The Awujale and Paramount ruler of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona has expressed worry over the breaking up of Kano emirate by Governor Abdullahi Ganduje.
Awujale spoke just as the Presidential candidate of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) in 2019 election, Prof Kingsley Moghalu advocated outlawing of government’s power to appoint monarchs, with a view to curbing Kano’s scenario.
They spoke in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State at a well-attended 3rd Oba (Dr) Sikiru Kayode Adetona’s annual Professorial Chair in Governance Lecture.
The Lecture, which also marks 85th birthday of Oba Adetona, was titled “Grassroot Governance: the Soft Underbelly of Nigeria’s Political Architecture.”
The monarch submitted that traditional rulers had ruled at the local government levels, but the development had put monarchs at the mercy of the government.
Oba Adetona, who said the development in Kano called for concerns of major stakeholders, expressed hope that governance at grassroots would be restored to the traditional institutions for optimal development.
According to him, ruffians and political godfathers’ errand boys are calling the shot at the local government areas thereby, making development difficult at the rural areas.
On his part, Moghalu said traditional rulers should not be turned into errand boys by the political class.
The former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) expressed concerns that the Kano’s development where four new Emirates were caved out of the existing one, brought to the fore the need to stop government from appointing monarchs.
Moghalu, who alongside, former Presidential candidate of KOWA Party, Prof Remi Sonaiya discussed the Lecture, suggested that communities should henceforth, select traditional rulers and recognised by the government.
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