Recently, William Ezegwu was elected as the Igwe of Ibagwa Opi Autonomous Community of Opi Ancient Kingdom in Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State. Speaking to reporters, he said that according to his belief, everything has its time, it is time to be of better service to his people at the grassroots level. This is especially when the people desired that he serve them as a traditional leader in another capacity, he said.
He felt very comfortable with the new development and appreciated the government of Enugu State, the people of Ibagwa Opi Autonomous Community and the entire Ogbozarra people in the Opi Ancient Kingdom for their support and cooperation so far. The Ibagwa Opi Autonomous Community is just a part of his larger domain as the Eze Ogbozarra III (the monarch of Ogbozarra) – the third in the lineage. His larger domain, Ogbozarra, he said, is made up of two autonomous communities. Because of this, he came closer to the grassroots to serve his people as their native leader as the custodian of the customs and tradition of the people.
Ezegwu supports constitutional roles for traditional rulers.
Since the coming of the British colonial administration to the geographical location now known as Nigeria, the powers of traditional rulers have diminished to a ceremonial and cultural leadership domain. Apart from cultural and religious directives, they do not have the wherewithal to control anything tangible. In fact, their directives, such as curfews or the declaration of an annual festival, must be in line with the constitution. So, it is with respect and cultural rights that they operate their office.
However, Ezegwu has said that integrating the traditional institution into the state and national security and governance architecture will go a long way in bringing stability in government and assist in reducing criminality in communities. Thus, Nigeria should create constitutional roles for traditional rulers as the custodians of the culture and traditions of the people nationwide. He said that traditional rulers have been running the affairs of the country without any clearly defined roles for them in the constitution.
Nigeria cannot manage situations because of this setup.
This set of people have been rendered powerless as a result of the colonial administration’s influence, the result is apparent in the inability of the country to adequately manage the socio-economic and security challenges that Nigeria has today. The challenges have been on the rise, but traditional kings and chiefs, the symbol of Nigeria’s indigenous traditions and cultures, have been playing useful roles in mediating between the people and the state, enhancing national identity and resolving minor conflicts in their various communities.
In fact, the colonial masters used them to preside over native courts, helped the colonial government in the area of tax assessment and collection and took active part in law making, among others. In other words, the British ruled their colonies through their kings and chiefs. Before the coming of the colonial masters who gradually gave a big blow to our traditional values, the traditional rulers served as a link between the people and their ancestors, appointed subordinate chiefs for native administrations, and maintained law and order in their respective domains.
Cultural reforms, which Nigeria needs, will be enshrined again by this.
They ensured the preservation of native laws and customs. These pre-colonial roles of traditional rulers helped in reducing corruption, minimizing criminality in the communities, and led to economic growth until the roles of the traditional rulers were eroded. If the traditional rulers are integrated into the governance system, many of the ills of the society and general lack of morals in the society today will be gradually corrected and Nigeria will be a better place for citizens and visitors to the country alike.
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Eze proposes constitutional roles for rulers. – Says integration with government structure will bring stability. – Express your point of view.
It will be a difficult things for traditional rulers to have constitutional roles. This is because it is not enshrined in the constitution and anything that is not in the constitution doesn’t have a valid backing. Only if National Assembly make laws that will empower the traditional rulers.
I think that Eze’s proposal of constitutional roles for rulers is an interesting idea. However, it’s important to ensure that such integration with the government structure is done in a way that brings stability and benefits the people. This can be challenging, as it requires balancing the interests of the rulers with those of the citizens.
On one hand, giving constitutional roles to rulers can help to preserve traditional values and practices that are important to their communities. It can also help to ensure that their voices are heard in the government and that they have a say in the decisions that affect their communities.
On the other hand, there is a risk that such integration could lead to abuses of power or conflicts of interest. It’s important to have safeguards in place to prevent these issues from arising. Additionally, there needs to be a clear understanding of the roles and responsibilities of the rulers within the government structure to avoid confusion or misunderstandings.
Overall, I think that Eze’s proposal is worth exploring, but it needs to be done carefully and with the interests of all stakeholders in mind.
This is a nice idea been bought up it it will be hard to established because it is not in the constitution and it as to be accept in the council before it can be consider
Eze’s suggestion of giving leaders constitutional roles is good . It’s important to make sure that this blending with the political system benefits the populace and promotes stability. It can be difficult to strike a balance between the interests of the rulers and the people in this situation. It bring stability with the integration with government structure
Rulers will have power to rule with this propose idea and it will bring good thing for the society if the right things is not and the power can be abused also and might bring negative thing I hope is well consider before approval it
The new Iguwe of Ibagwa Opi Autonomous Community of Opi Ancient Kingdom in Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State whose name is William Ezegwu is determined to be of great service to the people at the grassroot level. He also proposed that the government should institute a constitution that recognizes the roles of traditional rules in the nation which is of course a good idea since they are closer to the people considering that they have lost their powers since the days of the colonial masters.