Muhammadu Chindo Yamusa II []1945-2015]

The passing on of the 14th emir of Keffi Alhaji Muhammadu Yamusa II on December 4 was a great loss not only to the people of Keffi and Nasarawa State but to all Nigerians. He died after a brief illness at the age of 70 years. The late paramount ruler, who was a passionate and […]

The passing on of the 14th emir of Keffi Alhaji Muhammadu Yamusa II on December 4 was a great loss not only to the people of Keffi and Nasarawa State but to all Nigerians. He died after a brief illness at the age of 70 years.
The late paramount ruler, who was a passionate and visionary leader, has left behind a vacuum that will be very hard to fill. His death is a monumental loss especially now that Nigeria needs more conscientious and trustworthy traditional rulers to promote our unity in diversity and peaceful co-existence.
His patriotic contribution to nation-building through his counsel on peace and unity will be highly missed. Irrespective of ethnic, political and religious divides, the late emir always put the unity of Nigeria first. He appointed non-indigenes to the emirate council in a bid to foster peace and unity in his domain. He will be remembered as a paramount ruler who generously contributed to national development through his fatherly counsel and advice to those in authority.
His cousin, the Galadiman Keffi Alhaji Abdul Usman, said Yamusa’s demise was painful and shocking. “Our emir, the promoter of peace and culture died this morning after a brief illness,” he said at a press briefing. “His death is heartbreaking, painful but God gives life and takes it at will. The emir had contributed a lot to the development of not only Keffi but to the development of Nasarawa State and the entire country while alive.”
We recall his appeal to Nigerians to support the federal government’s efforts to fight terrorism and social vices as well as his advocacy for education as the bedrock of development. He was one of the first northern leaders who came out openly to speak against the Boko Haram insurgency ravaging the North-eastern geo-political zone.
Yamusa, who was Chancellor of Nasarawa State University, Keffi, always stressed the need for leaders to remain vigilant in their respective communities to guard against the emergence of dangerous tendencies and ideologies among the people. He was a peace ambassador who served his people with great dedication and love. The late emir, who was enthroned on May 11, 1978, was a great purveyor of peace and culture who contributed immensely to the phenomenal development of Keffi emirate and Nasarawa State during his 37-year reign. He was indeed an epitome of traditional leadership and a steadfast custodian of the cultures and traditions of the diverse people of Keffi Emirate Council.
Muhammadu Chindo Yamusa also served in various capacities in the Northern Traditional Rulers’ Council. He was a selfless leader who used his position judiciously to advance the cause of his people. He was humble, friendly and humane. His impeccable character earned him the respect not only of his subjects but of many across the country.
The late traditional ruler lived not only a fulfilled life, but also an exemplary one. May God grant his soul eternal rest and his family and the entire people of Keffi Emirate Council and Nasarawa State the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss. Amen!
Meanwhile, as we welcome his successor Dr. Shehu Usman Yamusa to the throne, we wish to remind the new emir that he has a Herculean task ahead of him and must work very hard to fill the large shoes left behind by his revered father. We urge him to work hard to sustain the late emir’s legacy and emulate the virtue of tolerance his father exhibited. The new emir has to work assiduously and embrace everyone in order to sustain the peace and stability bequeathed by his father.
We also commend the Keffi emirate kingmakers for being firm, resolute and fair during the selection process as the outcome will ensure that there is no disunity and acrimony among the people, such that could have possibly led to a breakdown of law and order in the emirate that has existed since the early 1800s.