The Towulade of Akinale Kingdom, Oba Olufemi Ogunleye, has asked for constitutional backing for inclusion of traditional rulers in governance.
The monarch who is also a Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) said this while delivering the May monthly lecture of the Ogun NIPR titled “Roles of Traditional Rulers in Strengthening Democracy”.
He said inclusion of traditional rulers in governance especially at the local government level will improve the security situation in the country and ensure enthronement of good governance as political leaders will be more accountable.
Oba Ogunleye who said today’s traditional rulers are highly educated, resourceful, well endowed and connected to deliver dividends of democracy gave a nine point request.
He said specific roles should be ascribed to traditional rulers in the Constitution and government should see them as partners and comrades.
He asked for the establishment of National Council of Traditional Rulers that will consist of five monarchs from each of the geo-political zones as well as the establishment of State Council to consist of paramount rulers and five premier Kings.
Oba Ogunleye asked for the establishment of Senatorial District Council of Traditional rulers which will elect the five members that will join the State Council.
He said citizens trusted traditional rulers more and called for a modification of Section 14 of the 1999 Constitution which he said does not take cognisance of our culture, ethos and mores.
Oba Ogunleye recounted how traditional rulers administered their domains before the colonial masters came adding that Lord Lugard acknowledged this when he referred to them as “born rulers” in his report and asked that traditional rulers should be recognised as Chief Security Officers of their domains.
Oba Ogunleye who holds a PHD in Law cited United Kingdom, Sweden and Egypt as countries where democracy was infused with monarchy.
He charged Ministry of Justice to evolve a synergy strategy to incorporate learned traditional rulers into the administration of justice especially Alternate Dispute Resolution in their domains.
He called on Federal and State Governments to provide enabling budgets to augment the extant pittance of five percent direct deduction from local government.
Welcoming the monarch earlier, the Chairman, Ogun NIPR, Mrs Seun Boye, described the monthly lecture as a veritable platform to generate seminal ideas to make the society better and thanked Oba Ogunleye for honouring the invitation.
