Plans to create a constitutional role for traditional rulers got a boost in Abuja yesterday.
Governors and key traditional rulers raised a committee to prepare a bill for constitutional amendment to accommodate traditional rulers in governance.
The committee was set up at a maiden meeting of Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) and the National Council of Traditional Rulers at Aso Villa, Abuja.
The joint committee, chaired by Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma, is made up of 15 members, whose report is expected for submission in one month.
Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun and Etsu Nupe Yahaya Abubakar addressed reporters after the meeting.
Abiodun said the meeting focused on community policing, intelligence sharing and how monarch’s roles in local security efforts could be enhanced.
He explained that the committee’s recommendations would be submitted to the National Assembly for consideration.
The governor added that there was a need to formalise the involvement of traditional rulers in governance, peace-building and security.
He further said the governors and the royal fathers also discussed food security and other emerging threats to Nigerian communities and how traditional rulers could be better involved in tackling them.
Abiodun said: “After a few remarks on that submission, the joint meeting of the governors and their royal majesties, his eminence and royal highnesses agreed that one the proposed bill, as presented should be circulated amongst all those present here today.
“Two, that a joint committee of governors and our traditional rulers should be set up, and that committee should seek to ensure that the various remarks and comments that were made from those that are here present reflect the desires of those that they represent, should be included to make for a robust document and memoranda, should also be called for and received.
“All that should be synthesized so that whatever document will be presented to the National Assembly will be a very comprehensive, very inclusive document that seeks to empower our royal majesties, royal highnesses more and seeks to involve them in governance, peace, security of our various states across the country, including the FCT (Federal Capital Territory).”
“We further deliberated also on the issues of peace and security, food security, and all other emerging threats. The participation of our traditional rulers was also, again, underscored.
“Moreso, since they are the closest to the grassroots and fortunately, we are blessed with many of them who are extremely experienced, extremely lettered and extremely knowledgeable.
“And we have our retired soldiers that indeed their contributions at that level cannot be, 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.
“Some remarks were made, and rightly so, that our traditional rulers, 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 and they can better participate in community policing.
“They’re able to better provide us with intelligence that will also aid and help our law enforcement architecture”, he said.
Etsu of Nupe Abubakar explained that the bill seeks to reinforce traditional institutions through stable funding and non-partisanship.
He said: “This is a meeting of first time of its kind that the joint meeting will take place between the governors and the traditional institution, we express our profound gratitude for this initiative by the able Chairman of the NGF, the Governor of Kwara State (AbdulRahman AbdulRazak. As Governor Abiodun has said, we deliberated on solving issues, most especially the aspect of the issue of the constitutional role of traditional rulers in governance.
“I presented a brief of the memo or bill being sent to the National Assembly, because, as you are all aware, presently, there’s a committee in the National Assembly charged with the responsibility for reviewing the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“So, we already submitted a bill to that committee to go to reach and amend the Constitution appropriately by identifying those areas, we mentioned the structure and also the function of traditional institutions all spelled out in that bill, and also made mention of the tenure and, insulating the traditional rulers from partisan politics.”
Some of the traditional rulers at the meeting are Sultan of Sokoto Sa’ad Abubakar III; the Ooni of Ife Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi.
Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde also attended the meeting.