e - CIFAS

40 GOVERNMENT IN ZAZZAU
On any major issue, the Iring was by custom obliged first to
consult his senior household officials, and next, the Tukuni or
senior order of the public officials. that ls, the Madawaki, and the
three eunuch rukuni, Galadima, Wombai, and Dallatu. Ifall these
were agreed on the course to be pursued, the king could not resist
their advice and in fact the power ofthe state would be against him
ifhe did. On the other hand, proposals initiated by the Madawaki
and the orders of public officials could be vetoed by the order of
household officials under the Sarkin Fada (chief of the Palace).
Where these two groups disagreed, the king was free to act independently
as he thought fit. Sarkin Fada and the other household
officials could influence the composition of the public orders by
using their veto on proposed appointments, and by becoming pub~
lie officials themselves. Inthis way also they could influence policy.
But such promotion of household officials to the public orders required
the co-operation of Madawaki and his group of senior
public officials, and also the support of the king. Thus the household
ofli.cials could not control policy decisions or appointments if
the king and the Madawaki's group combined against them. At the
same time, while the Icing had great administrative authority, he
could not act politically against the combined will ofthe public and
household orders.
The household officials had no administrative authority or
responsibility, but they enjoyed considerable political influence, as
measured by their effect on appointments and policy. The public
officials had great administrative responsibilities and authority,
individually within their separate :fiefs. and as a group within the
kingdom as a whole; but they had little power of independent
political action in view ofthe veto power ofthe household officials.
The chamber officials who were eunuchs were creatures of the
king with no political power or independent administrative
authority; but three ofthe most senior offices ofstate were reserved
for them in the,ukuniorder, and from this position eunuchs could
inftuence policy decisions and appointments.
The process by which appointments were made to office makes
it unlikely that personal clientage o1feroo a simple or direct basis
for recruitment to office or for promotion. The Madawaki's clients
could be kept out of office by the veto of household officials; and
the Madawaki's group could oppose nominees of the Sarkin Fada;
the king's personal clients would also have to be supported either
GOVERNMBNT IN NINETEENTH.CBNTURY ABUJA 41
"by the public or the household officials before he could appoint
,them. Considering the delicacy ofthe distribution, as shown by the
conditions governing appointment, it is unlikely that any single
official, including the king, would have enjoyed sufficient support
, to ensure the automatic appointment of personal clients.
Although there was a formal heir apparent, the Dan Galadima,
,the royal succession was not determined either by the king or by
the royal lineage, but by certain traditional electors. These electors
were all officials, and apart from the two most senior rukuni, the
Madawaki, who held the highest office open to freemen, and the
Galadima, who held the highest office open to eunuchs, the electoral
council included three Koranic scholars or mallams; thus the
mallams had a majority on the royal electoral council, and were
able to hold a balance among the public officials in this one context,
and also to decide the succession in a vIray which prevented dynastic
struggle. On his accession, the new ruler found that the officials of
state were not easily dismissable, individually or as a group, and
that his own power of appointment to office was limited by
; them.
Titled office was associated with specific functions and tasks, but
8& indicated earlier, titles do not fonn a single continuous series.
'Titles were grouped into several orders of rank, they were also
1', arranged according to specialized functions, and there were only
:,very limited possibilities for the transfer of persons from one of
these series to another. Thus the series of military offices was
headed by the Madawaki, ofthe rukuni order, with certain junior
\ public officials, rawuna, under him; but this military segment also
'contained half of the household officials, who fonned another
. order, and half of the slave-officials. The series of offices specially
88sociated with civil administration, such as roads, ferries, police,
lupplies and the like, was headed by the Galadima, and his
two eunuch assistants of rukuni rank, with certain junior public
officials of rtl'WWUl rank under him, the majority of these being
'persons of free status; this series also included half of the order of
household officials, under their chief, the Sarkin Fada, together
with numerous slave-officials and the police who were directly
{under Galadima's control. The vassal chiefs did not belong to
,:either of these complex series, but they were individually res~
;:: ponsible to the king through his chamber officials, who fanned the
'king's Jines of communication to the heads ofthe various orders of