Security: We’ll Create Constitutional Roles for Traditional Rulers, Says Senate 

Sunday Aborisade in Abuja

The leadership of the 10th Senate has pledged to amend Nigeria’s constitution with a view to create definite roles for traditional rulers in the governance of the country especially in the area of security.

Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, gave the assurance when he received in his office monarchs across the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Akpabio stated this while responding to a request by the traditional rulers on the issue.

He said the roles of the royal fathers in governance, particularly on security matters, were very important .

The Senate President said: “Your request for constitutional role in governance is not strange to us and in particular to me based on my background.

“My late grandfather was a traditional ruler and in fact, one of the warrant officers used by the colonial masters for the effective implementation of indirect rule.

“During the period, traditional rulers effectively tackled issues of safety and security in their various domains.

“It is my belief and the entire Senate leadership here that if traditional rulers are  constitutionally engaged in governance at the grassroots, the myriad of security challenges facing the country would be things of the past.

“You traditional fathers are reservoirs of information highly needed at the grassroots. Your journey to us today on the request would surely not be in vain.”

The Etsu of Nupe, Dr. Yahaya Abubakar, who was represented by the Chairman of National Traditional Council of Nigeria and the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, said the constitutional role of traditional rulers was expunged by framers of the 1979 Constitution.

He lamented that all efforts made by traditional rulers across the country under the aegis of National Council of Traditional Rulers, to get back the role had not yielded any fruit.

The monarch said: “The most recent of such efforts was the one made during the 9th National Assembly which didn’t scale through as a result of failure to get the required votes in the Senate for the demand despite succeeding in the House of Representatives.”