WITH CHARLES KUMOLU

TWENTY years after he hesitated about becoming the traditional ruler of the ancient kingdom of Akugbene Kingdom, His Royal Majesty, Pere S.P. Luke Kalanama VIII, counts his blessings in this encounter. The Second Vice Chairman of Delta State Council of Traditional Rulers, discusses his key life experiences and the choices that have so far sustained him on the throne.

Transition to a royal father

I give thanks to God for bringing me this far. When I look back to the time I was called to lead my people in 1997 and how far I have come, I feel very elated. The transition from an ordinary citizen to a royal father came with mixed experiences that are interesting. It was a transition that made me find myself doing things I was not doing before. It came with a total change in most things about me.  By and large, it has been a learning process.

Aspired to join the army

After passing out from secondary school, my desire was to join the army. But I didn’t make it when I attended the selection exercise at Nigerian Defence Academy, NDA, by a board headed by a former Head of State, Gen Abdulsalami Abubakar, (retd), who was a Brigadier-General at that time. My elder brother, Col Luke, (retd), was the person who made me dream of joining the army.

His Royal Majesty, Pere S.P. Luke Kalanama

Seeing him  made me aspire to be a military officer. When that dream did not matrialize, I proceeded to Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Nkpolu, Port Harcourt, where I obtained a Bachelor of Science in Biology (Zoology). I never aspired to be a traditional ruler even though I am from one of the ruling houses. I, however, saw the sign that I may become a monarch in 1995 when my predecessor joined his ancestors. Since it was the turn of our ruling house to produce the next traditional ruler of the kingdom, the elders found me the right choice.

It was at that point that I first developed an interest in it. One of my uncles also spoke to me about it. He encouraged me to accept the position.  However, as a very sociable person, I never wanted it earlier because I felt that becoming a traditional ruler will restrict me to certain types of lifestyle and schedule. When I considered it again, I felt it was the wish of God.  That was how I accepted it.  I also had a cousin who was interested in it, who eventually contested the position with me. Today that I am celebrating 20 years on the throne, I credit my success story to God.

Scandal-free reign

My guiding principles are integrity and responsiveness. Though, no matter how one strives to live a credible life, some will still have negative and positive perceptions of that person.  Sometimes people can cook up stories just to call someone a bad name.

But I have never been disturbed by it because I understand human relations. What I do is to maintain my integrity. For instance, in the brochure of my coronation anniversary, most of my colleagues wrote tributes that attested to my person.  One of them, a very cerebral person wrote that I have worked so hard and have ensured equity among people. He also said that even when people cook up things against me, I always stay focused and unruffled.

He added that anytime I am called for a debate, I always assert my authority and integrity. That shows how much I have invested in my integrity. It is my hope that my kingdom will be united so that we can grow as a people because development only takes place when people live in harmony.

On coronation

On the day of my coronation when the late Military Administrator of Delta State, Col John Dungs, (retd), was presenting the Staff of Office to me, in my speech, we asked for the construction of a bridge across River Forcados to link us with the hinterland. We desired that there should be a road network that will lead to Bomadi and other communities. After that event, we continued with the clamour but the roads were not constructed until the time of Chief James Ibori.

In 2001, Ibori constructed the bridge which was commissioned by former President Olusegun Obasanjo. That singular act by Ibori opened up Ijaw areas. After about 13 years of constructing that bridge, many roads have been constructed in the riverine communities. The traditional headquarters of our land, Akugbene was also linked to a motorable road. Apart from that, under my reign, the kingdom has experienced tremendous growth in human capital development. Because of what Ibori did for the Ijaw man, we decided to use the coronation anniversary to honour him.

He brought glory to Ijaw nation. I am not just the traditional ruler of my kingdom, I am also the Second Vice Chairman of Delta State Council of Traditional Rulers. I was appointed by Delta State governor, Sen  Ifeanyi Okowa. And this is the first time that an Ijaw man is occupying the position. As the Second Vice Chairman, my colleagues have confidence in me to the extent that I represent them at different fora.  And I have been able to do that in a more responsive and responsible manner.

A different story

Security and financial challenges are the major issues I face as a monarch. The security challenges often put one under pressure. When I was growing up, I was told that a traditional ruler does not go to farm because his subjects take care of his needs. But it is a different story today because everybody looks up to the traditional ruler for financial needs. There is no day that people don’t come asking for financial assistance and one must assist because a traditional ruler is a father to all. We are the ones giving now.

Sometimes when we discuss among ourselves about how our subjects come for assistance, we are always amazed that it is the same everywhere. That is why it is important for our subjects who are wealthy to support us so that we can be able to take care of others who come for assistance. Importantly, that kind of pressure strengthens me because an individual that is too relaxed is not often creative. One needs to experience some level of pressure to remain creative.

Memorable experience on the throne

Of course, I have had remarkable experiences on the throne but the most memorable event was my appointment as the Second Vice Chairman of Delta State Council of Traditional Rulers. The appointment implied that the state government and my colleagues have confidence in me. The day I was appointed to that position was a day of glory not for me alone but for my kingdom.  It was not that I am better than others and it was not that I am older than others.  The appointment spoke much about how far God is taking me as a leader of my kingdom. In the traditional council, we have about three Professors and other people, who are highly cerebral. We also have a retired Major-General and other traditional rulers, who are also well educated. For me to be appointed to that esteemed leadership position, meant that the appointment was as a result of certain things about me.

Without being boastful, I will say that my humble nature is my selling point. Humility is my watchword. And it has endeared me to my colleagues and any government in power in the state.  I believe that an individual needs to be humble to be able to achieve greatness.  I don’t allow myself to be carried away by events or issues.

Peace-building

Bomadi local government Area is bounded by Ughelli Local Government Area, LGA. The community next to mine is also an Urhobo town. The major factor fuelling communal crisis is land. And such crisis usually happens in form of intra community and inter-community crisis.

In 1999 there was a land dispute between communities in Bomadi LGA that escalated.

As a foremost traditional ruler in that area, what I did was to summon all the parties involved including the chiefs from both communities after which the contentious issues that led to the break down of law and order were resolved. Since that time, they have been living in peace. In my kingdom, there have been issues over community land between some communities and some Urhobo communities. We have been trying to put structures in place to ensure that there is peace. Sometimes we go to the forest to do boundary demarcation to ensure that peace reigns. It is incumbent on us as monarchs to ensure that we resolve issues without being biased because the government also expects us to carry out such responsibility. Recently, there is a crisis between Ogbe Ijo and Aladja. Ogbe Ijo is the headquarters of Warri South West Local Government Area. Aladaja is a community in Ughelli South LGA. The crisis there is related to land which the communities are claiming. The state governor invited the leadership of the traditional council and asked that we set up a committee to address the issue. Because the communities involved are autonomous, we tried to ensure that there is peace but the crisis keeps recurring. As far as we live, misunderstandings will keep occurring and we need the grace of God to ensure that there is peace.

Most exciting achievement

God has placed me in a position where I’m able to provide for the needy in the society. Particularly, the Palace yearly scholarship program for both junior and senior secondary school students in my kingdom that was inaugurated in 2012 has been my most exciting achievement. The fact that I am providing quality leadership and good governance to my subjects is another achievement. As a traditional ruler, I now interact with most of the notable and highly respected traditional rulers in the country who I used to read about during my primary and secondary school days. I am talking about people like King Jaja of Opobo,  Alaafin of Oyo, Sultan of Sokoto, and Oba Benin Kingdom among others. Due to my vibrancy, vision and constructive ideas which rise above chauvinism, I have been elected to hold some key positions.  In all these positions, my performance has been most remarkable.