PROFILES: Meet the four princes jostling for Emir of Zazzau throne

Four princes from eligible ruling houses of Zazzau Emirate are jostling to replace Shehu Idris, the 84-year-old emir, who died on Sunday.

Mr Idris spent 45 years on the throne, having ascended the position in 1975 after the death of Muhammadu Aminu, the 17th emir since the 1804 Fulani Jihad.

By tradition, a new emir is expected to emerge from any one of the four ruling clans of the emirate. The ruling houses are Katsinawa, Mallawa, Bare-bari and Sullubawa. The late Emir Idris was from the Katsinawa ruling house.

Typically, the Kaduna State Government is expected to announce the new emir after the governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, must have approved any of the princes nominate to him by the Zazzau kingmakers.

The kingmakers are Wazirin Zazzau, Ibrahim Aminu; Makaman Zazzau, Muhammad Abbas; Fagachin Zazzau, Umar Muhammad; Limamin Gari, Dalhatu Kasim and Limamin Kona, Muhammad Aliyu.

The contest

To replace the deceased monarch, four princes were being touted late Sunday, though there is no official communication as regards the process.

Those being mentioned as stronger contenders to the throne are the Iyan Zazzau, Bashir Aminu; Yeriman Zazzau, Munir Ja’afaru; Magajin Garin Zazzau, Ahmed Bamalli and Turakin Zazzau, Bashir Idris.

There are, however, other princes who are said to be eyeing the position. In this category are Wamban Zazzau, Abdulkareem Aminu, Sarkin Kudun Zazzau Sambo Idris, and a few other sons of the deceased emir.

About the candidates

Iya Bashir Aminu

He was born on December 26, 1960, in the palace when his father, Muhammadu Aminu, was the Emir of Zazzau.

He was turbaned Danmadamin Zazzau by late Emir Idris. When Iyan Zazzau Sa’idu died, Mr Idris promoted Mr Aminu to the important title of Iya, a position once held by the latter’s father before becoming the emir.

A trained accountant and accomplished businessman, he is a fellow of the Institute of Financial Accountants (UK) and a Fellow of the Certified National Accountants of Nigeria (CNA).

Until the reforms two years ago to resize the Kaduna traditional institutions, leading to repelling of some districts, Mr Aminu was the district head of Sabon Gari, a position he was first appointed to in 1979.

He sits on the boards of many companies as chairman or director.

Mr Aminu is from the Kastinawa ruling house, like the two previous emirs.

Munir Ja’afaru

The son of 18th Fulani emir of Zazzau, Mallam Ja’afaru, Munir Ja’afaru is a lawyer with vast experience in the private and public sector.

Born on March 25, 1956, he bagged a degree in Law from the Ahmadu Bello University Zaria in 1979 and was called to the Nigerian bar in 1980. He was retained as a lecturer at the university (1981 – 1983) and obtained his second degree in Law during the same period in 1983.

Mr Ja’afaru held various positions in Kaduna State and at the national level. He was Secretary/Legal Adviser of the Kaduna Cooperative Bank Limited (1983-1987); Commissioner for Local Government and Community Development, Commissioner for Information, Home Affairs and Culture; Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, among other ministries he held.

At the national level, Mr Ja’afaru was appointed Secretary of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (1990-1992). He held the position of Director-General of the National Maritime Authority (NMA), the precursor of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) between 1992 and 1996.

The Yeriman Zazzau has held many private sector positions traversing consulting, law, banking and insurance.

The prince hails from the Bare-bari ruling clan.

Ahmed Bamalli

Mr Bamalli is immediate past Nigerian ambassador to Thailand with concurrent accreditation to Myanmar. He was born on June 8, 1966.

He has a bachelors and a master’s degree in International Relations and Diplomacy from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. Has obtained diplomas from the Enugu State University of Science and Technology, University of York and Oxford University. In 2011 he was at the Harvard University for a short course in governance.

A holder of the traditional title of Magajin Garin Zazzau, a position once held by his late father, Mr Bamalli is an experienced administrator and banker.

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He joined the defunct FSB International Bank in 1998 rising to the position of Regional Manager before moving to Abuja Metropolitan Management Authority in 2006. He switched to the defunct Nigerian Mobile Telecommunications Limited (MTEL) a year later as head of Human Resources. He then moved to the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Plc where he was Executive Director, Corporate Services and acting Managing Director at a point.

After the change of government in Kaduna State in 2015, the new administration appointed him commissioner in the state’s independent electoral commission. In 2017, Mr Bamalli was nominated as ambassador at the instance of Mr El-Rufai.

Aminu Idris

He is the eldest surviving son of the late Emir of Zazzau, Shehu Idris.

Holder of the traditional title of Turakin Zazzau, he is the youngest of the contenders. He was born the year his father ascended to the throne in 1975 and was named after his father’s predecessor, Emir Aminu.

He attended Federal Government College Kaduna and obtained a degree in Economics from the University of Abuja. He also has a masters degree from a yet to be confirmed British university.

The younger Idris currently works with the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) as a senior staff at the Crude Oil Marketing Division of the corporation.

He is married to Karimatu, one of the daughters of Iyan Zazzau Bashir Aminu, also a contender.