HRH Alh. Alhassan Zakari (Dubu) II Turbaned Ondachi-Ogbani (WA’ARI) Of Ohikwo Village.
HRH Alh. Alhassan Zakari (Dubu) II has finally been turbaned as the Ondachi-Ogbani (Wa’ari) of Ohikwo Village, Ganaja, in a colourful and historic ceremony that brought the entire Ganaja community to a standstill. Performing the turbaning at the Palace of the Anaja Gaku of Ganaja, His Royal Highness, Alhaji Abubakar Jibril, tasked the new king to lead with the fear of God, to be just, fair and fatherly to all, and to rule his people with wisdom, humility and patience. The ceremony attracted eminent personalities from all walks of life, including traditional rulers, political leaders, government officials, community leaders, friends, well-wishers and sons and daughters of Ganaja at home and in the diaspora, and was marked by drumming, dancing, prayers and cultural displays. The climax came as the new king, in a long motorcade, journeyed to his domain, with residents lining the streets from the Palace to Ohikwo, cheering, singing and celebrating the arrival of their king, while traffic came to a standstill as the community rolled out the drums in honour of its new monarch.
In his maiden address after his turbaning, HRH Alh. Alhassan Zakari (Dubu) II expressed profound gratitude to the Executive Governor of Kogi State, His Excellency, Alh. Ahmed Usman Ododo, for finding him worthy of the appointment as Ondachi-Ogbani (Wa’ari) of Ohikwo Village. He assured the Governor of the unflinching loyalty and support of the people of Ohikwo-Ganaja to his administration, pledging that the community will continue to stand with the government in its efforts to bring peace, unity and development to Kogi State. He said the people of Ohikwo-Ganaja are solidly behind the Governor’s administration and will continue to support him and his programmes for the good of the community and the State. He also thanked the Anaja Gaku of Ganaja, HRH Alhaji Abubakar Jibril, for performing the turbaning, and the elders, kingmakers and the entire community for their trust and confidence in him.
There are men who are made kings by appointment, and there are men who are made kings long before the crown finds them, by service, by sacrifice, by character, and by the silent labour of building a community from nothing, and HRH Alh. Alhassan Zakari (Dubu) II belongs to the second class. As Ohikwo Village, Ganaja, celebrated the historic turbaning on Friday, 6th November, 2026, the entire community was not just welcoming a new traditional ruler, it was welcoming its own son, one of its pioneers, its protector, and its builder, a man with a magic wand, whose trajectory signals positive development for the community. Here comes the new king.
HRH Alh. Alhassan Zakari (Dubu) was born on June 15th, 1972, to the family of late Mallam Alhassan Abubakar Ejikwo and Mallama Adama Yusuf Abubakar of Irenu-Okwozose, Koton-Karfe, in Kogi Local Government Area of Kogi State. From his earliest years, he carried the marks of a leader, humility, patience, discipline and an uncommon love for people. He attended L.G.E.D Primary School, Shafa-Abakpa, Nasarawa State, between 1984 and 1990, and Government Science Secondary School, Shafa-Abakpa, between 1992 and 1999. On completion of his secondary education, he did not wait for fortune to find him, he stepped into business, dealing in farm produce, to earn a living, learning first-hand the dignity of labour, the struggles of the grassroots, and the value of honest enterprise. That early experience would later shape his leadership philosophy, that a king must understand the hunger of his people before he can feed them.
As Allah would pave the way, he was employed into the Kogi State House of Assembly on September 20th, 2000, as a Clerical Officer. Through diligence, loyalty, integrity and uncommon commitment to duty, he rose steadily through the ranks to become Head of Protocol Department. In that sensitive office, he served governors, legislators, traditional rulers, diplomats and dignitaries with grace, tact and professionalism. He learnt the art of diplomacy, the language of power, and the discipline of public service, qualities that today make him a modern-day traditional ruler, refined, exposed, and at home with both the palace and the government house. Beyond the civil service, HRH Alh. Alhassan Zakari Dubu distinguished himself as a guardian of his people. He served as Commandant, Vigilante Group of Nigeria (VGN) from 2013 to 2016, and later as Commandant, Nigeria Forest Security Service (NFSS) from 2017 to 2026, where he played a vital role in safeguarding lives, property and the forest corridors of the state. In those years, he stood on the frontline against insecurity, organised community defence, and built bridges between communities and security agencies. He is therefore not a king who will learn security on the throne, he is a king who is coming to the throne as a security expert. In his unrelenting quest for education, he enrolled at the Kogi State Polytechnic, where he obtained a Diploma in Public Administration and is currently rounding off his academic pursuit. He believes, as modern traditional rulers must, that the throne is not a place to stop learning, but a place to keep learning for the sake of the people.
Perhaps the most compelling part of his story is that he is a pioneer founder of Ohikwo Community. He joined the pioneer founders from its earliest days, standing with the founding fathers to clear the land, build homes, establish families and lay the foundation for what has today become one of the most vibrant settlements in Lokoja, stretching from Mallam Hassan Junction to Wada Estate and beyond. He grew with the community, he suffered with it, and he laboured for its growth long before it became the toast of the capital city. That is why his reign will be effective, because he will not be administering a strange land, he will be tending a garden he helped to plant. He knows every path, every family, every struggle, and every dream of Ohikwo, and a man who pioneered the growth of a community knows how to grow it further.
Those who know him closely describe him with one phrase, a man with a magic wand, who turns things around. Whatever he touches, he improves, and whatever responsibility is given to him, he elevates. From a Clerical Officer to Head of Protocol, from a businessman to a Commandant, from a pioneer settler to a King, his life is a story of steady transformation. His trajectory is not accidental, it is a testimony that wherever he goes, progress follows, and Ohikwo is about to witness that Midas touch on a royal scale. In recognition of his track record, integrity and acceptability by his people, His Royal Highness was appointed Ondachi-Ogbani (Wa’ari) of Ohikwo Village on September 7th, 2026, by His Excellency, Alh. Ahmed Usman Ododo, the Executive Governor of Kogi State. His appointment was received with joy and celebration across Ogbani Ward, Ohikwo and the entire Ganaja community, as a choice that reflects the will of the people and the blessing of tradition.
As he ascends the stool of his forefathers, his appeal and priority remain clear and unambiguous, peace, unity and improved infrastructure. His greatest desire is peace, because Ohikwo-Ganaja is home to diverse people from different ethnic groups, religions and backgrounds, all living together as one family. He is determined to sustain that peace, to be a father to all, and to ensure that no one is treated as a stranger in a land built for all. He wants unity, because he knows that a divided community cannot develop, and he wants development, improved roads, a Primary Health Centre, a Government Primary School and a Junior Secondary School for Ohikwo-Ganaja. He describes Ohikwo-Ganaja as the fastest growing community within a 16-kilometre radius of the state capital, Lokoja, whose population grows daily. With that growth, he says, must come roads that open up the community, a health centre that saves lives, and schools that secure the future of children. He has said that his joy will be full the day this community owns its own Primary Health Centre, its own Government Primary School and its own Junior Secondary School, and that is the prayer of a king who is not seeking honour for himself, but development for his people.
HRH Alh. Alhassan Zakari (Dubu) II embodies all the qualities of a modern-day traditional ruler. He is accessible, not distant, a king the common man can reach. He is inclusive, not sectional, a king for all tribes, all faiths, all families. He is visionary, not ceremonial, a king with a development agenda. He is diplomatic, having served in the corridors of power. He is disciplined and God-fearing, a man of prayer, humility and integrity. He is youth-friendly and development-driven, a bridge between tradition and modernity, between the elders and the young, between culture and progress. He is a custodian of culture who understands that tradition must not hold development hostage, and that development must not destroy culture. He is happily married to Mallama Ramatu Adamu Zakari and Mallama Hajara Ndanusa Zakari, and blessed with nine (9) children. At home, he is a loving husband and a caring father, in the community, he is a father to all, and on the throne, he will be a king for all. The new Ondachi-Ogbani (Wa’ari) is a personality that has the ability to administer Ohikwo Village and its inhabitants to enviable heights in achieving the desired goals.
As the drums beat, as the turbans were tied, and as the people gathered to celebrate, one thing is certain, Ohikwo has found its king. A king who pioneered its growth will now lead its greatness, a king with the Midas touch will now turn things around, and a king whose priority is peace, unity, roads, health and education will now give the community the future it deserves. Here comes HRH Alh. Alhassan Zakari (Dubu) II, Ondachi-Ogbani (Wa’ari) of Ohikwo Village, Ganaja. Long may he reign in peace, wisdom and prosperity. Long Live the King. Long Live Ogbani Ward. Long Live Ohikwo Ganaja.
