Traditional Rulers Accuse Obasanjo, Others Of Promoting Insecurity By Transferring Monarchs’ Roles To LG Councils

The National Council of Traditional Rulers (NCTR) have accused Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, and former Heads of State, General Yakubu Gowon and Aguiyi Ironsi of stripping the traditional institution of their powers of direct intervention in national issues, thereby making it difficult to prevent crises in the country.

The Council also said that the former rulers in 1966, 1967 and 1976 “stripped Traditional Rulers of their powers and gave same to the local government councils thereby giving birth to the current insecurity and corruption” bedeviling the country.

NCTR in an interface with the leadership of the Senate on Thursday in Abuja, recalled that prior to the sack of the institution from the constitution, they were always at hand to douse conflicts that the police, the military and government officials could not contain.

In a Memorandum presented to the Senate and obtained by THE WHISTLER, the Traditional Rulers through the NCTR Chairman, His Eminence, Alh Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar (the Sultan of Sokoto), observed that the country is divided along the lines of religion, ethnicity and land resources, calling on the Senate Committee to do all it could to return the council to the constitution.

Citing the Maitatsine riot of 1980 in Kano State which reportedly claimed 6000 lives and destroyed property worth millions, the Memorandum, which was presented to the Senate by the Etsu of Nupe and the Chairman of the Coordinating Committee of the Council, Alhaji (Dr) Yahaya Abubakar, on behalf of the NCTR Chairman; the traditional rulers argued that they “have the best potential to contain religious and ethnic conflicts; they are capable of bringing together leaders of various sects in the same religion and could bring together leaders of various religions.”

The document also argues that the NCTR remain “a very strong force in ethnic unity”; adding that all that are needed by the traditional rulers are the Constitutional recognition, official government backing and other legal authorities to perform.”

His Royal Majesty, Eze Sam Aguwahiri, Obi of Obi-Ororo and the South East Coordinator of NCTR lamented to THE WHISTLER that for long the country had abandoned the traditional institution, adding the need to reintegrate the institution into government policies.

“We have neglected this issue for so many years. We come here, we make these presentations and nothing happens. But right now, everybody sees what is going on in the country; banditry, insecurity, armed robberies, and others.

“It is because we have lost our roots. Until we go back to the root, nothing would happen. We would continue to suffer the consequences. God is saying to us to go back to our roots. To the cultural and traditional norms, he gave us.

” A young man or young woman that is raised according to the culture and tradition of their people will not go out there and kidnap their elders, kidnap people.

” And we are saying the custodians and traditions of the people need to be given some relevance in the constitution; they need to be empowered.”

His Royal Highness, Apollos Achu, Egbere Emere 1 of Eleme Kingdom, River State, informed THE WHISTLER that “when traditional rulers are not given a constitutional role to play, automatically, even though they want to carry out an action that would affect the lives of the people positively, they don’t have that provisional role, so they will slack back because every decision they take could be used against them.”

Speaking at the event, the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, regretted that Nigeria missed the relevance of the traditional institution in nation building, adding that the country is in a dire situation and that the NCTR would play crucial roles in ensuring peace in the country.

He however urged the Royal fathers to take the opportunity of the Constitutional Review process to ask for more in the country’s security architecture, even as he noted that the security of the country cannot be left to security agents alone.

Lawan’s position was corroborated by the Deputy Senate President and the Chairman of the Senate Ad-Hoc Committee on Constitution Review, Ovie Omo-Agege, who reiterated the need for synergy between the country’s traditional institutions and democratic institutions.

He further added that the Committee would ensure openness in the review process by holding zonal and national public hearing across the country, to allow Nigerians to make input in the ongoing amendment of the 1999 Constitution,

The Ad-hoc Committee reviewing the 1999 constitution is made up of 58 lawmakers representing the thirty-six states of the Federation and the 6 geo-political zones. Other members of the Ad-hoc Committee include the 8 Principal Officers of the Senate.
Since the inauguration of the 9th National Assembly, several constitution amendments bills have been proposed by lawmakers and referred to the Ad-hoc Committee for further legislative action.
The 1999 Constitution Alteration Bills currently before the committee and expected to be considered in the review process include the following:
• A Bill to Alter sections 31 and 318 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) to provide for indigeneship by application;
• A Bill to Alter sections 65 and 106 of the 1999 Constitution (amended)to provide for the identification of women as indigenes of a State by marriage when running for office;
• A Bill to Alter sections 76,116,132,178 and 285 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended)to provide for the expansion of the time for elections to the National Assembly, State Houses of Assembly, the office of President, and office of Governor, and amendment of the time for the determination of pre-election matters so as to provide sufficient time for the conduct of party primaries and final determination of pre-election matters by the courts prior to the election day;
• A Bill to Alter sections 147, 171 and 192 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) to specify the minimum number of Youths and Women appointed as Ministers, Ambassadors and State Commissioners;
• A Bill to Alter section 213 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) to specify the time frame for the conduct of population census;
• A Bill to Alter section 251 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) to preclude the Federal High Court from entertaining pre-election disputes emanating from congresses, conferences, conventions or other meetings convened by political parties for the purpose of electing members of its executive committees or other governing bodies;
• A Bill to Alter section 257 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) to preclude the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory from entertaining pre-election disputes emanating from congresses, conferences, conventions or other meetings convened by political parties for the purpose of electing members of its executive committees or other governing bodies;
• A Bill to Alter section 272 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) to preclude the High Court of a State from entertaining pre-election disputes emanating from congresses, conferences, conventions or other meetings convened by political parties for the purpose of electing members of its executive committees or other governing bodies;
• A Bill to Alter section 285 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) to provide for the establishment of separate Tribunals to hear and determine Pre-election matters and Election petitions respectively, in the Presidential, National and State Houses of Assembly, and Governorship elections;
• A Bill to Alter section 288 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) for appointment of persons as Judges in the Supreme Court to include a qualification in Industrial and Labour law;
• A Bill to Alter sections 77 and 117 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) to provide for Diaspora Voting;
• A Bill to Alter sections 1 and 2 of the Sixth Schedule to provide for a Committee comprised of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, President of the Court of Appeal and Chief Judge of the Federal High Court to appoint Tribunal Judges for Presidential, Governorship and National Assembly Election Petition;
• A Bill to Alter sections 64,105 and 311 of the 1999 Constitution(as amended) to designate a definite day for convening the first session and inauguration of elected Members of the National Assembly and State House of Assembly and to provide saving provisions regarding the Standing Orders of the legislative houses dissolved by the President and Governor;
• A Bill to Alter sections 82 and 122 of the 1999 Constitution(as amended) to reduce the period within which the President or the Governor of a State may authorize withdrawal of monies from the Consolidated Revenue Fund in the absence of an Appropriation Act from 6 months to 3 months; and for other purpose;
• A Bill to Alter sections 65,131, 106 and 177 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) to provide for the Minimum Qualification for election into the National and States Assembly, Office of the President and Governors, and Other related matters;
• A Bill to Alter the 1999 Constitution (as amended) to specify the period within which the President or Governor of a State presents the Appropriation Bill before the National Assembly or House of Assembly, and other related matters;
• A Bill to Alter the 1999 Constitution (as amended) to provide for the establishment of State Police and to ensure effective community policing in Nigeria and for matters connected thereto;
• A Bill to Alter the 1999 Constitution (as amended) to amend sections 138 and 139 of the Electoral Act, 2020 to reduce the unlawful exclusion of a political party Logo on a Ballot Paper to a Pre-election matter;
• A Bill to Alter the 1999 Constitution (as amended) to replace the name “Nigeria Police Force” with “Nigerian Police” to reflect their core mandate of providing Civil Services;
• A Bill to Alter section 81 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) to make provisions for the amount standing to the credit of Security Agencies in the Consolidated Revenue Fund to be on First Line Charge;
• A Bill to Alter the 1999 Constitution (as amended) to give recognition to the Six Geo-political Zones and to further introduce clear demarcation by creating the Federal and State Legislative list as a substitute to the existing legislative lists;
• A Bill to Alter the 1999 Constitution (as amended) to provide for the establishment of State Police;
• A Bill to Alter the 1999 Constitution (as amended) to give Local Government Council direct control of their Finances;
• A Bill to Alter the 1999 Constitution (as amended) to provide for an upward review of the Derivation Formula for the inclusion of Solid Minerals and Hydro Power in the Derivation Principle;
• A Bill to Alter sections 16 and 33 of the 1999 Constitution to make provisions for Right to Food and Food Security in Nigeria;
• A Bill to Alter the 1999 Constitution (as amended) to provide for the regulation of the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal;
• A Bill to Alter the 1999 Constitution (as amended) to make provisions for the Financial Autonomy of Local Government Councils;
• A Bill to Alter the 1999 Constitution (as amended) to make provision for independent Candidate in an election;
• A Bill to Alter the First Schedule of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) to make provision for the change of the name of the Area referred to as “Egbado” in Ogun State to “Yewa”
• A Bill to Alter the 1999 Constitution (as amended) to allow for more representation in the National Assembly for the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja;
• A Bill to Alter section 308 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) to qualify criminal liability for certain public officers; and
• A Bill to Alter the 1999 Constitution (as amended) to provide immunity for Members of the legislature in respect of words spoken or written at Plenary Sessions or Committee proceedings and institutionalize legislative bureaucracy in the Constitution.

It would be recalled that Lawan had announced the membership of the Ad-hoc Committee on Review of the 1999 Constitution at the Senate’s plenary session of Thursday, 6 February 2020.