The Etsu Nupe, Yahaya Abubakar, has urged village heads to work tirelessly for peace, justice and fairness to all manner of people.

The monarch, who is also the  chairman of the Niger Council of Traditional Rulers, gave the charge on Thursday in Bida while turbaning 13 new village heads from across the Nupe Emirate.

The newly turbaned village heads are Mohammed Makama of Busu, Mohammed Yahaya of Ezhigi, Mohammed Isah of Tate, Mohammed Usman of Baka, and Mohammed Zubairu of Dagba Aliyu Goyi.

Others are Ndako Ibrahim of Kpakiko, Abdullahi Adamu, Man Twaki, Mohammed Ndatsu, Somajiko, Tauheed Mohammed, Kpacita, Saidu Jibrin, Edogi Luko, Saidu Baba of Egagi, Alfa Mohammed Dari of Dari, and Mohammed Kudu of Edugi.

Addressing the traditional rulers, the Etsu Nupe directed them to prioritise the security of lives and property in their domains, describing it as the foundation for development.

“This is the only way your communities can achieve the desired level of progress,” he said.

He urged the village heads to work assiduously for peace and to be just and fair to all residents in their areas.

Mr Abubakar noted that traditional rulers have critical roles to play in promoting peace and justice to complement the efforts of government at all levels.

“This is crucial, given the myriad of challenges facing the country and the strategic position of traditional rulers,” he added.

He admonished the village heads to serve as ambassadors of peace for the overall development of the Nupe Kingdom.

The royal father commended his subjects for living in harmony and urged them to sustain peaceful coexistence.

“Peace is priceless; we must maintain it for the Nupe Kingdom, Niger and Nigeria to move forward,” he said.

He also praised the people of the emirate for supporting his peace agenda, stressing that peace remained a basic ingredient for development.

According to him, the prevailing peace in the area is due to the people’s resolve to unite and urged them to maintain that understanding.

He called on the Nupe people to shun all forms of immoral acts capable of tarnishing the image of the emirate.

Responding on behalf of the new appointees, the village head of Busu, Mr Makama, pledged not to disappoint the Etsu Nupe, the Bida Emirate or the state in the discharge of their duties.

Mr Makama lauded the Etsu Nupe for finding them worthy of the title and promised that they would do everything possible to bolster development in their communities, the Nupe Kingdom, Niger and Nigeria as a whole. 

(NAN)