From Noah Ebije, Kaduna
Nom Bajju annual Cultural Festival in Zango Kataf Local Government Area of Kaduna State has been revived after 18 years of suspension due to instability, insecurity, and unforeseen circumstances.
The festival was last marked and celebrated in May 2005.
Executive Chairman of Zango Kataf council, Francis Sani Zimbo, said the annual festival, almost went into extinction due to many years of suspension.
The council chairman, in a statement, yesterday, said following the lifting of the suspension, the 2023 Nom Bajju Cultural Festival was held in Zonkwa on Sunday.
“The event taking place today is a signal of the gradual return of relative peace and stability in Zangon Kataf Local Government Area which has eluded the council for over a decade.
“My administration has worked tirelessly and assiduously to achieve this, adding this feat has earned me a national recognition from the Peace Academy of Management and Administration (PAMA) as one of its Peace Ambassadors,” he said.
Guest Speaker on the occasion, former minister of Information, Jerry Gana, called on the people of Southern Kaduna to think creatively and engage strategically for the sustainable development of the region.
According to him, because of the love the Bajju community has for God, he said: “God is going to transform their land for it to rise again. I challenge the people to think creatively, work creatively, organise productively, invest boldly, seek strategic partners as well as govern wisely, and find solutions to community peace to guarantee a prosperous society.”
Chairman on the occasion, Kaduna State former governor, Ahmed Makarfi, said the essence of the ceremony was to showcase culture and sustain the bond of unity of the Bajju people.
Makarfi noted with satisfaction that the Bajju people have always excelled in every position of responsibility given to them and expressed gratitude to the Bajju Community Development Association for inducting him into the Bajju Hall of Fame.
Governor Uba Sani, his Bayelsa State counterpart, Douye Diri and the Chief of Defence Staff, represented by the Senator representing Kaduna South, Sunday Katung, harped on the need for the people to promote peace at all times to guarantee a versatile and progressive society.
Katung said people’s characters are moulded by their thinking and urged all to acknowledge the significance of unity as a veritable tool that propels any human society to success.
Earlier, paramount chief of the Bajju people, Agwam Kajju, Luka Kogi Yabuwat, hailed sons and daughters of the land for demonstrating high sense of responsibilities in discharging their duties to move the Kajju land forward.
He appealed to Governor Sani to consider the possibility of completing the construction work on the Agwam Kajju’s palace to make it more convenient for him.
Highlights of the occasion include the award of traditional titles to governors Sani and Diri, Chief of Defense Staff, Christopher Musa, Gana, and former chief of defence staff, Martins Luther Agwai by the Agwam Kajju.