By Abdul-Azeez Suleiman
It was a legal, traditional and solemn community affair on Saturday at Tukur-Tukur, Zaria when lawyers, the intelligentsia, community leaders, students as well as the business community and every significant member of Zazzau society converged to celebrate the turbanning of Barrister Saifullah I. U. Bello as the Ciroman Tukur-Tukur.
Barrister Saifullah is son of an illustrious leader of the Tukur-Tukur community, retired Chief Justice of the Federal Capital Territory, Ishaq Usman Bello, a passionate believer of the organic links between generations, a great statesman, a mentor, a guardian, a living history and an embodiment of all the exemplary qualities who relinquished the title of the Ciroma when he elevated to the Kuliyan Zazzau.
Early in the day, the community came alive with colorfully dressed young men and women, the elderly trooping happily to the equally colorful venue at the centre of the village beside the house of the village head.
Drummers and assortments of musicians displayed talents with different traditional musical instruments that include royal trumpets, and string guitars as they sang the praises of the celebrant and other dignitaries present.
Towards noon, the venue was full, milling crowds swarming in every direction awaiting the arrival of the celebrant and his team.
The moment came, Saifullah arrived amid blaring sirens and more music to the cheer of the entire crowd as it surged forward to catch a glimpse of the man of the moment.
Saifullah, dressed in glowing white, heavily embroidered flowing gown, was ushered into the presence of the village head, Zubairu Maikudi Sambo and the waiting dignitaries by the Madakin Tukur-Tukur, Alhaji Abubakar Sani where he was formally turbanned the Ciroma of Tukur-Tukur.
The crowd then left the village head’s house in a long colorful durbar of several variously decorated horses mounted by young riders decked in various traditional attires with drummers and royal fluitis doing what they know best.
The durbar, with Ciroma Saifullah mounted at the centre, went round the entire village acknowledging cheers to arrive at the traditionally decorated house where his father, the Kuliyan Zazzau and his friends waited to receive them.
Saifullah, the Ciroman Tukur-Tukur, is a legal officer at the Central Bank of Nigeria, a former staff in the office of the Legal Adviser NPA, and Legal Director MAQ Foundation.
He founded the Breath of Freedom Foundation in March 2019 in the Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria after graduating with a Bachelor of Laws – LLBLaw at Coventry University London in 2007 and called to the Nigerian Bar in 2018 to become an Advocate of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
