By Bashir Adefaka

Late last year, the South-east and South-south traditional rulers organised a retreat at the prestigious Nike Lake Resorts and Hotels, Enugu, which opening ceremony had President Goodluck Jonathan represented, and the Sultan of Sokoto and Co-Chairman, National Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria, NCTRN, Alhaji Saad Abubakar III, as special guest of honour. Publisher of Champion Newspapers and Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, chieftain, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu and Minister of Special Duties in the Presidency, Alhaji Tanimu Turaki, were also on ground.

For reason best known to them, councils of traditional rulers of the two geo-political zones had thought it fit to retire into that serene environment to brainstorm on issues affecting them, their people and the environments where they lived. What became constant as the retreat took off was that the monarchs were convinced that the wind of change being clamoured for in all parts of the country needed to be deliberated upon since, according to an adage, when the little ones are cutting a tree, only the elders around know the direction it will fall.

Although Jonathan was absent, the presence of the Sultan did not only only hold the ground for expected satisfaction but also showed, from the looks, nods and general comments of many of the Igbo and Niger Delta monarchs present, that the retreat was a huge success.

Virtually all the speakers saw the Sultan as an enigma fitted into multifaceted descriptions. They saw him as a cross-border personality, whose thoughts, views and aspirations transcend just ensuring the well-being of northerners but also of the entire people of Nigeria.

Likewise, they saw the presence of Iwuanyanwu, whose call for extension of security vote to traditional rulers of Nigeria was greeted with loud ovation at the retreat.

But to start with Abubakar, dressed in white agbada and grey regalia with white turban and white half-shoes to match, in his remark that was greeted with loud applause intermittently, noted that much as Iwuanyanwu’s suggestion for security vote was a welcome idea, the traditional rulers should know that performing their duties to their people was a born-to-do thing.

Why we are comfortable being traditional rulers – Sultan

“All the points raised especially the ones that elicited so much applaud by Chief Iwuanyanwu where he mentioned that security vote should be extended to traditional rulers; quite everybody clapped, laughed and supported it.  And actually that is the irony of life but you know we must do our work most honourably and most diligently because we are born into it and if we don’t do it, nobody will do it for us.

“That is why we are so much delighted as traditional leaders to continue serving our people in different capacities with or without security vote.

The position of traditional institution in nation-building

“Having heard so much from so many people, I know that Chief Iwuanyanwu must have captured so much on what you are here for, even though as a politician, and you know we are not politicians but fathers of politicians. Our politicians, we must guide them aright.  We must not allow them to derail and whatever we should do to bring peace and stability as traditional leaders, we must do so. We must never shy away from talking to one another,” the Sultan, who was accompanied to the event by the Etsu Nupe, Alhaji Yahyah Abubakar, and Attah of Igala, Idakwo Michael Ameh Oboni, said, adding that his presence at the opening ceremony of the traditional rulers retreat was indicative of the love that he and other traditional rulers in the North have for the traditional rulers and people of the South-east and South-south of Nigeria.

He said the traditional rulers in Nigeria had come to stay and that, “Whoever doesn’t like us, we will tell him to go and have a rethink because there is nothing he can do about the institution.  This institution had been here long before Nigeria came into being like some people said.  And so we must continue to respect that institution.  Politicians come and go, the institutions remain.

“So I want us to take note that being the traditional leaders, being the fathers of the people, we have to know that we must respect ourselves. Let’s not belittle the positions which God Almighty gave us.  Let’s not go around begging for opportunities. Let’s respect ourselves, let’s respect our positions and leave the rest to God almighty who created us.

“I believe all of us here are more dedicated Nigerians.  In fact, there is no institution in this country that has variety of professionals: military generals, doctors, professors even whatever you can think of, more than we have in this institution. We are the only institution that has it all and, therefore, by divine will of Almighty that brought us together, let’s continue to work and develop this country.

If all of us become lawless, then we are not better than animals

“We can only develop this country if we are truthful to one another.  We must tell ourselves the home truth.  Let’s not shy away from talking to one another and let’s not shy away from telling ourselves the truth whether it is to Mr. President, the governor, local government chairman, let’s tell the truth of what is happening in our country.

“In Nigeria today there is so much impunity going on, there is so much corruption, there is so much injustice and there is so much disrespect for rule of law.  Any society that does not respect the rule of law, that condones corruption and impunity will have a very big problem of development because God is just God and justice to any one person is justice denied to all.

“All of us here are our brothers’ keepers and I need to make this short comment on the injustice I am talking about.  Here amongst us there are people who have been visited with injustice when a Federal High Court ruled in our favour, the Appeal Court ruled in our favour, but the almighty governor (names not mentioned) refused to obey the Appeal Court’s order.  That is disrespect for rule of law.  And if you do not respect the law, what else do you respect because law is the one that guides our day-to-day activities.  If all of us become lawless, then we are not better than animals in the bush.”

He maintained that traditional rulers are not politicians and as such were not looking for jobs or offices to occupy, since they already have their God-ordained offices.

“Politicians should give us the opportunity to discharge our responsibilities. They should not see us as opponents. We are not politicians, but fathers to politicians. Help us to help you build this country. We must not shy away from advising them when it is necessary to do so.”

He called on traditional rulers to always respect themselves, adding: “We must respect ourselves, let’s not abuse the traditional institutions God gave us to occupy. Let’s respect ourselves and institutions and leave the rest to God. Let us continue to work to develop this country. We must note that we can only develop this country if we tell ourselves the truth”.