The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, announced that the 10th Assembly, under his leadership, is taking steps to grant constitutional roles to traditional institutions and secure autonomy for local governments in Nigeria.
During the ‘Open Week’ celebration marking the first anniversary of the 10th House, the Speaker highlighted the formation of two special standing committees.
“The 10th House, under my leadership, will strive to give recognition to traditional rulers during our constitution amendment exercise. Previous amendments aimed at granting constitutional recognition to traditional rulers have not been successful.
“Many of us in the House believe that traditional institutions are the backbone of our society and that our people’s welfare will be enhanced with a legal role for these institutions. Additionally, we believe that our country’s security will improve if traditional institutions are given better roles. That’s why we created two special committees from the onset.
“One committee, the Committee on Traditional Institutions, will drive the process of giving legal recognition to traditional institutions in the upcoming constitutional amendment. The second committee, the Committee on States and Local Governments, will address issues related to local government autonomy,” he said.
Speaker Abbas added, “To make progress with the ongoing constitution amendment, state governments, State Houses of Assembly, Local Government Councils, and their councillors must be considered. These two committees will engage with critical stakeholders in the states to ensure the goal of local government autonomy is realized.”
Traditional rulers, led by the Etsu Nupe Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar, Chairman of the Niger State Council of Traditional Rulers, participated as panellists. They discussed the historical background of traditional institutions in Nigeria and urged the Assembly to use the constitution review exercise to re-establish the roles of traditional institutions in maintaining security and peace.
The Nigerian Bar Association, represented by President Yakubu Maikyau, SAN, also supported granting constitutional roles to traditional institutions. He urged the 10th National Assembly to address legal and legislative barriers hindering the full potential of traditional institutions. He commended the Speaker for championing the cause and emphasized the need for job security for traditional rulers, who are currently vulnerable to political influence.
Other panellists and House Members echoed the need for constitutional recognition of traditional institutions to support government efforts in maintaining peace and security. They emphasized the importance of creating budget line items to fund traditional rulers’ activities in combating insecurity and promoting peaceful coexistence.
