Nigerian governors move to create constitutional role for traditional rulers

The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) and the nation’s traditional rulers have agreed to form a joint committee focused on establishing a formal constitutional role for traditional rulers.

This decision was reached during a meeting at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Wednesday, where they discussed enhancing governance, peace, and security through the involvement of traditional leaders.

Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun, who briefed reporters after the meeting, stated that the objective was to develop a framework in the constitution to empower traditional authorities to contribute more formally to community governance.

He noted that a bill to create a constitutional role for traditional rulers is already under consideration in the National Assembly, and the committee will ensure it incorporates comprehensive suggestions and feedback from traditional leaders and the communities they represent.

Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinma was appointed as the head of this new committee. The committee will solicit input from various stakeholders to shape a robust document for presentation to the National Assembly. According to Abiodun,

“The committee will seek to include the desires of those represented by traditional leaders, synthesizing these into a comprehensive document aimed at bolstering peace, security, and local governance across Nigeria, including the FCT.”

The meeting also addressed other topics, including state police, gender-based violence, and local government autonomy. Governor Abiodun emphasized the need for traditional leaders to understand the impact of recent Supreme Court rulings on local government autonomy.

The discussions reinforced the role of traditional rulers in contributing to food security, peace, and other emerging threats across the states.