THE hosting, recently, of the fifth general assemblage of the National Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria (NCTRN) in Osogbo, capital city of Osun State scored two major points.Only a country that is destined for peril will continue to ignore the significant role of traditional rulers in the face of unending non-state conflict. And that the so called 'Security Report' compiled recently over the activities of the Osun State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola is more of imagination than reality.It would be unusual for a state that has allegedly become a threat to national security to be so attractive to traditional rulers across Nigeria as venue for their meeting.This observation was even captured by the governor in his opening remarks, saying, 'I could recollect that you were in Ile-Ife in March to honour one of your own, Alayeluwa, the Ooni of Ife, at the launch of a book on the ancient city. It is such a rare privilege to have an august assemblage of refined breed of monarchs to host twice within six months.'I must therefore thank you for finding our state worthy of hosting the General Assembly of the council. I am pleased to let you know that your choice of Osogbo is a wise one. The State of Osun is peaceful and serene and has one of the lowest crime rates in the country and will no doubt provide the ambience for a fruitful meeting.'Besides, the theme of the assembly, National Interest, Security and Development: the Role of Traditional Rulers in Mitigating Non-State Security Threats in Nigeria repels any doubt about what the gathering is meant to accomplish.But it was even the governor that set the tone of the discussion. 'The constitution has no direct role for traditional rulers. This lacuna has led to a groundswell of calls from monarchs and traditionalists for a direct constitutional function for our royal fathers. This is how it should be in a republic.'Colonialism and the tide of modernity, he asserted, shifted the focus of state legality from traditional institutions to the legal-rational order, 'which unfortunately stripped our royal fathers of their hitherto imperial political authority.'But this is half of the story, the governor reasoned, arguing that, 'for the monarchical institution, the awe and respect are still there and can never diminish. The institution, built over several millennia, has been etched into the consciousness of our people, looming large in their archetypes.'Where the traditional rulers have carried themselves with honour and dignity and have taken sides with the people, he said, 'the throne has greater legitimacy than the transient political authorities.' And this is in addition to transformation that has taken place within the institution itself, the governor noted.Continuing, he said, 'Looking at some of our digital monarchs of today, one cannot but agree that we now have a convergence of Plato's philosopher-king in them. Gone are days when we have kings and philosophers as separate entities.'And really, in many places, our people still rely upon and trust their traditional rulers in making choices on politics, economic activities, education and taking social action. This is an invaluable social capital that any politician will give just anything to have.'This privilege, I must say, carries a great responsibility and goes a long way to show that the position of our traditional rulers is actually in the constitution of the hearts and minds of the people, far beyond what any written constitution of a secular state can ever give them.'He admonished that the affinity that exists between the traditional institutions and people at the grassroots should be harnessed 'to provide leadership and sow the seeds of peace in our communities.'In the absence of true leadership, especially at the community level, the governor warned, 'charlatans will emerge and fill the void, sow the seed of bigotry and hatred, lead the people astray and plunge the rest of us into chaos. Nature abhors vacuum.'Prof. Siyan Oyeweso, who presented the keynote address at the assembly, shares similar view with Governor Aregbesola on the need to engender peace and communal living at the grassroots, as this, will, in turn, permeate the entire nation.He argued, 'the Nigerian nation is made of communities. The welfare of the nation is therefore the welfare of its component parts. Our main argument here is that since the safety of Nigeria is directly linked to the well-being of the local communities everywhere, the onus is on the Nigerian state to ensure the empowerment of those at the grassroots who are closer to these communities.'Identifying human security and developmental issues, as common interests of local areas, two important structures, Prof. Oyeweso noted, were central to the realization of these mandates.'These are the system of local government, which constitutionally provides for democratically elected local government, and the machinery for traditional governance in every local government area.'The person authorised by law to preside over the area is the chairman of the Council. In that position, he or she is to ensure the protection of the common interests of communities making up the council and also encourage the continued survival of the cultural values and traditional association of the communities.'The practical demonstration of this constitutional provision is the synergy created by the local councils and our traditional rulers on the one hand and between the local areas and the centre on the other.'The existing cooperation is now being fine-tuned by helping to re-focus the energy and roles of the traditional institutions at the local communities in the service of the fatherland. This is because the proper administration of local levels increases the political integration of groups into the larger interest of the nation.'A more inclusive administration of the country will therefore place premium on the relevance of traditional rulers to modern governance. Thus, it is important that traditional rulers are involved in policy-making on distribution of resources, security and the general well-being of their communities. Indeed, Nigeria must urgently explore the possibility of a more imaginative adaptation of indigenous political power structures to the processes of combating non-state security threats bedeviling this country.'With reference to the unending bombing attacks from the sectarian group code-named Boko Haram, Oyeweso asserted that the traditional rulers must acknowledge the big role they must play in stemming the tide of anarchic activities developing in their domains.'After all, budding criminal groups come from specific locations. They do not drop from the sky. We are also witnessing a crisis that consumes people irrespective of age, status, colour or creed. Once it starts, everyone becomes part of the collateral damage,' he argued, adding that, 'we may find ourselves fighting a war we neither initiated nor understood. We should therefore begin to spread our tentacles around our communities so as to be on top of things in every situation.'The culture of violence currently being unleashed on the country, Oyeweso fumed, 'is very barbaric and ignominious,' it must not be allowed to become a national ethos, he warned.'The aim of all of us now should be how to build a strong and virile nation on the foundations of our tried and trusted cultural and traditional values. Our growing population of young men and women are in dire need of the much-needed adult, mature and focused supervision. Our royal fathers should provide this help and direction now!'Affirming Nigeria's mantra ' Unity and Faith; Peace and Progress ' as non-negotiable, the great Historian insisted, 'National unity is our core national interest. It is in the interest of all of us to achieve peace, security, sustainable and even development.'There should be no option between what is in our best interest as a people and what is good for individuals and our diverse ethnic groups. Let us together build and nurture a country that we can all be proud of. We must succeed so that all our brothers and sisters at home and in the Diaspora can point to us as a success story.' He concluded.
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