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Political leaders and the traditional institutions

We are living in a society where diverse opinion is perceiving as disloyalty by the ruling elites who like their ego to be massaged by…

We are living in a society where diverse opinion is perceiving as disloyalty by the ruling elites who like their ego to be massaged by all and sundry. These charlatans called leaders always want every Tom, Dick and Harry to hero-worship them and worship at their altar; sing their praises to the high heaven to the admiration of the haves and have-not, even if they are wrong. Criticism or contrary opinion to their own is seen as hatred or dislike. There is no love lost between political leaders and the traditional rulers. It is cat and mouse relationship.

Since the creation of modern state by the colonial master in the 19th century, the sovereign power of then powerful traditional institutions has been drastically reduced and subservient to the authority of the regional rulers’ premier then and now the state governor. Being a stooge of the regional premier or state governor, the traditional rulers’ rules at the whims and caprices of their master who is vested with constitutional power to install and remove them willy-nilly. From that time till now the institution has lost it steam.

Prior to the independence, Chief Obafemi Awolowo dethroned the then Alaafin of Oyo (Oba Adeyemi Adeniran) the father of this current Alaafin in 1955 over the flimsy excuse of his rapport with NCNC, an opposition party. Awolowo perceived Alaafin support for a rival opposition as an insult and act of insubordination by the Oba, thus he paid the supreme price of losing his referred position prematurely. Even an embedded age-old traditional Oyomesi vested with institutionalized power of checking the power of erring Alaafin was bypassed and rendered ineffective.

Another prominent dethronement that shook the South-West to its foundation was the removal of Oba Olateru Olagbegi, an allied of Chief Ladoke Akintola and a strong member of NNDP. His support for Akintola was resented by the followers of Awolowo who took advantage of military coup to incite members of Owo community to violently sustain a prolonged protest against him which culminated into his removal by the military administrator of the Western Region, Colonel Adekunle Fajuyi in 1966.  Also, an attempt was made by the late Abubakar Rimi to remove the then emir of Kano Alhaji Ado Bayero led to temporary break down of law and order in Kano. Many political pundits believed that he failed to achieve his aim because he was not supported by the federal government of Alhaji Shehu Shagari.

In another instance, during the reign of General Sani Abacha, the 18th Sultan of Sokoto Alhaji Ibrahim Dasuki was summarily deposed in what the people called “political vendetta” in 1996. The Sultan was reportedly summoned to the office of the then military administrator of Sokoto State, Yakubu Muazu and was informed that he had been deposed. He had no inkling of what was at stake when he was invited. The visibly shaken Sultan just uttered a statement that “why would you disgrace the Uthman Dan Fodio family like this?”. Similarly, Alhaji Mustapha Jokolo, the then emir of Gwandu, was deposed in 2005 by the then governor of Kebbi State, Adamu Aliero in what political observers tagged as irreconcilable differences and his vociferous opinion and vehement opposition against the inoculation of Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) on the children in the North. This was due to conspiracy theory and scandal that surrounded the application and vaccination of OPV which resulted to the premature death and paralysis of many children in the North. Thus, the federal government felt insulted by his position and the next was his outright removal with flimsy excuse.

Even in this current dispensation, an attempt was made by the Ganduje in-law Governor Abiola Ajimobi to decimate the power of Olubadan by breaking Ibadan royal lineage into small units similar to what Ganduje just did in Kano. Like Ganduje, Ajimobi refuse to honour court, judgement. He went ahead to install 32 kings which the Ibadan people called “Oba Alade Pali” which simply means “King with carton crown”. Ganduje seemed desperate to desecrate and reduce emir of Kano aura-like authority and royalty. The accelerated level by which the bill was passed in two or three days and quickly published in a gazette by the state shows how determined the governor is in demeaning emir fiefdom and authority.

Now that Ganduje has satisfied his inclination of reducing Kano emirate area of influence to just ten local governments. What next? His intention is to depose him; thus the emir need to tread cautiously so that history will not repeat itself like how Muhammed Sanusi 1, his grandfather, was deposed in 1963 by Sir. Ahmadu Bello. This is nothing but desecration of traditional institutions. The implication is that he has destroyed Uthman Dan Fodio political heritage and paved way for the future precedential reference for another leader to commit similar political sacrilege. Secondly, his action is capable of weakening APC political base in Kano. Ajimobi interference in Ibadan royal institution culminated into the total loss of Oyo State into opposition party PDP during Presidential and gubernatorial elections. Thirdly, the vendetta creation of emirates will indirectly institutionalized power tussle alien to Northern traditional institutional among the existing and newly created emirates. Finally, the concept of one monolithic northern emirate built by a Fulani man is being degraded by another blue-blooded Fulani man. What an irony!

Bello wrote this piece from Abuja

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