By DANJUMA JOSEPH, Lafia –
Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, has directed the Ministry for Local Government, Community and Chieftaincy Affairs, to commence the process for the selection of the new Aren Eggon, who will succeed the late Dr. Bala Angbazo.
Governor Sule, disclosed this on Tuesday when he received members of the Nasarawa State Traditional Council of Chiefs, on a Sallah homage, at the Government House, Lafia.
Recall that the Aren Eggon, who is the paramount ruler of Eggon nation in the state, Mr Bala Angbazo, died in July, last year at the age of 89, after spent 41 years on throne.
According to the Governor, the Eggon Traditional Council has 22 kingmakers but with only three available to select the new Aren Eggon, the process can go on.
He assured that his administration will not interfere in the selection of the new Aren Eggon, even as he urged stakeholders to shun acts capable of breaching the existing peace.
“The law empowers the Governor to use even only one kingmaker to select the new Aren Eggon. We will now use the three kingmakers to select the new Aren Eggon. I don’t even know the kingmakers and won’t even meet with them,” Engineer Sule stated.
He disclosed that the new Aren Eggon is expected to emerge on May 5th.
In the meantime, the governor has announced the upgrading of the status of 22 traditional rulers drawn from across the state, as part of the recommendations of the recently constituted Committee on the Creation of Chiefdoms, Districts and Village Areas.
Accordingly, four second Cclass traditional rulers namely – Sangarin Shabu, Osakio of Assakio, Sangarin Deddere, Ohinoyi of Toto, Sarkin Gurku and Osu Agwada, have all been elevated to first class status.
Similarly, four third class chiefs namely – Sarkin Ara, Sarkin Angwan Makama, Sarkin Gudi and Zhe Musha were equally elevated to second class status.
The governor also announced that all fourth class chiefs namely – Zhe Ashige, Sarkin Kanje, Sarkin Igah, Ogazi Kwara, Osu Yelwa, Sangarin Tudun Wada, Sarkin Laminga, Osuko of Agaza, Esu Kodape, Sangarin Dari, Sangarin Amba and Sarkin Sabongari, have been automatically elevated to third class status.
The Governor used the opportunity of the meeting to appeal to traditional rulers in the state to support the process leading to the conduct of a successful national population and housing census.
“We are relying heavily on our royal fathers for the success of the 2023 census. As yiu are aware, Nasarawa State is one of the states thay has been shortchanged over a long period of time on this issue of census.
“That is the reason why we pleaded with the NPC to take a local government from Nasarawa State during the trial census and they picked Karu LGA. From the numbers that we have seen from the trial census, Karu Local Government Area is more than the population they have always given us as a state. We strongly believe we are truly shortchanged.
“I am calling on all our royal fathers to assist and support the census exercise that is coming up,” he said.
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