The Kaduna Mafia ( not a criminal organisation) is a loose group of Nigerian businessmen, civil servants, intellectuals and military officers from Northern Nigeria, who resided or conducted their activities in Kaduna, the former capital of the region towards the end of the First Republic. Similar to the Sicilian Mafia, the group shares features of omertà, ethnicity, and patronage. It is believed the resentment of competing interests led to the creation of the acerbic idea of a clique gaining headway through its closeness to power and thereby approximating resources of the state under the banner of capitalism. Usage of the term Mafia The term Kaduna Mafia was supposedly popularised by journalist, Mvendaga Jibo. History Context The challenges to Ahmadu Bello of the transition from colonial rule to self-government laid in his role as a member of the traditional ruling establishment. He was confronted with either maintaining the caliphal structures under British rule or modernise administrative structures of the traditional institutions to provide them with power of utility. It is argued that the introduction of reforms of the institutions saved them from withering away. Traditional authority has continued to play a central role in Northern society since the time of Ahmadu Bello, despite continuing reforms. The creation of the civil service during the period of Ahmadu Bello is one of his major achievements. He regarded the northern civil service as a meritocracy, which should be above petty political quarrels, and certainly above corruption. The civil service had a rigorous code of ethics, and came to serve as a counterbalance to both politicians and traditional leaders. The trans-ethnic nature of the civil service provided the backbone for Northern Regionalism and for northern development efforts, which were based on the principle of equal distribution of opportunities. The technical and administrative skills of the civil service were essential to a large-scale political community, and the willingness to take assignments outside of the capital city was part of the ethos. The civil service provided a smooth transition from colonial rule to Independence, and an equally smooth transition from Northern Regionalism to the creation of states and the consolidation of Nigerian federalism. Perhaps the key to the effective functioning of the civil service was its apparent balance in terms of sub-regional zones, its transcendence of sub-regional interests, and its ability to incorporate intergenerational cohorts into a cohesive whole. His insistence that the next generation of traditional