Ganye Chiefdom turbans Prof. Gidado, Adamu Atiku, 4 others
Adamawa State and indeed the great Ganye Chiefdom stood still on Saturday, November 27, 2021, as six illustrious sons and daughters of the chiefdom were turbaned by the paramount ruler of the Chiefdom, Adamu Umaru Sanda, the Gangwari Ganye II.
Among the six persons who were conferred with different titles that day are two illustrious sons of Adamawa State – Prof. Maxwell Gidado, the Chief of Staff to Governor Umaru Fintiri and also a member of the American University of Nigeria (AUN) Governing Council, and Adamu Atiku Abubakar, the Commissioner for the Adamawa State Ministry of Works and Energy Development, who also sits on the Board of Trustees of the AUN.
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Both Professor Gidado and Mr. Atiku are men of great accomplishment and have distinguished themselves in public and private service. It is, therefore, a case of the worthy sons receiving the recognition and honor they richly deserved.
The title of Danmasanin Ganye II traditionally means someone who has excellent knowledge of the environment and its happenings. The first Danmasanin Ganye, who is now deceased, also worked hard in helping to retain the Gangwari title and throne.
Among other committee members, he worked and produced documents to prove why the title should remain with the then paramount ruler. In Professor Maxwell Gidado, the title is being bequeathed on an erudite and accomplished legal luminary, a scholar of repute, a thoughtful and calm administrator with a proven track record.
Professor Gidado was conferred with the prestigious rank of the Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) in 2015 in the academic category. He was a member of the Legal Expert Team, which successfully untangled the internal boundary dispute case between the Republic of Cameroun and the Federal Republic of Nigeria at the International Court of Justice, Hague.
The famous Bakassi Peninsula Case is remembered for many things but often not mentioned is the fact that Nigeria won a lot of land area in the northern border of the country.
A former Senior Special Assistant to former President Olusegun Obasanjo, the Danmasanin Ganye II has helped establish five Faculties of Law in Nigeria and nurtured them to attain partial and full accreditation. He has also taught and mentored over 1000 law students in some of Nigeria’s top universities, including AUN, University of Jos, and Bingham. Some of his students are now court of appeal justices, high court judges, magistrates, and khadis.
Professor Gidado has authored many books, notably “Province of Legal Methods in Nigeria,” a book of reading in all faculties of Law in Nigeria. He has served as a member of notable committees, including the Oil & Gas Reform and Review of the 1999 Constitution.
The title of Sardauna traditionally translates to the defender of the Gangwari and commander of his army. The Ganye Chiefdom’s Sardauna title was first held by the former Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar, the Waziri Adamawa and father to Adamu Atiku. Atiku Abubakar relinquished the title to his son in 2020, making him the second Sardauna.
The Ganye Sarduana title has an interesting anecdote. Some years back, while Atiku Abubakar was serving as VP, and the Gangwari’s throne was threatened, Atiku fought valiantly for him to retain the throne. He is often noted as one of the people who played very crucial roles in defending the Gangwari’s throne and title. This act led to the creation of the title for him by the then Gangwari Ganye I, father to the present Gangwari.
Before his appointment as Commissioner for Works & Energy Development by the Fintiri-led administration in 2019, Adamu Atiku distinguished himself with INTELS for over 18 years and rose to the rank of Ag. Deputy Managing Director.
He expertly handled diversified roles in supply base activities, terminal base operations, shipping activities, stevedoring services, business development, and client relations.
In his current role as Commissioner for Works and Energy Development in Adamawa State, he has supervised the urban renewal agenda of the administration, which has led to the construction of many roads and bridges, not just in urban areas but also in various local governments of the state.
His sterling performance as the chief supervisor and driver of Adamawa’s Urban Renewal Agenda of the Fintiri-led administration has fetched him the recognition of the Nigerian Institute of Civil Engineers, which inducted him into the body as a Fellow (FNICE).
Triple-A (as he is known to his admirers) is not just an accomplished administrator and public servant; he is also a philanthropist. He is the Founder and President of the Adamu Atiku Foundation (AAF), a community-based non-profit organization focused on healthcare, education for all (EFA), good governance, and community development, among others.
The new Sardaunan Ganye obtained his first degree (B.A Marketing & Management) and Masters’s degree (M.Sc Supply Chain & Logistics) from Irwin College Leicester Middlesex University, Hendon, United Kingdom Central England, and Birmingham, United Kingdom, respectively. He belongs to many professional bodies like the Nigerian Institute of Management and the Institute of Transport & Logistics.
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He has sat on many company boards as a member and Chairman, including the Priam Group of Companies before joining public service.
Others who were turbaned included Abdulmumuni Mapindi as the first Durbin Ganye, Aliyu Abubakar as the first Jakadan Ganye, Lilian Stephen Nabe as Mi Woba Ganye, and Rasheeda A. Mustapha as Jakadiyar Ganye.
