Govt to address chieftaincy crises in Ondo, receives 70 petitions

The Ondo State Government had said that it has received over 50 proposals and over 70 petitions on the chieftaincy declaration, which will be addressed on Monday, January 6, 2025 at a public hearing in the state.

Amidu Takuro, the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, who stated this at a Press Conference in Akure, however, said the State Government would not allow any traditional ruler in the State to impose his views or interest on others communities.

Recall that the State Government recently ordered traditional stools without Chieftaincy Declarations to register with the state government, as a strategy to ensure a seamless transition and put at bay agitations and tussles associated with the Obaship selection process in the State, which it had become imperative to take the decision.

He said, “Chieftaincy Declaration is the law that stipulates enthronement guidelines for traditional stools in each Community.

The Chieftaincy Declaration has to do with the law of each community that has approved stools by the government of Ondo State.

“The Law is expected according to our rules that the people of the community led by the traditional ruler will bring his people together and other stakeholders that will determine their successors arrangements and kingmakers.”

He, therefore, said that the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs would do everything humanly possible to limit the level of numbers of litigations on Chieftaincy declaration in the State.

Takuro said; “as a ministry we must do everything humanly possible to limit the level of numbers of litigations on chieftaincy matters in the state. In the past we discovered that most of the declaration were being done in secrecy and we don’t want that one to be continue. We want it in a way that every citizens of the every community will have knowledge of what happens as regards their chieftaincy declaration.”

The Commissioner, who promised that the State Government would continue prioritising the welfare of traditional rulers, said; “we’ve set up a committee that has been approved by the Governor that will help us as much as we can for us to have a perfect chieftaincy declaration in all the stools of the Ondo State.

“We want to assure the good people of Ondo State that the committee would do justice to all their requests and we have received some petitions against some of the proposed drafts by some of the traditional rulers and all these things will be looking into during the sitting of this committee.

“We have received over 50 proposals, while we have also received over 70 petitions on chieftaincy declaration in the state which some people and community said it has to be reviewed. Some of it are still in court, which we cannot do anything on it.

“We will not allow anybody to undermine their interest whatsoever on this chieftaincy declaration in the state. Every of the stools have right to come together within their community to according to the chieftaincy law.

“But we will not allow any traditional ruler to impose his views or interest on others communities. All these things will be sort out and we have some mechanism being put in place to make sure that we resolve issues like this within the shorted period of time.”