Pius Nsabe
The Alaafin of Oyo has paid a visit to the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar The Third.
Bode Durojaiye, Director of Media and Publicity to the Alaafin of Oyo, captured the visit in a release.
In the release, Durojaye said, before the advent of colonialism, traditional rulers were both the political, social, cultural and economic administrators of their various localities.
According to him, they were parts of the immutable African culture which ensured harmony and stability in the society. However, the situation changed when colonial rule was imposed on African societies of which Nigeria is an integral part.
He noted that it was at this period that Traditional Rulers were subordinated and became instrumental for the realization of the objectives of the indirect rule system.
“How can the relevance of traditional rulers be strengthened, their lost glory retained and the bond of unity and harmony fortified?”
This, according Durojaye, formed the fulcrum of the official visit of His Imperial Majesty, the Alaafin of Oyo, Iku Baba Yeye , Oba Akeem Abimbola Owoade 1, to His Eminence, the Sultan of Sokoto.
According to the release, the Alaafin said traditional rulers are the essence of a legitimate form of participatory democracy since their involvement at the grassroots go a long way towards ensuring grassroots democracy.
Alaafin noted that cutting the traditional rulers off from the mainstream political administration exposed the nation’s democracy to serious abuse and corrupt manipulations.
“This is why traditional rulers should be given such powers and functions that accord with their role as the custodians of the people’s culture and traditions.
According to the Alaafin, “the empowerment of traditional rulers will address the nation’s security challenges and accountability in governance.
“Traditional rulers, as custodians of cultural heritage and moral values, are deeply embedded in their communities and possess unique insights into local dynamics.
“By leveraging their influence and authority, they can contribute significantly to efforts aimed at curbing insecurity in their various kingdoms and emirate councils.”
Oba Owoade noted that traditional rulers enjoyed easy accessibility to their subjects, caused mostly by their life-long reigns and hereditary status.
“They are more stable, influential, and on the average, are among the most trusted institutions in the country””.
He went further , “it is therefore imperative that at this period of our democratic growth, we involve them in political administration so that the society will benefit from the public approval ratings that they enjoy.
“Of course, they will transfer the overwhelmingly robust acceptability they enjoy to democratic leadership as a means to shape and improve their various communities.
“They will lawfully work with the police, elected politicians and other stakeholders for the peace and security of their areas. This, we believe, will foster social cohesion and stability and improve democratic consciousness and participation”, Alaafin said
Oba Owoade argued that the constitution should formalise and recognise the roles played by the traditional rulers in mediating between the people and the state in enhancing national identity, resolving minor conflicts and providing the needed institutional safety valve to accommodate, absorb and make up for the inadequacies of state bureaucracies.
“The traditional rulers have been on the scene since time immemorial, before the advent of colonialism. To their credit, they form and occupy a central and important role in the lives of the various people and colour their cultural identities.
“By empowering traditional institutions and ensuring accountability at all levels of government, Nigeria can navigate its way towards a safer and a more prosperous future,” the Royal Father argued .
The Titan of Yorubaland also stressed imperatives of unity and harmonious relationships among among the Royal Fathers in the country .
Oba Owoade asserted that for traditional rulers to succeed, “we must be able to work well with others”, adding that “unity has a significant role in human lives, as its influences stretch from personal aspects of ourselves to something we can use to build better relationships with others.”
” For example, if you look at things in a more profound sense, we may look like single raindrops falling to the ground. But, through unity, if you look at all the raindrops together, we can fill up dams and have a bigger impact on society.
” In the same way, life is filled with battles that’ll easily crush you if one stands alone. But, if one stands with others, there will undoubtedly be bigger chances of winning.
“We are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided. So powerful is the light of unity that it can illuminate the whole earth. Unity is strength, division is weakness. Where there is unity, there is always victory. Unity is strength—when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved. We are already one. But we imagine we are not. And what we have to recover is our original unity. What we have to be is what we are”, Oba Owoade pointed out.
Reacting to the remarks of his guest, the Sultan of Sokoto, while congratulating the Alaafin on his recent enthronement, expressed his heartfelt appreciation for the visit and corroborated the Alaafin’s call for robust relationship among royal fathers.
The Sultan lauded the Alaafin’s peace, unity and progress initiative.