For nearly two weeks, the Nupe nation, friends, family and admirers have been in a celebratory mood ahead of the 70th birthday anniversary of the the Etsu Nupe and paramount ruler of the Nupe people, His Royal Highness, Yahaya Abubakar. The euphoria that today’s event has generated should not be surprising, for, in the last five decades, this debonair monarch has bestrode the military, traditional and public scene.

At every tum, he has been distinguished and exceptional, exuding a genius that is intimidating in every sense of the word. There is no section of the Nigerian public space in which the influence of Abubakar has not been felt. There is no sphere of human endeavour that has not engaged his attention.

During his days in the Army, Abubakar inspired awe, not just with his physical presence, but with the depth of the knowledge of his job, and his complete mastery of the fine points of military tradition.

He demonstrated the extent to which a military officer can be successful in his art, provided he brings to it, a complete, single-minded devotion. Before his appointment as the 13th Etsu Nupe, his last military posting was to the Defence Headquarters Abuja, where he was a director of foreign operations, before retiring as a Brigadier General in September 2003.

As a father to all, Abubakar took a generous interest in the career of young people who passed through his tutelage, providing for them the benefit of his wisdom, experience and expertise in many respects.

It is self-evident that the Etsu’s strength lies in the maintenance of peace which has served as a catalyst for sustained growth and development of his domain. It is to his credit that in the last 19 years that he has been on the throne, there has been no reported case of any violence, whether sectarian or otherwise in his domain, where Muslims, Christians and people from diverse backgrounds co-habit in peace.

Aside keeping the peace in his domain, the Etsu has been a unifying factor across Niger State in his capacity as the permanent Chairman of the Niger State Council of Traditional Rulers; a role he has played with uncommon humility and carriage.

Beyond the shores of Niger State, Abubakar has forged unity and cooperation amongst the Nupe people of Niger, Kwara and Kogi States. Keen watchers of developments in Nupe kingdom in the last two decades can attest to the fact that in spite of the continuous efforts to obliterate African cultural practices by agents of western civilization, the Nupes are enjoying a renaissance.

The Etsu has made this possible through the symbolic celebration of the Annual Nupe National Day in Bida, the headquarter of the Nupe nation. During the annual event which takes place on the 26th day of June every year, the Etsu Nupe with the support of his colleague-Etsus of Patigi, Agaie, Lafiagi, Lapai, Tsaragi, Tsonga, Kupa-Abugi and Bassa-Nge superintend symbolic exhibition of culture and reliving of age long traditions.

The 26th day of June marks the day when the British Army was defeated by Nupe warriors led by the then Etsu Nupe Abubakar on the 26th day of June 1896. The British Protectorate in Lokoja had approached the Bida Military camp at Ogidi of present Kogi State resulting in the defeat of British Constabulary and the Union Jack was seized by the Nupe Cavalry.

Every year, the festival starts with prayers in both mosques and churches, respectively on Friday and Sunday in the first and last day of the event, and the Etsu Nupe then leads the event to discuss the rich cultural heritage of his people. Other programmes usually lined up to mark the day include lectures on issues concerning Nupe’s history, background, culture and development, at the end of which merit awards and traditional titles and other forms of recognitions are given to deserving sons and daughters of Nupeland.

Significantly, the cultural values being revived include the Patigi Regata – a colourful boat racing festival on River Niger in Patigi and Bariki celebrations in Bida which is usually held on the fifth day of Sallah festivals both Id-el fitr and Id-el Kabir celebrations in Bida. Each of these celebrations lasts five days. The fifth day is marked with fan-fare, where the Etsu Nupe rides a horse with his subjects positioned at strategic locations to catch a glimpse of and pay respects to the Etsu-Nupe and his beautiful procession of horses. People visit Bida from far and wide to watch this colourful event. Also, being revived is the Gani Festival in Kutigi.

The Gani is an annual traditional wrestling festival where men display their strengths. A strong confident person comes out and challengers file out and he chooses who he feels like taking on. It normally attracts large crowds from different parts of Nupe land and beyond.

The Kingdom’s rich tourist attractions are also being further projected to the world in the renewed efforts to revive the Nupe culture. Tourist attractions of note are the confluence of River Niger and Kaduna, which shows a clear distinction with marked differences between River Kaduna, whitish in colour and River Niger greenish in colour. The two never mix as the confluence progresses down until after several kilometers where the influence of other smaller tributaries alter the natural process.

The Masaga glass work in Bida is also a wonderful tourist resort. The glasswork involves melting of bottles into liquid product that is used to make different types of ornaments such as bangles, bracelets, beads, snake-like toys etc. other tourist attractions include Kanji Lake National Park and the Cenotaphs of Mungo Park and Lander Brothers in Jebba, Kainji and Jebba Hydro Electricity Dams sites.

Embedded in the cultural revival drive by the Etsu Nupe includes the effort by the Etsu’s council to keep the world abreast of happenings in Nupe Kingdom through a robust engagement with the media on the key social and mystical powers of Nupes that have made the people very popular, especially the Ndakogboya Masquerades. Not to be missed is the traditional horse racing competition which now holds annually at the Sultan Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar Race Course, Bida.

It is singularly remarkable that everyone who has been privileged to encounter Etsu Nupe has been impressed by the man's humility, his common sense and touch, his love for his family and his loyalty to friends. He has had to play father-figure to generations of Nigerians regardless of their ethnic extraction, among whom is yours sincerely, who currently holds the traditional title of Magatakarda Nupe and a close confidant of the Etsu Nupe.

A champion of love, peace and mutual coexistence, Etsu Yahaya Abubakar has been in the fore front of promoting religious tolerance through his work as the Chairman, Coordinating Committee, National Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria as well as a strong voice in the Nigeria Interreligious Council (NIREC). His significance as a worthy citizen, traditional ruler of note and patriot continues to shine through in all that he has had to do in his most exemplary life. When the history of Nigeria is written, his name shall be etched in gold surely.

Happy 70th birthday, sir, Bagandozhi!

• Yahaya, a Professor of Agricultural Extension and Development Communication at the University of Ibadan is the Magatakarda Nupe and the author of “The Nupe People of Nigeria”