The Emergence Of Sunday Namo As Aren Koro Kuje: What The People Say

When the news of the election of Joseph Sunday Namo as the new Aren Koro Kuje was announced, which took everybody by surprise, there was reaction across the length and breadth of the Koro Kuje Chiefdom, Lafia Local Government Area.
Eggonnews therefore went to the chiefdom and felt the pulse of the people concerning the new Aren Koro Kuje.
Here are excerpts of the views of a few of the people of the Chiefdom.
Mr Innocent Bulus
The appointment of Hon. Sunday Namo as the Aren Koron-Kuje is one of the good things that have ever happened to the chiefdom and to the people as a whole.
For us to lose out on everything including having a substantive chief since the demise of Peter Namo, it is better that the former Governor unilaterally gave it to someone of his choice for the progress of the area. It is very good that it happened this way. If we had refused the choice of Al-Makura and continued fighting ourselves, we would have been at the disadvantage.
I think if not for the cooperation that existed, we wouldn’t have a paramount ruler by now. So by this, I strongly support Sunday Namo’s appointment.
My wish is that, now that the stool is given to him, he should put the interest of the people first and to ensure that he uses his office to attract development to the area, and as well ensure peace and unity among the various clans and ethnic nationalities in the area.
Mr James Alaku
The appointment of Sunday Namo as the second Aren Kuje is a welcome development to us. Even though we did not see it coming, however we are happy that the government did what it thought was the best for the people.
We believe forthwith, the chiefdom will be doing fine. And I believe that all the problems going on in the villages; the problem of lands and crises will now come to an end by the appointment of Mr Sunday Namo.
The chiefdom has suffered a lot within the period it stayed without a paramount ruler, and any community without a chief stands to lose a lot. And that was the experience of Kuje Chiefdom. But we are not sure that everything will be a thing of the past.
I am wishing the Aren Kuje long life and prosperity and good health so that he takes the chiefdom to the next level of sustained peace, unity and development.
Also, what I want Sunday Namo to do is that, let him call all the village heads and he should carry them along so that they will work together, because without their support, the Aren will not succeed in his office. He should learn to handle issues or things at the early stage before they get escalated.

Habiba Jibrin Allu
What I want Aren Kuje to do and what he should focus on is that he should concentrate on how the road from Lafia to B.A.D. can be rehabilitated. The road is too bad. And this is where most of the farm produce is being produced to the market to feed the people of the State.
We are really suffering here. And now that we have a chief, most of our youths will be gainfully employed. The State Government should please consider the people of the area. We were really left behind in terms of development.
Sunday Namo should now know that the entire Kuje Chiefdom is under him and he should not disappoint us. He should be able to approach the government and other well-meaning individuals to come to our aid.
My advice to the people is that they should accord the Aren Kuje all the support to enable him succeed.
Tsitsi Lami Hussaini
For me as an ordinary citizen of the Chiefdom, I have nothing much to say. My cry since the news of the appointment of Chief Sunday Namo is that this is the time we should come together to chart a new course that will lift us out of lack, troubles and we should begin to mend fence with those we hurt.
To be honest, I will say that we are divided on clannish and political lines. Our people are not united and this alone shows us that we still have a long way to go. Therefore, with Aren Kuje in place, this is the time we should come together to unite against all challenges that have set us apart from our neighbours and among ourselves. We should try to be our brother’s keeper and to emulate other tribes. See how they are succeeding and attracting development to their areas.
Another concern that I must be frank with you about is the bad state of our roads. Also, brothers are killing each other because of land, holding malice against each other. This is the time that all these problems will be put in the past. The Aren should try to bring all the youth in the chiefdom together, irrespective of their ethnic background because this will foster unity, peace and development.

Gidanna Yohanna
We were very happy when we heard the news that pronounced Sunday Namo as the Aren Kuje Chiefdom. Before now, when we did not have a chief, we were even ashamed to raise our heads. But since the appointment of Sunday Namo, we have been very happy and pleased.
What we now want from Sunday Namo is that he should hold the people together. He should know that the traditional institution is not where to play the kind of politics that is being played. He should concentrate on the wellbeing and welfare of the people of the chiefdom and he should avoid anything that will promote negative tendencies. I think he should use his experience to advise the people in the right direction.
If I am to say what Sunday Namo should do, I cannot really say it all. But what I want him to do is that he should earnestly work in a way that God will favour and show us mercy. Because what we want is someone that will look after his people well; someone that will lead us aright; someone that will pave the way for development.
He should know that most of the primary and secondary schools in our area are in bad shape. Our roads are in a deplorable state. We have no standard hospital in the entire chiefdom, as people will have to take the sick to Lafia.
My prayer is that he should be someone that anytime he runs to government, our problems will be solved.
Hosea Daniel
I am deeply happy that the former Governor was able to settle the crisis that had hindered the selection of a chief. In fact, among all the contenders I seem to like the choice of the government. From what is going on, we really need a man like Sunday Namo to lead the people traditionally. He is vast in experience, outspoken and confident in himself.
My prayer for him is that God should increase him in good health, wealth, wisdom so that he can prosper in all his endeavours.
Since God gave him the seat, he should prioritize the employment of the teeming youths seating at home.
In my own view, most of the violent clashes, crisis, kidnapping and other social vices are as a result of joblessness. Engaging the youths to secure jobs will reduce the recklessness in the society.
He should mobilize the people and convince the people on why we should support the seating government so that we can get a good hospital that will address the heath challenge of the people.
Danjuma Kutsa
I am very okay with the appointment of Sunday Namo. His appointment actually watered down the problem on ground and nobody could challenge it.
Now that he has occupied the throne, he should do what will put smiles on the faces of the people in areas of poverty alleviation, infrastructural development and providing fertilizers and other farm inputs for the people. The chief should not at any point neglect us, but always work for the people.
Abimiku Danjuma
Before now, our people were suffering. Before now, we had someone by name Musa from Ambana who made several attempts to settle the chieftaincy issue in the area, all to no avail. But God did His part and gave someone that is seen as a neutral person in the race to ascend the throne. I am very happy that it ended this way without fight, quarrel or anything.

What I want from him now is that he should call those who contested for the seat of Aren Kuje and other stakeholders in the chiefdom together to discuss issues that will promote peace, unity and progress.
We are now answerable to Sunday Namo and whatever he does, we will be very okay and happy with it.
Yohanna Madaki
The appointment of the Aren Kuje has been long overdue. If not for the self-centredness and foolishness of our people, which contributed to the delay experienced, we will have had Aren immediately after the death of the late Aren Peter Namo. If not for our miscalculations and self-interest, B.A.D. should by now be a Development Area.
Now that Sunday Namo has made it through, this is what we want from him. We pray that God will help him achieve all that he has in mind for the people of Kuje Chiefdom.
Albert Soja Avuh
What we have been looking for all this while, God has made it so easy that we did not need to struggle or have to gather people for another long process that will have ended in another crisis. I have no doubt that the person appointed will do his best.
What I want from him is that he should desist from politics and he should pay more attention to the needs of his people. In that way, he will get the necessary support to succeed.
I want to recall the things that happened after the death of Peter Namo and if government had not resolved the crisis of the Aren Kuje stool, the chiefdom will have been scattered with everyone going his way.
I want to call on those who contested for the seat of Aren Kuje to be calm and should give Sunday Namo all the needed support to succeed. Whatever that happened should be put behind them.
I think this responsibility is mostly in the hands of Sunday Namo who is the link between us his subjects and the government. He should, as a matter of necessity, harmonize all interests by bringing all the people together – women, youth, men, young and old – so that the peace the people have enjoyed can continue in his time.
Our chiefdom is in dire need of good schools, good hospitals and good roads. During the farming season, people had to struggle and they were even denied access to fertilizers some times. This is what I want the Aren Kuje to do so that our children can be better off.
I am praying that God would help the Aren Kuje and all those around his success, so that they can lead the people with foresight. My call on him is that, he should not show any difference in his leadership, but he should carry everyone along.
Ovye John Kotso
We give glory to God that the State Government had appointed the Aren Kuje chiefdom, who is Mr. Sunday Namo. He is a true son of Eggon land and he is a proven academician, he has held other positions, though not political but in the public life. And so his experience and his knowledge of the problems of the Eggon people and the chiefdom will come to bear.
In as much as there has been dispute for that seat for a very long time, and the government of the day has seen it in its wisdom to give Sunday Namo the position. So we believe his experience in public life will come to bear on the seat and he will serve as a uniting father to all the Eggon people together, so that we will move forward with ECDA and EYM. And I believe his wealth of experience will affect the lives of the youths of Eggon because I know he has plans for Eggon youths and the Eggon land.
Pastor Jacob Audu
Honestly when the news of the appointment of the Aren Kuje came to us, we were happy. We learnt that the former Governor called the Eggon people all the stakeholders of Kuje Chiefdom to seek their opinion, where he asked them to give him one person.
Al-Makura did so because before now, what happened in the chiefdom since the death of the late Aren Kuje showed that we’re not united and that we don’t have each other at heart. Al-Makura took that step because he wanted to restore peace and unity among us.
Anyway, the day Sunday Namo was given the appointment, I was very happy because when you talk about those contesting the seat of Kuje Chiefdom, Sunday Namo was not among them. He was the one trying to settle the crisis between Ibi and Agule.
That the Governor found him worthy for the stool shows that he is the man God appointed to lead the people of Kuje Chiefdom.
For me as a person, I am very excited. And my prayer is that we should put heads together and work with him so that he can transmit our pleas, cries and concerns to higher authorities.
For instance, our road from Lafia to BAD needs serious attention from the State Government. And that cannot be done unless the people come together in love, peace and unity.
From all indications, our present Aren is someone that the government can listen to. He is someone that can command attention and get quick response.
Anjugu Yohanna Maga
On the issue of the chiefdom, I am very happy with the development. What Al-Makura did about the chiefdom was the best thing ever, considering the clash of interests between some elites who think they are the right persons to occupy the seat.
It is unfortunate that we had to stay for a long time without a chief to superintend over us, supervise us and to lead us through the right path.
My own advice to the Aren Kuje is that he should resist any temptation that will come his way and he should do the work for which he was appointed, especially to attract solutions to some of the pressing issues the people are facing. He should also work to unite the people.
My prayer for him is that, God should prolong his life so that he can move the chiefdom forward.
Jibrin Planner Alu
On the issue of Koron Kuje Chiefdom, it has been long that our people have been suffering since the demise of the late Aren Kuje, Peter Namo. The matter kept on dragging to the time that Al-Makura decided to separate the fight between the two main contenders by giving the neutral person.
It reached a point that Agule and Ibi were not on good terms. One section insisted that it must be Agule while another later came up to say that it must be Ibi. This is why the then government was angry and decided to go for the neutral person.
We are happy that things fell out this way. We the people have to thank Al-Makura for solving our problems without stress. We are not only grateful, we are happy. And I pray that God would grant him success at the National Assembly.
What we want now is the issue of the road from Lafia to B.A.D. And we pray that the present Governor in person of Abdullahi Sule should see that as a priority to address.
We also want additional chiefdoms, or the existing Kuje Chiefdom should be divided to give others a sense of belonging. That is to say, B.A.D. should have their own chiefdom while Keffi-Wambai should also have their chiefdom. That way, the chiefdoms will be three in number. For instance, Keffi-Wambai is the oldest community among the villages under Kuje Chiefdom that need to be given a district.
We the people in Kuje Chiefdom have nothing more to say than to thank God for what He has done. Since the death of the late Aren Kuje, we had so many challenges that, in spite the efforts put across to settle the matter to replace late Peter Namo proved to be nothing.
We were happy that Al-Makura took the best decision for the Kuje people to settle the issue. Al-Makura really simplified the whole issue that there was no fight, quarrels, insult in the process that brought Sunday Namo, and all of us are happy. The step taken by Al-Makura that entrenched peace among the people is the wealthiest experience that came our way.
Now that the Aren Kuje issue has been settled, the skeletal issues in the village that made up the chiefdom where some people are being denied their right and privileges should no longer continue.
Thank God, the new Aren Kuje was a politician and an experienced person, that we believe he will put these issues to rest and we know he cannot do this alone except with the support of others and may God grant him focus, wisdom, good health, and protection to rule the people of Kuje Chiefdom. Now that he has taken over rulership, he should make sure that he forms the kingmakers, those that will be responsible for the selection of the Aren in case of eventualities.