In 1998, the death of Adam Yakubu Fobur, the Agwom Izere plunged the Izere nation into a long mourning period, after which emerged power struggle among several people for the throne. The strain that followed the death of the Agwom Izere consequently saw the Izere community without a paramount ruler for almost two decades.

About18 years later, the government of Plateau State gave the nod for the kingmakers to select a new paramount ruler and on the 15th July 2016, Dr. Isaac Azi Wakili, a retired military officer emerged as the Agwom Izere, becoming the first paramount ruler to hold a first class status in the area.

Before his selection, the past administration of Joshua Dariye had in 2002 upgraded the chiefdom from a third class to a first class status, but with the death of Adam Yakubu Fobur, diverse interests crept into the selection process causing tension and disunity among the people, ViewPointNigeria gathered. Prior to the emergence of Wakili, the district head of Federe, Emmanuel Magaji, had held brief as acting Agwom Izere while Wakili sat on the throne of Shere as district head for 13 years. The recent selection of the new Agwom Izere followed the 1980 gazette which states that the five district heads representing five clans of the royal families who are also the kingmakers will select one of them to serve as Agwom Izere. The districts which include Federe, Fobur, Maigem, Shere and Fursum will select one among them to serve as Agwom Izere. Therefore, when the Agwom Izere dies, any of the five district heads’ shall ascend the throne based on the gazette.

The new Agwom Izere said, “year in year out, diverse interests creeped in which caused the delay in selection. The Izere sat down and said we have a way of selecting our paramount ruler because there was a gazette that says the five district heads of the Izere nation are the contestants and at the same time are to select one among them. So we continued to struggle until this year with God being our helper, we cried to this administration and the governor graciously approved the selection.”

Having worked closely with former President Ibrahim Babangida during his military career, Wakili didn’t foresee his ascension to the royal throne, it was gathered.

“In 2003, after the demise of the district head of Shere, people came from home with a high-powered delegation to seek my consent to be the district head. I was made to understand that before my father died, he had instructed that wherever I was, they should look for me, so that was the genesis of my becoming the district head. I was still a serving officer, not yet retired but they insisted that they needed my service so I asked them to give me time to pray. After my prayers, I came back, the selection was in October 2003 and I emerged the district head of Shere. The local government had to write a letter to Army headquarters seeking my release and my retirement was approved in 2004.”

Wakili explained that acting as Agwom Izere in the last 18 years came with a lot of disadvantages.
“In that acting capacity the district head of Federe did not have powers and he could not attend the Plateau State Council of Chief meetings. We as a people knew we needed to put our differences aside and appoint someone to represent us.  So the governor asked us to follow the gazette that was promulgated in 1979/1980,”  he said.

The National President, Afizere Cultural and Development Association, Peter Azi Magaji, explained that that the 18 years delay was due to a court case instituted by some family members of the past paramount ruler who felt that a new Agwom Izere should come from their clan, having already produced two paramount rulers.

“But it was recently discovered that the case had been struck out since 2004 and the people never appealed so it became statute barred after seven years. Also, the late paramount ruler had appended his signature to the 1980 gazette which explains how a new Agwom Izere will be selected. So that helped the Afizere nation to move forward and select a new ruler,” he said.

Though Wakili is yet to be formally installed, culturally, in the build up to the coronation, the new Agwom Izere is expected to spend the night in the house of the immediate past paramount ruler where he will receive blessings from his uncles. The clan of the late ruler will bless him and accept him before they will escort him with the ‘agba,’ a musical instrument with a specific royal tune played exclusively for the Agwom Izere.  Should the people fail to play that specific tune, it will mean the Agwom Izere has been rejected by the clan of the past ruler.

However, Magaji says it is unlikely that Wakili will face any problem as some members of the late ruler’s clan have already visited the new Agwom Izere to pledge their support.

Generally known to be a peaceful tribe, the Afizere also known as the Jarawa people are mainly found in parts of Jos-north and Jos-east local government Areas of Plateau State as well as parts of Toro and Tafawa Balewa Local Government Areas of Bauchi State.  ViewPointNigeria gathers that they are one of the rare ethnic groups to hold two chiefdoms in Plateau State. After the 2002 elevation of Jos-east chiefdom to a first class status, the same government of Dariye in 2006 upgraded the Jos-north chiefdom to a second class status called the Jos Izere chiefdom.

A 1976 boundary adjustment in which part of the Afizere people in Bauchi were merged with their brothers in Plateau State explains why the people have an unmistaken bond with Bauchi State and the Bauchi emirate council. Wakili has promised to do his best to unite the people and stretch his people’s unique culture. “We have the Asharuwa dancers, who have been projected even in the international community, but there are also other parts of our cultures that people may not know, it is time to project that to the world,” he said.
He is presently receiving visitors and well-wishers at his residence which he used as district head of Shere, but sources say the state government was working to site a palace at a place to be chosen by the Izere people.

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Izere chiefdom gets paramount ruler after 18 years lull