Traditional rulers should be an asset to Nigeria’s development and greatness and not a liability – Obasanjo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has decried bastardization of Nigeria’s traditional institution, saying there are criminals, drug addicts, vagabonds, bandits and kidnappers occupying several royal thrones as monarchs across the country.

Obasanjo said this in one his two books released recently to mark his 88th birthday.

The book is titled “Nigeria: Past and Future.”

In chapter 14 of his new book, the former President lamented that the dignity, honour and distinction associated with Nigeria’s traditional institution in the colonial days and early post-independence days, have been “diluted and polluted.”

Obasanjo said, “Today, there are criminals, drug addicts, vagabonds, bandits and kidnappers as so-called traditional rulers.

“This is a great pity, and it has greatly contributed to the problems of Nigeria by traditional rulers. How do we account for a traditional ruler snatching a ballot box at an election polling station and running away with it?

“The class of traditional rulers with their distinction, honour and dignity, as we knew them in the colonial days and early post-independence days, has been diluted and polluted.

“That dignity, aura and respect should be brought back and traditional rulers should be an asset to Nigeria’s development and greatness and not a liability.

“There is a need for moral re-armament among the traditional rulers – the ancient and historic ones. And they can and should make meaningful contributions to the Nigeria of our dreams that will serve the purpose and interest of all.”

Obasanjo also warned that Nigeria may experience violent change of power if the country continues in the current trajectory of maladministration.

He said the country is blessed with talented and hardworking youths, but the young population is disenchanted with the mismanagement of the nation’s commonwealth, large-scale corruption, and leadership ineptitude.

He said “Current trends on the continent portray a more assertive, younger population, intolerant of abuses of power and in search of the dividends of good governance, such that whether or not we accept it, an inevitable shake-up is in the offing.

“In what manner that happens is left for the current operatives of government to decide or fashion out. That is why my clarion call for a domesticated system of governance that reflects our temperament, context, content, culture, and exigencies is urgent.

“We are currently sitting on a ticking time bomb partly because of the system we practise, how corruptly we practise it, and how exclusively we practise it with impunity, callousness, brazen outrage and total disregard for any element of righteousness, integrity, accountability, sensitivity, compassion, inclusiveness and the fear of God.

“If the incumbent leaders do not shape up and satisfy the yearnings and demands of their people, especially the youths, who are disappointed, dissatisfied, bitter, hungry, angry, unemployed and unempowered, then the future is indeed very bleak, with no light at the end of the tunnel.

“These young people watch helplessly as their leaders tell them blatant lies unabashedly, while continuing their orgies of vulgar and ostentatious lifestyles rather than investing the money from the nation’s commonwealth in SMEs to create jobs and generate wealth.

“Should we have the misfortune of pushing these young people to the point of crossing the Rubicon, the country will pay a very high cost because a chain of events will be unleashed, the end of which no one can predict.

“We have no better time for change than now before change is forced upon us. It was JF Kennedy, former president of the United States of America, who, in 1962, said that those who make peaceful change impossible will make violent change inevitable. I am not calling for violent change, but it will become a reality if we continue on the present trajectory.

“Let us set aside lies, illusions, delusions, dishonesty and scapegoatism. Let us face reality and deal sincerely with ourselves, among ourselves, by ourselves and for ourselves.

“Sadly, for Africa, this grave and worrying concern is not just a Nigerian phenomenon but an entire African malady.

“It is now in its autumn of incubation, and if it does not receive serious attention, it will metamorphose into a destructive pandemic in its winter and spread across the continent.

“To ignore the warning and the writing on the wall is to continue to dance slow foxtrot while our trousers are burning. The day of reckoning may not be too far, but like the Biblical second coming of Jesus Christ, who can tell when that will happen?”

Source: DailyTrust