Senate President Ahmad Lawan, on Wednesday, received a letter of appointment as the Sardauna of Bade by the Mai Bade, Mai Abubakar Umar Suleiman.
Bade is an Emirate, in Yobe State, and the Mai Bade is the Paramount ruler of the Emirate with headquarters, in Gashua, home of the Senate President.
The appointment letter was handed to him at the National Assembly by a delegation of kingmakers and title holders from Bade emirate led by Alhaji Mohammed Saleh.
The brief ceremony was witnessed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, some principal officers and members of both Chambers.
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Receiving the letter, Sen. Lawan, who was also turbaned some 10 years ago as Danmasanin Bade, expressed his gratitude to His Royal Highness, Mai Bade and his people in general for honouring him with the new title which is one of the highest in the Emirate.
“This is a very emotional moment for me because for me, nothing is more important than for your people to give you a recognition.
“This is more organic. We run for political offices. We get elected. But this kind of title has a special place because at the end of everything you do, whatever you achieve, maybe you become President, you will still go back to your people and that is where the truth is,” Sen. Lawan said.
The Senate President recalled with gratitude how magnanimous his people of Bade emirate and later of the Yobe North Senatorial District have been to him to have retained him as their representative in the National Assembly since 1999 to date.
“I find it very important to state clearly that the people of Bade Emirate have done everything for me even before this title.
“The people of the Emirate showed me to the world in 1999 when they elected me to represent them in the House of Representatives.
“And despite my inadequacy as a human being, they still found it worthy to re-elect me in 2003 and of course took me to a higher pedestal in 2007 when I was voted into the Senate.
“I want to thank His Royal Highness for that trust and I want to thank you for always trusting that I will do the right thing and for always tolerating when I do the wrong thing because as a human being, sometime I will get it right, another time, I may not but nothing is deliberate,” Sen. Lawan said.
The Senate President gave an assurance not to disappoint his people by this appointment and promised to live by the rules.
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“Even when I go wrong, it’s because I’m a human being. I will never do anything to abuse the trust you have in me.
“The title of Sardauna is one of the highest titles and it comes with heavy responsibility and I will continue to pray for the rest of my life that God Almighty should help me to discharge the responsibility as Sardauna Bade until I leave this earth. I cherish this. I don’t take it for granted.
“I will do my utmost to ensure that this responsibility that his Royal Highness feels that I can take, that I do that with diligence, with dignity and respect that is known of our people. Now I am an embodiment of our culture, of our tradition, of that reach cultural heritage of Bade Emirate.
“I want to assure His Royal Highness through you that I have accepted this title, that I will abide by all the regulations and that I will do everything and anything possible to justify the confidence reposed in me,” Sen. Lawan said.
Earlier, the leader of the delegation, Alhaji Saleh said the new title given to Lawan is to show that his people are proud of him and what he is doing.
“It is very difficult to express, in few words, how our people at home feel about the place the Almighty God has placed you in this country. We are all very proud of you.
“We know these elections that you have been winning over and over are not just fun. They are the results of your resolute, they are the results of good representation that you have been given us and that is why His Highness, the Mai Bade thought it fit to send to you this high power delegation to bring to you a special message which is to give you the title of Sardauna of Bade,” Alhaji Saleh said.