Nasarawa State alone has 16 first class chiefs and hundreds of other lower grade traditional rulers and Governor Umaru Tanko Al-Makura should make public what the state government spends on their upkeep in accordance with his 'Change is on the Way' slogan, the Nasarawa Accountability Group (NAG), a pro-democracy group rooting for good governance in Nasarawa State, said in Lafia yesterday.The group threatened to go to court unless the governor makes the disclosure.Permanent Secretary in the state's Ministry of Local Governments and Chieftaincy Affairs Alhaji Abdullahi Ogiri Oji also confirmed the figure to Daily Trust, saying it is higher than in most other Northern states.The pro-democracy group said it is ready to go to court if Al-Makura continues on the same old path his predecessors took by maintaining the huge number of traditional rulers with grave implication on the lean purse of the state.Jimmie James Alheri, group's spokesperson, said even though traditional institutions play an important role in the state, 'When the number of traditional rulers, especially of first class grade continues to soar even in the face of the grave implications on the lean purse of the state, it calls for serious concern. It is a drain on the public treasury.'She added, 'That we have 16 first class chiefs ' all earning their income from the state treasury, it means that education, healthcare, agriculture, and other critical areas of our development need will continue to suffer. Nasarawa has a poverty profile that is worrisome; it means we do not need to burden ourselves with more areas of unnecessary expenditure in order to save for the critical needs. Al-Makura promised his administration will cut out all areas of wasteful expenditure; our growing number of first class traditional rulers cannot be an exception here. The number needs to be pruned down.'She also said the group 'will stand on the Freedom of Information Act and seek the administration to make public the expenditure on this large number of first class chiefs. People have to know. Now that there is an effort to give traditional rulers some constitutional responsibilities, it means Nasarawa will have to be the more burdened. It will create resource management crisis; it will be difficult to cope. Imagine that all these chiefs go with siren-led convoys; and anytime they are meeting in Lafia, the place looks like some occupied area. It is ad that Al-Makura promised change, but has continued to remain indecisive over this huge number of traditional rulers.'Speaking to Daily Trust on the issue, permanent secretary Oji said 'Nasarawa has the highest number of first class chiefs.' But he said 'the new Al-Makura administration inherited this number. I don't know what criteria the previous administration used in creating these first class traditional chiefdoms, but I agree that the number is huge.
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