The Eburu of Iba, Oba (Prof.) Adekunle Adeogun Okunoye, has said traditional rulers can contribute to tackling insecurity in Nigeria if government gives them clearly defined responsibilities and provides the resources required to support community-level security.
The monarch argued that traditional rulers should be involved in security management within their territories, insisting that their knowledge of local communities could be useful in addressing security challenges.
Okunoye made the remarks in an interview with PrimeStar News Online while discussing the relevance of traditional institutions to contemporary governance.
He said traditional rulers were already present in communities across the country and should be properly utilised by government rather than left outside important governance decisions.
“If the government provides us with the necessary resources, we can help manage security within our respective territories,” he said.
When asked whether traditional rulers could confront terrorists, the monarch responded: “Yes. Let the government involve us.”
He, however, explained that his proposal was not for traditional rulers to take over the execution of government projects or responsibilities.
Rather, he advocated collaboration between government and traditional institutions, with monarchs helping to identify community needs and promote accountability.
Okunoye said traditional rulers should be able to communicate the priorities of their communities to local government chairmen instead of having officials independently determine what residents need.
He also called for constitutional provisions that would clearly define the responsibilities of traditional rulers.
According to him, the traditional institution has an important role to play in addressing some of the challenges confronting Nigeria, but its potential remains underutilised because of the way it is accommodated within the existing governance structure.
The monarch said government should work with traditional rulers and provide a framework that would enable them to contribute meaningfully to the security and development of their communities.
