Oluwo Of Iwo Reveals Why Traditional Rulers Should Get Constitutional Power

The Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrasheed Akanbi believes that if traditional rulers in Nigeria get constitutional powers it will help the rulers to put politicians in check.

The Oluwo of Iwo, who stated this at the “Codes of Kings” book launch in Ikeja on Monday, maintained that the issues facing the nation cannot be resolved unless the government includes the traditional institutions in the decision-making process.

According to Oba Akanbi, the “politician-style” of administration cannot function in a nation like Nigeria, adding that traditional leaders are crucial to the security and the growth of infrastructure in villages and cities across the country.

He pointed out that the traditional institution can also serve as a means of controlling the actions of politicians by ensuring that the pledges they make to the public are kept.

The monarch said, “We are the leaders of this nation; we are the closest to our people but we are being relegated. And I have a dream that if kings start doing better; I want to prepare kings for a future where we can grow our democracy, our style of democracy is for kings and politicians to work together.

“So, the future of this country is the monarchical system of government. We can see that the military style of government will not work. We can see so much corruption in the land. So, where are we heading with this kind of democracy if there is nobody to check politicians on corruption and bad governance? We want to prepare kings for this role.

“Either they like it or not, politicians cannot do it alone. Every problem falls on the kings, including security issues. Government cannot handle the security, and infrastructural development without our input.”