BAUCHI State governor, Bala Mohammed on Saturday presented the staff of office to the Emir of Katagum, Alhaji Dr. Umar Faruk II, the 12th Emir of the Katagum emirate.
The coronation and presentation of the staff of office to the Emir came almost five years after his appointment by the immediate past governor of the State, Mohammed Abubakar.
Emir Faruk succeeded his father, Dr. Mahmud Kabir Mohammed, who passed after 37 years on the throne.
The colourful ceremony which took place at the Adamu Saleh College of Education ground, Azare, drew a mammoth crowd and dignitaries from all walks of life, including traditional rulers across the country.
They included the presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Sokoto State governor and Director-General of the PDP Campaign Council, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal.
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Others are the Ministers of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu and his counterpart, Minister for State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Ambassador Mariam Katagum; former governors of Bauchi State, Adamu Mu’azu, Isa Yuguda and Mohammed Abubakar; Major General Raji Adisa (retired) and the governorship candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) in Bauchi, Sen. Haliru Jika.
In his acceptance speech, the retired Federal Permanent Secretary thanked the immediate past governor of the state, Muhammed Abubakar, for accepting his appointment by the kingmakers of the emirate council.
Faruk also expressed gratitude to the present governor Mohammed for making his coronation as the 12th Emir of Katagum a reality and promised to make peace, education, and alleviation of poverty his priorities.
Speaking during the occasion, Gov. Mohammed expressed confidence that Emir Faruk ll would deploy his wealth of experience as a retired permanent secretary to build on the legacies of his late father, Dr.Mahmud Kabir Mohammed, whose attributes of honesty, dedication and commitment to a just and peaceful society during his reign are well known and appreciated.
In his vote of thanks, the Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar, represented by the Emir of Kano, Aminu Ado Bayero, thanked the dignitaries who graced the occasion.