From Mustapha Saye, Kaduna
The governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, has approved the appointment of Alhaji Ahmed Nuhu Bamalli as the 19th Emir of Zazzau.
He succeeded the late Emir, Alhaji Shehu Idris who died on Sunday, September 20, this year after reigning for 45 years.
Alhaji Bamalli is the first Emir from the Mallawa ruling house in 100 years, following the demise, in 1920, of his grandfather, Emir Dan Sidi Ja’afaru.
In a statement issued and signed by the state Commissioner of Local Government Affairs, Jaafaru Ibrahim Sani on Wednesday, in Kaduna, it stated that until his appointment as Emir of Zazzau, Bamalli held the title of Magajin Garin Zazzau and served as Nigeria’s ambassador to Thailand, with concurrent accreditation to Myanmar.
The new Emir of Zazzau has been a Permanent Commissioner in the Kaduna State Independent Electoral Commission in 2015 and he has worked in banking and as Executive Director and later acting Managing Director of the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Corporation.
He was a staff of the Abuja Metropolitan Management Agency before a stint as head of Human Resources at MTel, the mobile communications arm of the old Nigerian Telecommunications Limited (NITEL).
Born in 1966, Alhaji Bamalli studied Law at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
He holds a Master’s Degree in International Relations and Diplomacy and a Diploma in Organisational Leadership from Oxford University.
He is also a fellow on Conflict Resolution of the University of York, United Kingdom (UK).
The statement said on behalf of the state government, Malam Nasir El-Rufai has congratulated Bamalli on his appointment and wished him a successful and peaceful reign as Emir of Zazzau.