Southern Traditional Rulers Council: Monarchs Express Discordant Views

• Ooni: Joining Council is optional not compulsory 

•No justification remanding Kanu while Igboho is a free man, says Eze

Deji Elumoye in Abuja

What looked like a a crack in the rank of traditional rulers from the Southern part of the country played out yesterday in Abuja as they openly disagreed on the existence of the Southern Traditional Rulers Council chaired by the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi.

While Eze Ogbunechendo of Ezema Kingdom, Dr Lawrence Agbuzu, who spoke at the 1st National Traditional and Religious Leaders Summit held at the State House maintained there was no such group as the Southern Traditional Rulers Council,  the traditional ruler of Arochukwu Kingdom in Abia State, Dr Eberechukwu Kanu Oji Eberechuckwu (Eze Aro IX), who doubles as  Publicity Secretary to the Council, insisted that the group was inaugurated some time ago in Oyo.

Also responding to Aguzu’s disclaimer, the Ooni of Ife, insisted on the existence of the Council adding that traditional rulers unwilling to join the council were at liberty to stay off.

Agbuzu in his comments at the summit said “Now, again, they were talking about the Southern Traditional Rulers Committee on Health, and the eminent Professor Pate was saying that this will become an annual event—what we are doing today—if I heard him correctly. The truth of the matter is that there is nothing like a Southern Traditional Rulers Council. If you come here and give money to people on that basis, it is not correct. The South is not the North. We have our system. We need unity in diversity. So, if you want to deal with us, deal with us in the Southeast. If you have resources for us, give it to us. Don’t give it to people who come and say they represent a traditional rulers council. Democracy is representative government, and anybody who goes to present himself without his people is not democratic or traditional. So, get it right.

He further said: “You see, some of us here are being asked to go and work, but the young people in the Southeast are so agitated they can even beat us. They see us as sellouts. We come to Abuja—they may think we’ve come to collect money and then keep quiet. So sad. Please do something about this. We cannot make progress in this country if we don’t tell ourselves the truth. There’s no way.”

The Ogbunechendo equally called for the release of the jailed leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, currently serving jail term in Sokoto insisting that it would be difficult for the traditional rulers in the South-east to sell any federal government’s program in the region with Kanu still being held in captivity.

According to him, there was no justification for freedom for Sunday Igboho, whom is being regarded as the equivalence of Kanu in the South-west, when the IPOB leader is left to rot in jail.

His words: “I listened to the opening address by His Imperial Majesty, and he was gingering all of us to work as a family, to work as a team, and to see Nigeria as one. This is good. But when you look at it, this same Imperial Majesty is arranging to confer a very high honor on Sunday Igboho—who, in my own part of Nigeria and the Southeast, we see as a counterpart of Nnamdi Kanu.

Oh, my brother, fellow royal father, the Imperial Majesty does not seem to understand the pain in my heart when Nnamdi Kanu is in Sokoto. So sad—the ball stops in your court. Bring this man out. If we don’t want him in Nigeria, return him to Kenya or London, where they took him from.”

Responding to Aguzu’s denouncement of the Southern Traditional Council, the Eze Aro IX said “the Southern Nigerian Traditional Rulers Council is a movement—a journey—comprising members from across the entire southern part of Nigeria. He (Ooni) is our chairman. We have the co-chair here from the Southeast and we have eminent traditional rulers from across the southern parts of Nigeria.

“We have come together to advance the cause of the Southern Nigerian Traditional Rulers Council. The President was part of the inauguration of the Southern Nigerian Traditional Rulers Council. It happened in Oyo, and we had representatives from both the press, the government, and stakeholders at that inauguration. Since that inauguration, the Southern Nigerian Traditional Rulers Council has been active. We have had our AGM, which took place in Ogun State. We have undertaken several activities together. So, please, for the purposes of clearing any doubts, the Southern Nigerian Traditional Rulers Council exists. The Southern Nigerian Traditional Rulers Council is united, with traditional rulers and royal fathers from across the entire southern Nigeria—all represented here.”

Chairman of the Council and the Ooni of Ife in his comments also made some clarifications on the Council saying : “The Southern Traditional Rulers Council is very optional. You don’t need to join us if you don’t want to, but it is a force—a formidable force—among traditional institutions for us to come together. We are all reputable in our domains. You can see all of us because all of us made speeches—there was nothing like that. We don’t agree to that, but our President is there. We don’t want any impression that there’s division. We don’t want to take out the Southeast. We have Israel here—he is one of our very prominent traditional rulers in the Southeast. We have a lot of Southeast traditional rulers working together for the betterment of the country. So, for us, it is something key to let the whole world know that if you don’t want to be part of us, you can opt your suggestion out. And please, we implore each and every one of us to focus more on news that is of quality, not social media and rumors. This is one of the real things affecting our country.”