Fombina’s Flame: Forging Peace, Preserving Power – A Literary Portrait Of Legacy, Leadership And The Lake Chad Conference
By Adamu Muhammad Dodo
In the heart of Yola’s scholarly sanctuary – Modibbo Adama University – the drumbeats of history, heritage, and hope echoed through hallowed halls, as intellects from across borders gathered for a resounding reckoning with time. The International Conference on “Peace, Security and Development in Fombina Area of Lake Chad: 1809 to Present” offered not merely an academic assembly but a clarion call; an intellectual invocation to rekindle the flickering flame of traditional institutions in a region yearning for balance.
Held from May 26 to 29, 2025, and convened under the collaborative canopy of the Fombina Studies Association (FSA) and the Centre for Peace and Security Studies, MAU Yola, the gathering drew scholars from fifteen distinguished institutions. Among them: the universities of Maiduguri, N’Djamena, Ngaoundere, Maroua, Garoua, Ahmadu Bello University, and more, a confluence of minds committed to uncovering the soul of a region shaped by empire, upheaval, and enduring identity.
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The Fombina fabric, woven through time – In an interview with Periscope Global, Professor Abubakar Abba Tahir – first and only indigenous (Nigerian) Vice President of American University of Nigeria, pioneer KaaKaaKey of Fombina and founding Registrar of Prime University Abuja – unfurled the tapestry of the Fombina Studies Association. Conceived in 2003 during the golden jubilee of the late Lamido Aliyu Musdafa, the FSA, he explained, aspires to chronicle the colossal legacy of Fombina, the grandest and most heterogenous emirate in the annals of the Sokoto Caliphate.
Yet dreams often dawdle before destiny dawns. FSA’s maiden conference, originally destined for December 2020, was delayed by the pandemic’s pause. It would take years of perseverance and the weighty loss of its initial chairman, Prof Gidado Tahir, a luminary in Nigeria’s education sector, before the torch passed to Prof Alkasum Abba, a revered historian of the caliphate legacy and former Vice Chancellor of Adamawa State University.
Finally, FSA found its voice and its venue in 2025. Empire echoes: The past as prologue
In his opening remarks, represented by the Council Member of the Nigeria Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) Dr Ahmad I Sajoh, the Livestock Development Minister, Hon Mukthar Idi Maiha extolled the enduring relevance of Fombina’s foundational philosophies. “Peace, security, and development,” he declared, “were not aspirations, but achievements of the Fombina Empire.” Spanning the borders of Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, and the Central African Republic, Fombina once flourished under a complex yet coherent governance structure; a testament to diplomatic dexterity and cultural cohesion.
Today, its story stands not only as a chronicle of conquest but as a compass for contemporary crisis, in other words, where crown is consumed in crisis. How can seeming fragile and fragmented Fombina be restored, the fortune with a fortunate future; reclaiming the role of traditional rulers?
Professor Tahir did not merely recall history, he resurrected it. He argued that the erosion of traditional institutions is not an unfortunate accident but a deliberate dislocation. The emirate system, once a bastion of order and identity, now teeters under the weight of political interference, declining leadership quality, and constitutional invisibility.
“To preserve the emirate is not a nostalgic nod to the past,” he warned. “It is a national necessity.”
He extolled a new crop of crowns; emirs with PhDs, palaces led by patriots, not puppets. From Colonel Yahaya Abubakar of Nupe to General Sa’ad Abubakar of Sokoto, modern monarchs have brought gravitas and governance back to the throne. These aren’t merely figureheads. They are civic stewards, bridging centuries with savvy.
The conference didn’t stop at critique. It carved a clear course forward, a kind of prescriptions for peace – a manifesto in eight movements – and/or proposals as presented and poetically pronounced by Tahir:
1. Constitutional Recognition: Define and enshrine the roles of traditional leaders within Nigeria’s national framework.
2. Institutional Immunity: Shield emirs from capricious removals and political manipulation through statutory protections.
3. Security Synergy: Integrate traditional rulers into security councils, tapping their intimate knowledge of community dynamics.
4. Capacity Building: Equip emirate councils with funds and tools for localised development and administrative excellence.
5. Cultural Revival: Reinvigorate indigenous languages and heritage through education and media.
6. Youth Inclusion: Foster mentorship and vocational programmes anchored in emirate institutions to deter extremism.
7. Strategic Alliances: Forge partnerships between traditional rulers, civil society, and international development bodies.
8. Emirate Diplomacy: Use the cultural credibility of emirs to mediate conflict, promote reconciliation, and reweave fractured fabrics of trust.
In the sprawling shadow of the Fombina Empire lies a blueprint, not just for the northeast, but for the nation. A region that once governed itself with wisdom, where rulers ruled not with guns but with gravitas, beckons modern Nigeria to rediscover its roots to regenerate its future: A region remembers – A nation reimagines
As torchbearers walk the winding path from palace to parliament, from scroll to statute, Fombina’s flame flickers anew, illuminating possibilities, forging peace, and reminding Nigeria that sometimes, the oldest truths bear the newest answers
The conference closed but the call continues.“Let the emirate endure, not as a relic, but as a reservoir—of wisdom, peace, and purpose.”
Participating Institutions:
1. Fombina Studies Association
2. University of Ngaoundere
3. University of Maroua
4. University of Garoua
5. Adamawa State University
6. University of Maiduguri
7. Ahmadu Bello University
8. Modibbo Adama University
9. American University of Nigeria
10. Prime University Abuja
11. University of Njamena
12. Federal College of Education Yola
13. College for Legal Studies Yola
14. Adamawa State Polytechnic
15. Université Abdoulmoumini Niamey, Niger Republic
Adamu Muhammad Dodo is a PR media and communication consultant.
