Insecurity: Forum Urges Governments to Empower Traditional Rulers

By Ahmed Ahmed

The Third Republic House of Representatives Members Forum has urged Federal and State Governments to empower, as well as support traditional rulers to complement in tackling security challenges in the country.

The National Organising Secretary of the Forum Hajiya Amina Aliyu made the call in an interview with Journalists at the end of one day conference on the security challenges and the impact on Nigeria Economy in the  North East Region, on Tuesday in Bauchi.

She urged governments to give the traditional institution constitutional powers to enable royal fathers to play their leadership roles among the people to have effective security in the country.

Aliyu noted that while downplaying the roles of traditional rulers in the governance of any society would encourage crisis and chaos in the country.

"Traditional rulers' inclusion in the security management with clearly defined constitutional responsibilities, will curb numerous security challenges bedeviling the Country.

"Empowerment of traditional rulers to play their roles because they are usually more accessible by the ordinary people in times of need and problems than government officials and elected politicians.

"Because they live among the people, they virtually know everybody and thus, can easily identify problem situations with a view to tackle them," She said.

According to her, traditional rulers are still seen as the living representatives of the ancestors and believed to derive their authority from the spirits of leadership.

Also speaking, Dr Jibrin Sulaiman of the Department of Sociology Bauchi State University pointed out that poverty and unemployment are the root cause of insecurity in the country.

He said the government should provide employment, proper funding of education, especially technical schools that provide skills to the young men in the country.

"Without empowerment of the youth and providing of skills to youth that would engage them to be self-reliant will encourage idleness and insecurity," he said.

The University Don also stressed the  importance for the governments to take urgent steps to empower the traditional rulers and create awareness on the engagement of youth to be self -reliant.