kaduna, on Wednesday.
According to Bamalli, “Contests like this are common in every society. People will certainly have to vie for the throne whenever it is vacant provided they are from the royal family.
“And the pride of every prince is one day to become a traditional ruler. It is not an offence and I keep repeating it. It is not an offence for any interested person to contest for the position. But after the contest, we will have to close ranks and serve the people,” he added.
“The level of cooperation that I received from the kingmakers, other council members, district heads and the people of Zaria is unprecedented in the last one week,” he added
Bamalli promised to carry all the ruling houses along, adding that: “We are one family and we have been together for a long time.
“I have mentioned it severally times, I don’t have any reason whatsoever to alienate any of the ruling dynasties. My maternal grandparents come from the Bare-bari dynasty and the Katsinawa dynasty are my in-laws. So, I don’t have any reason whatsoever to give priority to my own ruling house,” he added.
“I have served as Magajin Gari for 19 years and I think it is adequate enough to have some experience to tag along with everybody. We have discussed on the way forward.”
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The emir praised his predecessor, Alhaji Shehu Idris, as having done a lot for the peace and progress of Zazzau Emirate for 45 years.
He assured the governor of his support and that of members of the council as well as other titleholders and royal family members, adding that they “are ready to cooperate with the government and support the policies of the administration.”
The emir also thanked the government for the developmental projects taking place in the state, especially in Zaria.
Responding, the governor commended the emir for his bridge-building efforts in the aftermath of his appointment, saying that unity is key to progress.
The encouraged the new emir to continue in that effort, “bearing in mind that it is the right of every prince to want to be the emir but God only chooses one out of the many.
“God has chosen you, through us, the government of Kaduna State and my appeal is to continue to bring everyone together. Tap into the years of experience that the council members have accumulated in the administration of Zazzau Emirate.
“Working together will make Zazzau Emirate achieve great strides in development, peaceful co-existence and unity. I call on the emir to be fair and just to everyone: those that supported him and those that did not because the competition is over and the hard work now begins,” he said.