By: TUNDE BOLAJI – MINNA.
The Chairman of the Niger State Council of Traditional Rulers and Etsu Nupe, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar, has advocated for the abolition of the 1999 Constitution provisions relating to the roles of traditional institutions.
The royal father suggested a return to the 1920 and 1960 constitutions to safeguard the traditions, cultures, and values of the respective institutions.
Etsu Nupe also called for the inclusion of Chairmen of State Councils of Chiefs as members of State Council meetings, as was the practice in all Nigerian constitutions prior to the 1999 version.
Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar made this position known in Minna, the state capital, over the weekend while submitting a memorandum on behalf of the National Council of Traditional Institutions regarding the roles of traditional rulers in the country.
According to Etsu Nupe, the 1999 Constitution has severed the link between the government and the governed, noting that traditional institutions were highly influential in the administration of native authority up until 1979.
He further stated that the 1999 Constitution had disconnected governance from the grassroots and plunged Nigeria into various challenges, particularly in the areas of security and citizen mobilization, which in turn affected government programmes.
Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar opined that the constitution should empower states to enact their own laws regarding traditional rulers in their respective jurisdictions.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in Niger State, Abdulkareem Lafene, who is also the Wakilin Kwadago Nupe, drew the attention of the 10th Assembly to the need for the implementation of the electoral reform recommendations made by the late Justice Uwais.
Presentations were also made by youth and women leaders advocating for equal rights as a means to move the country forward.
Meanwhile, various groups proposed the creation of more than ten new states from parts of Niger, Kwara, and Kogi States. Prominent among the proposals were those for Edu, Kaiji, and New Kogi States, with memoranda submitted to the National Assembly committee.