A NYSC Youth Corps Member, Daniel Ndukwe, serving in Ughelli, Delta State, has commended the National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO), for initiating the process of re-orienting and empowering Traditional Rulers and Local Government Chairmen in Nigeria, on their role in ensuring peace, national security and cultural development.

Daniel Ndukwe, who made the commendation via facebook social network medium, on Saturday, April 28, 2012, during Bush House Nigeria, a live Programme on the Network Service of Radio Nigeria where the Executive Secretary, Dr. Barclays Ayakoroma, and the Director of Orientation and Cultural Affairs, Mr. Festus Ihenetu, appeared for a live interview, said there is serious need for the role of traditional rulers to be reviewed, so that they could be completely detached from unnecessary politicking.

He opined that Traditional Rulers should be given constitutional roles to make them custodians of the culture of the people alongside Local Government Chairmen, so that they will be answerable for any abnormality within their domains.

His commendation followed Ayakoroma’s exhaustive analysis of the level of preparation by the Institute to host a Two-Day National Conference on: “Culture, Peace and National Orientation: The Role of Traditional Rulers and Local Government Chairmen,” scheduled for 7th and 8th of May, 2012, at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja.

Ayakoroma, earlier in the interview, had stressed that the idea of sensitizing Traditional Rulers and Local Government Chairmen to their roles in ensuring peace in our society is recognition of their proximity to our immediate communities, where they can effectively look at the security challenges, recalling that: “In those days, traditional rulers had their security information network and machineries. They knew if a visitor or strange face came into a village; they will know immediately and monitor such a person to know the intention.”

On the part of Local Government Chairmen, the NICO Boss said, as the heads of the third tier of government structure, they are closest to the people and that their actions or inactions could go a long way as far as security issues are concerned.

He expressed optimism that the Two-Day National Conference, expected to bring these two sets of persons together to dialogue and look at the issue of peace and security in the country from the cultural perspective, will go a long way in charting a way forward.

Meanwhile, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is expected to declare the all-important conference open, former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, will be Chairman of the occasion; the Chief Servant of Niger State, Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, will present the keynote paper, the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe, mni, will be the Royal Father of the Day, while the Honourable Minister for Culture, Tourism and National Orientation, Chief Edem Duke, will be the Chief Host.

Caleb Nor
Corporate Affairs