No Jihad in my chiefdom, not against Christians, says Adamawa monarch

THE Ganye Traditional Council in Adamawa State yesterday debunked insinuations that it was discriminating against Christians in the chiefdom, saying that the rumour was a blackmail fashioned by some persons that are planning to cause unwarranted crisis in the chiefdom.

A press statement signed by Acting Secretary of the council, Alhaji Yahaya Jangwe, and made available to The Guardian yesterday in Yola, said the rumour was calculated by the sponsors to tarnish the integrity of Gangwari Ganye and by extension, the Ganye Traditional Council.

The statement noted: “It is on record that the present Ganye Chiefdom was occupied by Germany in 1884 in the scramble for Africa. Germany was defeated at the end of the First World War in 1914 and thereafter, the area was placed under British Trusteeship as a Mandatory Territory.

“The British Government in1961 after Nigeria got its independence and upon the conduct of two plebiscites, made the chiefdom to become the 13th province in northern Nigeria, which became the 25th in the country.”

The Council said that the British Administration then introduced indirect rule system and therein placed Ganye Chiefdom under Adamawa Native Authority (NA), noting that it was not the making of the Gangwari Ganye that out of the 18 districts heads in the chiefdom, none is a Christian. It said the paramount ruler met the situation upon his assumption of office.

“Both German and British powers had tended to use indirect rule for ease of administration of the area because of the fragmented nature of the original Chamba societies. When Christianity came in 1920s (Sudan United Mission), and Catholic Mission in 1940s, it was very sceptical of the traditional institution and tended to regard it as a retrogressive system which should be avoided by all Christians”, the statement further said.

The Council, which said most of the district, village and hamlet heads during the time are largely Muslims, and that the foregoing facts of history are not Gangwari’s creation to marginalise Christians, noted that some Christians who at the time aligned with the native authorities, including Gang Philip Maken and Gang Paul Hammawa, were appointed to head Yelwa and Sugu Districts respectively despite being Christians.

It, therefore, urged all the subjects of the chiefdom to disregard the rumour of segregation against Christians and work as a team to develop and foster peace and unity in the chiefdom.