Like Ganduje, Lalong moves to split Jos Traditional Council

With the dusts yet to settle over the decision of the Kano state government to split the Kano Emirate council to five, the Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong has also moved to reduce the influence of the paramount ruler of Jos, Da Jacob Gyang Buba, known as the Gbong Gwom Jos.

The state government ordered the carving out of two Traditional Councils from Jos Traditional Council. The two new councils are to be known as Jos North and Riyom Traditional Councils.

This was revealed in a memo written by the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Dayyabu Garga, to the chairmen of Jos North and Riyom Local Government Areas.

In the memo, copies of which were made available to journalists yesterday in Jos, the government stated that all the graded chiefs, district heads, village heads and their staff, who are from both local government areas, should henceforth constitute members and staff of the newly created traditional councils.

The memo explained that Governor Lalong’s decision was in compliance with Section 91(1) of the 2016 Local Government Law, adding that Section 91(3) of the law also states that the most senior traditional rulers in each local government shall be presidents of Jos North and Riyom Traditional Councils, respectively.

Earlier, Governor Lalong had created new chiefdoms and upgraded some, including the Anaguta Chiefdom in Jos North and that of the Aten of Ganawuri in Riyom.

Reacting yesterday, Da Gyang Buba said he remained the paramount ruler of Gbong Gwom Jos.

Speaking through his media aide, Alex Rwang Pam, Gyang said: “The position of Gbong Gwom Jos was the one gazetted and nothing has altered the provisions of that document.”

Pam went down the memory lane to explain that the position currently being occupied by Da Jacob Buba was first institutionalised as Sarkin Jos on August 28, 1947, explaining that it was much later that the Berom people re-coined the name to their own language “since ‘Gwom’ means ‘Sarki’ in that language.”

Recall that the Kano state government defended his decision to create four additional emirates in the state, denying accusations that the aim is to ridicule the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II.

Ganduje insisted there was no vendetta against the former Central Bank of Nigeria governor, but the latest move was meant to bring the traditional institution into full participation in governance.

Essentially, the law created four new traditional institutions and emirate councils each with a substantive first class title of emir. They are Gaya, Karaye, Rano and Bichi. The emirate council is further expanded with new districts and domains under which the five independent traditional institutions will operate.