It was pomp and pageantry spiced with glamour on Saturday June 22, 2024 at the ancient, cosmopolitan town of Saminaka, the seat of Saminaka Emirate and headquarters of Lere local government area of Kaduna state.
The day which was the 7th day after the Arafat of 1445 AH would always be remembered with nostalgia by the peaceful, hospitable and industrious people of Saminaka who trooped in their thousands to witness the turbaning of four eminent personalities with different titles and distinct portfolios by His Royal Highness, the Emir of Saminaka, Alhaji Musa Sani Ibrahim at the flattened arena in front of his palace.
The four distinguished persons appointed as District Heads to the Emir (Hakimai) and bestowed with portfolios that qualified them to membership of the Saminaka Emirate Council (‘Yan Majalisar Sarki) are Alhaji Umar Adamkolo Umar, Kauran Saminaka; Alhaji Sani Jako, Uban Doman Saminaka; Alhaji Suleiman Sani, Majen Saminaka and Alhaji Ya’u Mohammed, Shalelen Saminaka.
Drummers, flutists, jesters, praise singers, acrobats and sounds of gunshots fired intermittingly by the palace guards added colour to the event while all the Emirate’s 33 Village Heads, the over 100 District Heads, leaders of the various ethnic groups resident in Samanaka, some of the visitors and invited guests from far and near including a prince of Gumel Emirate, Alhaji Aminu Mohammed Sani, the Ma’aji of Dutse, Alhaji Ibrahim Babangida Umar and the Garkuwan Ringim, Alhaji Abba Kassim, (the last three all from Jigawa state) took their turns one by one and greeted the smiling and cheerful Emir who sat majestically watching the events and acknowledging the homage and greetings.
The serene ceremony devoid of the usual uncontrollable crowd, pick-pockets, handheld phone snatching and fisticuffs or violent clashes among street urchins that are associated with such events, impressed many of the visitors who commended the entire industrious and enterprising Saminaka community for their orderliness.
An elated Emir of Saminaka, Alhaji Musa Sani Ibrahim, thanked the visitors who came from far and near and those who contributed to the success of the ceremony, saying that it was his council’s modest way of honouring and appreciating friends and admirers of the emirate and who were contributing to the socio-economic developments of the emirate.
He explained that as a young emirate, Saminaka was not competing with anyone, but emulating the older emirate councils as part of ongoing efforts to transform the culture and traditions of the people and ultimately to take them to prosperity.
The Emir commended all his subjects, visiting traders and businessmen, staff of Kaduna state and federal governments and those of private organisations for the peace that prevail in the Emirate (authoritatively acknowledged as the largest maize-producing area in West Africa) and shares borders with Kano, Bauchi and Plateau states.
He was particularly appreciative of the philanthropy, generosity and entrepreneurship zeal of the newly turbaned first Kauran Saminaka, Alhaji Umar Adamkolo Umar, whose portfolios, according to the secretary of Saminaka Emirate Council, Alhaji Usman Musa Sani- Yariman Saminaka, include to defend, protect and promote the interests of the Emir and the Emirate Council and contribute to the well-being of the people.
The new Kauran Saminaka, Alhaji Umar Adamkolo Umar was born on March 10, 1964 at Hausari quarters in the ancient city of Maiduguri, Borno state. He had Islamiyya and Koranic education at Ma’ahad Sheikh Abulfatahi, Maiduguri, where he was taught the basic education about his religion and learned the orientation of how to worship his creator and serve the people. Young Umar later studied at Sheikh Atiku Abubakar Sanka Islamiyya School at Sanka Quarters in Dala local government area of Kano state.
A prince by heritage, Umar Adamkolo is one of the children of Alhaji Umaru Mohammed, a community leader and successful entrepreneur in Maiduguri in the 1960s to 1980s. He is also the great-great-grandson of Zanna Arjunoma, a 19th century District Head of Gajiram, an agrarian town and presently the headquarters of Nganzai local government area in northern part of Borno state.
He was seven years old in 1971 when he was admitted at Yerwa Primary School, Maiduguri and passed out with flying colours in 1977 whence he was admitted to Government Secondary School Futuk, now in Gombe state where he finished his post-primary secondary education and obtained the West African Examinations Council certificate (WASC) and the National Examinations Council, (NECO) results with distinction. He once served as the president of the school’s Muslims Students Society (MSS).
The zeal to further his education and desire to get the antidotes to future challenges in life motivated young Umar Adamkolo Umar to go back school and was admitted by the University of Maiduguri in 2008 for a two year Advanced Diploma programme in Public Administration (ADPA) which he successfully completed. He spent additional seven years at the University of Maiduguri to further his education and came out with a Bachelor of Science and Masters Degrees in Public Administration.
He wanted to participate in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme, but his age at the time he earned his first degree disqualified him. Nevertheless, Umar Adamkolo Umar served and is still serving his motherland and his compatriots to the best of his abilities.
A testimony on the traits of the Kauran Saminaka, was given by the Ma’ajin Dutse Emirate in Jigawa state, Alhaji Ibrahim Babangida Umar who stated that, “Umar Adamkolo Umar’s philanthropy knows no bounds. He awards scholarship to indigent students nationwide and gives financial assistance to those in need in his human development programme.”
Dr Steve Arogbonlo an Academia from the Federal University of Education, Kano, (the former Federal College of Education) who travelled to Saminaka to witness the ceremony said the appointment is a testimonial to the good qualities of the first Kauran Saminka as a patriotic and generous citizen.
Alhaji Umar Adamkolo’s limited liability company which engages in nationwide haulage and the logistics of oil and gas in the West African Sub-region, employs over 300 workers.
A widely travelled international businessman, he has visited all the states of the federation, more than half of African countries and dozens of nations in Europe, Asia, Far and Middle East and the Americas exporting Nigeria’s agricultural products to Europe and importing wristwatches from Switzerland and Germany, Arabian and Oriental Caps and other costumes from Tunisia, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
He was the Borno State chairman of Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (Dry Cargo unit), NARTO, from 2006 to 2010, president of Borno and Yobe States Shippers Association since 2015 and was twice member Board of Trustees Cargo Defence Fund in the Nigeria Shippers Council (2008 to 2011 and 2011 to 2014) representing the North-east.
Nigerians know of Kauran Bauchi traditional title bestowed on Alhaji Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed the current governor of Bauchi state, followed by Kauran Gwandu held by the executive governor of Kebbi state, Dr Nasir Idris and now Alhaji Umar Adamkolo Umar.
While scripting this abridged profile of Umar Adamkolo Umar the prince of Gajiram, the successful entrepreneur and philanthropist and now the first Kauran Saminaka, I remember my school days as a student of English literature and recalled what Malvalio said in William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night that, “In my stars I am above thee; but be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon ’em.”
Above all, Allah (SWT) said in the Holy Qur’an Chapter 3 Verse 26 “Say, O Prophet, “O Allah! Lord over all authorities! You give authority to whoever You please and remove it from who You please; You honour whoever you please and disgrace who You please – all good is in Your Hands.”
Abdulkadir Ahmed Ibrahim, (FNGE), veteran journalist and media consultant, wrote from Kano.
