Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State has called for constitutional roles to be assigned to traditional rulers to fight insecurity in the country.
Uzodinma, who made the call in Abuja on Wednesday when he hosted traditional rulers from the South, said that monarchs have a primary role if the unity and political stability of the country must be achieved.
He said that was why “some of us have argued strongly that constitutional roles be given to traditional rulers.
“So, I’m very happy you have taken the ‘bull by the horn’ without sounding immodest. We have a government; you can see the whole issues in the country.
“Issues of insecurity; all types of criminality, kidnapping, banditry, quasi-terrorism has held this country for the past couple of years to ransom.
“And so, if we must cure this menace, we must start from the roots. The landlords of the country are the traditional rulers.
“So they say ‘charity begins at home’. So you have to partner with the government. It doesn’t matter which political parties, a government is a government, and it is a government of a country.
“So, once you are there and you are busy, without practising partisan politics, you are royal majesties, your title is synonymous with excellence and you can’t be excellent if there is kidnapping as the order of the day in the country.
“You can’t be excellent if every day people cannot even pack their vehicles, go in and meet the vehicle on that path.
“So don’t sit back, let nobody deceive you, you represent the symbol of our country, you represent the image of our country.”
Uzodinma, who is the chairman of Progressives Governors’ Forum (PGF), further said that “community security, vigilante arrangements start with traditional rulers so we can’t do without you.
“I invite you not to shy away from your responsibilities, identify with the government of the day. You are like barracks, soldier come, soldier go, barracks still remain.”
He, however, appreciated the traditional rulers for believing in the unity of the country, saying that if the country was not united, there would be no Nigeria.
“The prosperity we are looking for can only come if we get the buy-in of every sector of the country.
“Let us begin to work together to appreciate the need for political cohesion, integration and unity that will drive a credible economic prosperity.”
Uzodinma also said that the federal government was interested to partner with traditional rulers to have a united Nigeria.
“We are not going to ignore traditional rulers. The president we have today is a creative thinker. He is willing and ready to recalibrate the country to prosperity.
“Please partner and support the government to solve the problem of insecurity, to strengthen the unity of the country and then create a good economy for our people.”
In his speech, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, said that as traditional leaders of Southern Nigeria, they have come together to ensure a secured region and the nation at large.
He said said that the visit to the governor was the maiden visit by the traditional rulers from Southern part of Nigeria.
“We realised that it is better we come together for the betterment of our people, even our various subjects in the political class and arena.
“We need to guide them and guard them right because we are closer to our people and we know the challenges we are having in our country vis-a-vis the challenges we are having in Southern Nigeria.
“We want to try as much as possible to form a strong and formidable force and we have come to stay and we are not particular about hierarchy or any structure or things that will divide us. We are not after that.
“What we are after is for us to come together and we will be very apolitical because we won’t be driven by politics but any of our political leaders that believes in our dream, like you, we want to thank you for the push.”
The traditional ruler said that Nigeria and the togetherness of the country were of paramount importance to them.
“This is the reason why we have all come together; that the way our ancestors and our forebears developed very strongly, the eastern traditional council and the western traditional council of traditional rulers. We have come back to those days and together we stand and we stand for good and nothing will shake us.
“What we believe is we should take Nigeria beyond any political difference, religious difference, beyond any cultural diversity. Our unity is much paramount to us,” the Ooni stated.