As Nigeria’s constitution is undergoing amendment, traditional rulers and Nigerians have been assured that the 10th House of Representatives is committed to establishing constitutional roles for traditional rulers and local government autonomy
Tajuddeen Abbas, Speaker of the House of Representatives, gave the assurance on Thursday after a panel discussion on the role of traditional rulers in national development during ‘Open Week 2024’ event, which celebrated 25 years of uninterrupted democracy in the country.
According to him, the house has established two special standing committees to drive the actualization of local government autonomy and grant constitutional roles to traditional institutions in Nigeria.
“The 10th House, under my leadership, will strive to recognize traditional rulers in our constitution amendment exercise. Despite previous attempts, we believe that traditional institutions are the backbones of our society, and their legal recognition will enhance the welfare and security of our people,” Abbas said.
In his contribution, Etsu Nupe, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar, lamented that the removal of traditional rulers powers has negatively impacted communities and increased crime and insecurity.
“We urge this Assembly to use the constitution review to re-establish the roles of traditional institutions so that we can assist governments in maintaining security and peace,” Etsu Nupe said.
He explained that traditional institutions in Nigeria evolved to provide organized leadership for communities and the colonial masters utilized traditional institutions for governance due to their significance
Also, Yakubu Maikyau, SAN, President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), urged the 10th National Assembly to provide legal and legislative support to strengthen traditional institutions.
Maikyau called for job security for traditional rulers, who are currently vulnerable to political influence, and commended the speaker for advocating for traditional institutions’ roles in the constitution.
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