By Amos Tauna, Kaduna
The Middle Belt Forum, Kaduna state chapter, has urged President Bola Tinubu and Governor Uba Sani to reverse what it terms “the Southern Kaduna traditional structures” implemented by former governor El-Rufai, which undermine their cultural identity and political autonomy.
According to the forum, “The administration of former Governor Nasir El-Rufai (2015–2023) left a legacy of division and distrust in Kaduna State through reckless restructuring of traditional institutions. These changes, widely perceived as ethnoreligious gerrymandering, specifically targeted Southern Kaduna communities and other minorities, undermining their cultural identity and political autonomy.
“Today, we implore Governor Uba Sani and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to heed the calls of justice-loving Nigerians by reversing these ill-conceived policies, which have exacerbated fractures in our pluralistic society.”
Under the guise of “inclusivity,” the forum, in a statement issued by Daniel Ejembi, the forum’s state chairman, remarked that El-Rufai’s government executed a calculated erosion of Southern Kaduna’s traditional structures, where 13 chiefdoms and emirates were renamed, stripping them of their ethnic identities.
He explained that the Adara Chiefdom was controversially rebranded as “Kajuru Chiefdom,” erasing the historical presence of the Adara people. The traditional title of “Sir Gbagyi” (associated with the Gbagyi people in Chikun LGA) was replaced with “Etsu Chikun,” an unfamiliar nomenclature, further alienating indigenous communities.
According to the statement, “Such renamings occurred across Southern Kaduna, where non-Muslim majority chiefdoms were systematically stripped of their heritage.”
Ejembi stated that chiefdoms in Christian-majority areas, such as Kauru, were unilaterally upgraded to emirates, with traditional rulers pressured to adopt the title of “Emir,” a move perceived as Islamisation, which violated the cultural and religious sensibilities of communities, despite El-Rufai’s claims that chiefs “applied” for the changes.
The forum also asserted that the administration unilaterally altered local government boundaries without adhering to constitutional procedures, stressing that “Ladduga District” (Ikulu Chiefdom, Zangon Kataf LGA) was transferred to Kachia LGA to expand grazing reserves, dispossessing indigenous communities of ancestral lands.
He added that Section 8 of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution mandates that boundary adjustments must follow a rigorous process, beginning with a request by the Local Government Council, followed by approval by a two-thirds majority of the State House of Assembly, ratification by the National Assembly, and involvement of the National Boundary Commission (NBC).
He stated, “El-Rufai’s administration bypassed these steps, acting without federal approval, community consultation, or NBC oversight. These illegal adjustments were not only arbitrary but also unconstitutional.”
The chairman explained that chiefdoms like Koro, Jere, Piriga, and Kurama were forcibly merged under Hausa-Fulani emirates, diluting their autonomy. He pointed out that chiefs who resisted, such as “Jonathan Zamuna” of Piriga, were deposed, although Zamuna was later reinstated by court order; however, the damage to intercommunity trust persists.
According to him, “El-Rufai’s leaked video confession, in which he openly admitted plans to marginalise Christians and deceive them to empower Muslims, confirms what Southern Kaduna communities have long suspected. These reforms were not about governance but rather subjugation. Such brazen ethno-religious engineering has no place in a democracy.”
He called for President Tinubu’s intervention to reverse the “illegal boundary adjustments.” The unconstitutional redrawing of local government boundaries, which falls under federal jurisdiction, should be revoked, and an investigation should be initiated to halt the expansion of grazing reserves on unlawfully acquired lands and return disputed territories to
indigenous communities.
