Oba AbdulRoshid Akanbi Adewale, Telu 1, Oluwo of Iwo, Osun State has urged the Federal Government to involve traditional rulers by assigning them constitutional roles and empower them adequately so as to address the worsening security problem in the country.
Oluwo, who gave the advice during a visit to Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Lekan Balogun, Alli Okunmade II maintained that the structures of the traditional rulers remain the best in tackling insecurity saying “the structures of the traditional rulers are far better than those of the politicians.
We are the closest arm to the people. Look at Ibadanland for instance, Olubadan as the paramount ruler has his Chiefs, the Mogajis, the Baales and the hunters to work with in ensuring that peace reigns under him.
The Osun monarch who was at the Alarere residence of Olubadan stated that “Who is that politician, whatever his position that can boast of the type of structures a paramount ruler commands in terms of reaching out to the least person at the grassroots? That’s why the institution of traditional rulers is very consequential when it comes to the issue of security. Let the government involve us and not just by talking to us through conference, no, assign us roles and give us empowerment,” the monarch said further.
In a statement by Oladele Ogunsola, the Personal Assistant (Media) to Olubadan quoted Oluwo as explaining that the paramount rulers would coordinate the other and lesser Obas in the running of the affairs of their respective domains if given the necessary constitutional space to work, “if we are empowered, it would trickle down and we would be able to secure ourselves. It is becoming almost impossible to ignore us-the traditional rulers if we are talking about effective and efficient security in this country.+
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“We can secure our land by becoming our respective policemen in our various domains if we are given the expected roles. In Iwo for instance, we have no problem and I can say it with emphasis that Iwo under me is well secured. We had engaged the visitors in our bushes and told them to be wary of people that come to them with a stern warning that we won’t tolerate any act of security sabotage in our land and they have been cooperating with us”, he explained.
On the import of the visit during which he had a closed-door meeting with his host, Oluwo said he came to Ibadan to greet his brother Oba and that they had useful discussion on the future of Yorubaland. “We discussed extensively on how Yoruba would be great and regain her primus interpares among the comity of ethnic nations across the globe. It wasn’t just ordinary meeting, we also took time to pray for prosperous reign,” the monarch noted.
Olubadan in his brief remark thanked the Oluwo for his brotherly visit with a warm embrace just as he confirmed what the visit was about and assured that such meetings among traditional rulers in Yorubaland could not be overemphasised because of the inherent gains for their respective thrones and the Yorubaland at large.
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