By Razaq Bamidele
Last weekend, all roads led to the palace of the Sarkin Fulani of Lagos State located at Surulere where the monarch, Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar Bambado was honoured with the prestigious Ambassador of Peace & Tranquility Award.
The award was conferred on the monarch by the Executive members of Sir Ahmadu Bello Youth Council from Zaria for the roles the Fulani leader has been playing towards youth development and as well as towards ensuring peaceful co-existence in the country at large.
In his Award presentation address, the Youth Council’s Director of Programmes, Mallam Yahya Yakubu Doma said the organisation was set up to tackle the challenges facing the northern youth like backwardness, sex and drug abuse as well as lack of adequate care from the region’s leaders.
“If we don’t stand up now to take our destiny in our own hands, our future would be mortgaged by our leaders, hence our resolve to float the organisation. As it is now, it is not a gainsaying that the northern youth cannot be compared with our counterparts from the south. So, we need to stand up now to make good things happen to us before some of our leaders mortgage our future,” Doma stated emphatically.
Doma was accompanied to Lagos by his other colleagues namely, Iliyasu Rabiu Muhammed, Habeeb Oyediran and Isa Abdullahi, who is the group’s Secretary General for the Award Committee.
In his acceptance speech, the awardee, Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar Bambado, who doubles as the Chairman, Association of Fulani Chiefs in the South-West, expressed delight that, “some people somewhere are watching from afar and near our humble contribution to the development of the youth as well as our roles in fostering peaceful co-existence amongst the citizenry!”
The elated monarch said peace in Zamfara was as a result of dialogue on peace initiative between the Governor and traditional rulers which the outcome of which the Governor implemented that led to the relative peace in the state.
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Bambado therefore advised other governors across the country to emulate Zamfara State Governor in the way he handled the situation that eventually brought about peace just as he urged all Nigerians to assist the government in addressing the security challenges facing the country.
“Security issues in any country is never an exclusive concern of the authorities but a collective responsibility of all the citizenry,” the monarch submitted.
Concluding, Bambado advised the August gathering to always contribute their positive quotas to the safety, growth and development of the country socially, religiously, socially and politically, pointing out that, “somebody somewhere is watching all our movements that would not go unrewarded at the end of the day.”
Present at the colourful event were gaily dressed members of the traditional council, notable politicians and important professionals among who were Alhaji Saadu Yusuf Gubuah from the Oko Oba Abattoir, Assistant Woman Leader, Arewa Community in Lagos State APC, Barrister Fatimah Bako, a veteran journalist, Alhaji Kudu Abubakar among others.