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Traditional rulers and stakeholders have cautioned Oyo State Governor, Engr Seyi Makinde and the House of Assembly over the proposed amendment to the state’s chieftaincy law.
The state government had through an executive bill, tagged Chiefs (Amendment) Bill 2023, seek to give the governor the discretionary right and sole authority to give beaded crowns to chiefs and traditional rulers without consulting the state’s Council of Obas and Chiefs.
Makinde sought an amendment to the Chiefs Law, Cap 28, Laws of Oyo State through a letter he recently sent to the House of Assembly.
The bill, which has been read for the second time, was handed over to the House Committee on Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters. The part sought to be amended is Subsection (1) of Section 28 of the Principal Law.
Speaking at a public hearing conveyed by the House Committee on Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters to seek imput on the proposed amendment, Olubadan of Ibadan land, Oba Lekan Balogun, who was represented by the Otun Balogun of Ibadan land, High Chief Tajudeen Ajibola, commended Makinde for moving to amend the law.
Oba Balogun said the chiefs law was long overdue for review, wondering why the Olubadan could also not crown chiefs in his domain.
He lauded the Makinde administration for embarking on the amendment through the State House of Assembly.
Oba Balogun noted that “similar review carried out by the administration of late Senator Abiola Ajimobi met a brickwall because it was not legalised through the House of Assembly as the Makinde administration is now doing.”
But the Onpetu of Ijeru, Oba Sunday Oyediran, cautioned the governor and House of Assembly, saying historical antecedents of the chieftaincy law as well as the peculiarities of domains, aside from the doctrine of necessity, should be considered before handing over beaded crowns to people.
Oba Oyediran noted that the governor should carry out due diligence to ensure that territorial identities are respected to avoid overlapping of areas of traditional authorities.
He added that the governor should draw a distinct line between traditional chiefs and honorary ones, adding that beaded crown approved by the governor should be annotated with the inscription of Obas created by statute.
On his part, Basorun of Oyo, High Chief Yusuf Ayoola, who spoke on behalf of title holders and princes of the town, urged the governor to critically consider the long term consequences of elevating Baales into beaded crown-wearing monarchs
Ayoola described government’s attempt “to clip the wings of the State Council of Obas and Chiefs as a dangerous trend that will bastardise the age-long traditional and customary administrative system that had sustained our civiliaation and heritage at the grassroots level of governance.”
He added that, “this new law seeks to throw away the cherished neat, democratic, unique and popular system and to replace it with a dictatorial, manipulative, secretive, and anti-tradition system, which can only weaken the public interest and respect for our beaded crowns and the wearers of the selectively donated crowns and coronets. The emergence of handpicked monarchs without historical roots, history of heritage of kingship will also make mockery of our once respected and time honoured monarchical system.”
Ayoola advised the government to appoint a committee of traditional rulers to review the chieftaincy law in order to give it the required modern face and colour and also empower the council to deal expeditiously with any urgent or outstanding issues of crowns and coronets to remove the anxiety and concerns of some of the communities.
He urged the government to “leave the kings and chiefs to perform their statutory duties in accordance with the traditions and customs of each of our cities and communities as approved by the chiefs law.”
Presenting his own position, the Alado of Ado Awaye, Oba Olugbile Ademola stressed that the amendment move must take into cognizance the fact that crown is sacred and should be treated with sacredness, saying “that crown has history and that history must be protected from falsification.”
Also speaking, the Ikolaba of Iseyin, Ismail Odubiyi said there were crowns with deep history and that there might be a situation where holders of crowns without history will disrespect the holders of crowns with history.
He said the law must be crafted to curtail misuse of power and a situation where influential persons simply have their way to having beaded crowns.
While noting that real indigenes of any domain will not disrespect their monarch and give honour to high ranking obas, Odubiyi said some may see their having beaded crowns as opportunity to flex muscles with other high ranking Obas.
Representative of retired Directors of Local Government Administration, Mr Bashiru Akande argued that the clause of the governor consulting with Council of Obas and Chiefs before giving beaded crowns should not be expunged.
He said that the amendment could still be made, provided it permits that the report of the commission of inquiry set up to determine those to be given beaded crown is not committed to another consultation but to an administrative process.
Akande added that the Council of Obas and Chiefs should be reconvened and strengthened.
In his remarks at the hearing, the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Mr Olasunkanmi Olaleye, stressed that the governor having the authority to determine those to get beaded crowns, without consultation, will fast track yhe several applications for beaded crowns across the state.
In his keynote address, the Speaker is the Assembly, Hon Adebo Ogundoyin, who was represented by his deputy, Hon. Muhammed Fadeyi, explained that the public hearing on Chiefs (Amendment) Bill 2023 became necessary as it has passed through first and second readings. He stressed that in order to ensure balance, there is need to have the inputs of relevant stakeholders before the bill is passed into law.
The Speaker emphasised that the essence of the legislative arm of government is to make laws and amend laws considered to be obsolete in order to meet up with the current situations.
Also, the Chairman, House Committee on Local Government, Chieftaincy Matters and State Honours, Hon. Akinjide Akintunde, expressed his happiness over the turn out of the traditional rulers, who came to express their views on the amendment.
The lawmaker, represents Lagelu state constituency, stated that the focus of the House in the amendment is on section 28 of the Oyo State Chiefs Laws, which empowers the state governor to consult traditional rules before giving a beaded crown.
He said the committee has received memoranda from the traditional rulers and all other relevant stakeholders in order for them to work in tandem with House of Assembly rules.
He assured that all memoranda submitted by the stakeholders will be duly considered during the amendment process.