NIGERIAN GOVERNORS’ FORUM AND THE NIGERIAN TRADITIONAL RULERS COUNCIL SET UP A JOINT COMMITTEE 31-10-24
By Sadiq Aminu This was the major result of the Governors engagement in Abuja with the Traditional Rulers, the first of its kind in contemporary Nigeria.
Addressing State House corespondents after their engagements, Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State said the committee would compile inputs made at the meeting on the matter, collate memoranda, and produce an all-inclusive and comprehensive bill to be sent to the National Assembly for consideration.
He said the idea to involve traditional rulers in governance was necessitated by their influence in the maintenance of peace and security across the country.
“The participation of our traditional rulers was also, again, underscored. More so, since they are the closest to the grassroots. And fortunately, we are blessed with many of them who are extremely experienced, extremely lettered, extremely knowledgeable, and we have our retired soldiers that indeed their contributions at that level cannot be, you know, overestimated, and a lot of reference was drawn from what obtained in the past, where we had the local constables that report to both our traditional rulers and the local governments and how effective they are.
“Being close to the grassroots, know their communities better than those of us in government that are higher up. They know the miscreants. They know the families of everybody. They are able to better participate in community policing. They’re able to better provide us with intelligence that will also aid and help our law enforcement architecture”, Governor Abiodun stressed.
He said the meeting also discussed issues on state policing, and gender-based violence.
The Etsu Nupe and Chairman of the National Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar, said the Council had submitted a bill to the Constitution Amendment Committee of the National Assembly regarding their inclusion in governance.
The Etsu Nupe explained that included in the bill was the structure of traditional rulers, the function of traditional institution, tenure, funding of the institution, and insulating traditional rulers from partisan politics.