The Emir of Gurku Chiefdom in Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa state, Jibrin Waziri, has urged traditional title holders to promote development and sustainable peace in their communities.

He made this call on Sunday during the turbaning ceremony of 22 distinguished sons of the chiefdom who were awarded traditional titles at his palace in Gurku, Karu Local Government Area.

He explained that the conferment of the traditional titles was meant to recognise the meritorious contributions of the 22 individuals to community development.

He emphasised that development brings people together and fosters peace, urging the newly appointed title holders to be sincere in their efforts.

The emir also encouraged them to work towards fostering peace and unity within Gurku and the entire Karu area, as this would allow meaningful development to thrive.

The permanent secretary for local government and chieftaincy affairs, Umar Idris, advised the traditional title holders to initiate ideas that would bring development to the grassroots and uphold peace.

He expressed confidence that the title holders would contribute to peaceful coexistence and the overall development of Gurku Chiefdom.

He further stated, “We in Karu Local Government are happy with this development by the Emir of Gurku and I urge the celebrants to contribute meaningfully to the development of Gurku.”

Similarly, the chairman of Karu Local Government, represented by the Speaker of the Karu Legislative Council, Abubakar Abdulmalik, encouraged the new title holders to be proactive in driving development in their communities.

He also reaffirmed that the local government would prioritise traditional rulers, as they were the custodians of the people at the grassroots level, and called for support to ensure his success.

The newly appointed traditional title holders expressed their gratitude to the emir for the honour.

One of them, Zannan of Gurku, Alhassan Muhammad, pledged to leverage his experience to drive the chiefdom’s development.

As the confidential secretary to the emirate, he promised to ensure that things would be done properly for the progress of Gurku.

He added, “We need to ensure peace is sustained in Gurku Chiefdom because we have been living in peace with one another for decades.”

Several prominent individuals were recently turbaned in a ceremony.

Among those honored were Atiku Musa Gurku, who was appointed chief imam, and Hassan Abubakar Kwakuru, who was named Durbin Gurku.

Other notable recipients of titles included Bala Akoshi, who became Dan-Galadiman Gurku; Hudu Alhassan, who was named Iyan Gurku, and Bature Ibrahim, among others.

These appointments reflect the recognition of their contributions and roles within the community.

The palace was filled to capacity as friends and family of the new traditional title holders gathered to celebrate with them, accompanied by traditional dancers.

(NAN)