Vice President Kashim Shettima on Monday reaffirmed the critical role of traditional institutions in fostering national cohesion, declaring that Nigeria’s quest for lasting peace and sustainable development depends on leaders who prioritise justice, unity and public service above personal ambition.

Speaking in Lafia during the 70th birthday and valedictory celebration of the 16th Emir of Lafia, Justice Sidi Bage Muhammad I, the Vice President described the monarch as an exemplary leader whose life embodies integrity, scholarship, justice and selfless service.

Shettima, who was on a one-day working visit to Nasarawa State, also had a major road and a newly constructed hall named in his honour.

He said the Emir’s transition from the nation’s judiciary to the traditional institution offers a compelling lesson on disciplined, principled and people-centred leadership.

According to the Vice President, Justice Sidi Bage had already earned national recognition through distinguished service in the legal profession and at the Supreme Court before ascending the throne of his forefathers.

“Long before the people of Lafia welcomed him to the throne of their ancestors, this remarkable son of the soil had already inscribed his name into the records of our national life.

“From the lecture halls of Ahmadu Bello University to the corridors of the Nigerian legal profession, he built a reputation upon the bedrock of integrity, scholarship and an uncompromising fidelity to justice,” Shettima said.

He noted that the monarch carried the discipline and fairness that characterised his judicial career into the traditional institution, strengthening peace and development in Lafia.

“When he ascended the throne of his forefathers, he did not abandon the discipline of the bench. He brought it with him, and the people of Lafia have been the better for it,” the Vice President added.

Shettima also commended the Emir in his capacity as Chairman of the Nasarawa State Council of Chiefs, saying his leadership has reinforced harmony in a state renowned for its ethnic, religious and cultural diversity.

He praised the royal father for promoting cultural values, supporting religious institutions, preserving local heritage and championing peaceful coexistence, insisting that traditional institutions remain indispensable to national unity.

“He has shown that traditional authority, when exercised with wisdom, remains among the most powerful instruments of national cohesion that we possess,” he said.

The Vice President stressed that Nigeria’s future would be brighter if communities across the country were led by individuals who choose reconciliation over conflict and service over self-interest.

“I have come to believe, after years of reflection upon the condition of our country, that Nigeria will rise to the fullness of her promise on the day when every region, every state and every community is blessed with leadership of this calibre.

“Where there are leaders who heal rather than divide, who build rather than burn, and who serve rather than seize, the greatness of this nation ceases to be an aspiration and becomes a destiny we author with our own hands,” he stated.

Shettima equally applauded Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule for fostering stability, tolerance and development across the state, noting that President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda recognises the strategic partnership between traditional rulers and elected officials in driving national renewal.

“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, under whose Renewed Hope Agenda this administration labours, recognises that the partnership between traditional institutions and elected authority is among the surest foundations upon which national renewal can be built,” he said.

Governor Sule, in his remarks, described the Emir as a symbol of humility, wisdom and contentment, praying for many more years of fruitful service on the throne.

Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum also paid tribute to the monarch, commending the organisers of the celebration and wishing the Emir long life, good health and continued wisdom in the service of his people.

Earlier, the Emir of Lafia explained that the newly inaugurated hall named after the Vice President was conceived in recognition of the longstanding historical ties between the Lafia and Borno Emirates.

He recalled that the Lafia Emirate traces part of its heritage to the old Borno Empire and stressed the need to preserve the enduring relationship between the two ancient institutions.

Reflecting on his childhood, the royal father recounted how his father, the late Emir of Lafia, introduced him to the late Sir Ibrahim Kashim of Borno when he was eight years old—an encounter he described as one of the most memorable moments of his early life.

As part of his visit, the Vice President inaugurated the five-kilometre Maimatasa-Gemeri-Federal University Road in Lafia.

Governor Sule said the project, located opposite the Federal University, Lafia, was designed to improve security and stimulate economic activities, with students expected to be the primary beneficiaries.

Shettima also commissioned the five-kilometre Kashim Shettima Road leading to the Emir’s palace, expressing confidence that the project would accelerate urban expansion and boost commercial activities in the area.

Among dignitaries at the event were Nasarawa State Deputy Governor Emmanuel Akabe, Bauchi State Deputy Governor Mohammed Auwal Jatau, the All Progressives Congress governorship candidate in Nasarawa State, Senator Ahmed Wadada, traditional rulers and senior government officials.