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Traditional rulers drawn from all the six geo-political zones in the country have called on those plotting a nationwide protest against the government to consider its anarchical effect on the country.
Led by the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, and the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi Ojaja II, the royal fathers made the call while speaking with newsmen after a meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the State House, Abuja on Thursday.
While urging the protesters to exercise their civic rights peacefully, the co-chairman of the National Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria, the Ooni of Ifem warned against its being hijacked by individuals with sinister motives.
According to him, “People that are out there to protest, it’s their civic right, but let them put a face to it and don’t let it be hijacked by people that have ulterior motives. That is our stand.
“We condemn such acts fully, we traditional rulers are not engaged in people, especially the youth, coming out to start looting, to start breaking down law and order. We are parents, we are traditional rulers, we are closer to them, we are going to go back home and continue to engage them.
“It is very difficult to build, but it is the easiest to destroy. We are all stakeholders of this country, we should be stronger as a nation together, than stronger individually.
“The President has said it and he will continue to say it, any leader that you don’t like, wait and vote him out. He is open to dialogue. We know that challenges are so many Nigeria, we know that, but are we going to destroy our nation by ourselves? Is that what we’re all after?
“We should talk to ourselves. It’s important for us to know that today, it’s a completely different spin. The government, ably led by the President, is willing to engage and dialogue and bring governance very close to the people”, the Ooni said.
While commending President Tinubu for engaging traditional rulers in governance, the Ooni said, “For the very first time, the traditional rulers were properly engaged in terms of the plans of government and governance, their achievements so far, and where they’re having challenges. This is long awaited. We’ve been waiting for it, but today we’re very excited because we’re closer to our people and we can bring those feedbacks back home.
“Stewardship from the Federal Executive Council, directly to the traditional rulers, it has never happened in our nation before, never. This is the first time we’re all experiencing it. We have traditional rulers that have been on the throne for 40, 50 years.
“Today is the very first time we will be addressed properly by the Federal Executive Council. So there is a proper bridge and close of governance from the governed and the people that are in charge of government.
“So it’s a very beautiful take home for us because we don’t lock our palaces, we are more exposed to the people that we actually rule over. It’s a different twist and spin from our dear President and I want to use this is medium, on behalf of all traditional rulers, to appreciate him, no leader in Nigeria has ever done it. So for us, it’s all encompassing”, he said.
In his own speech, the Dein of Agbor, Keagborekuzi Ikenchuku Gbenoba, expressed concern about the nation’s direction, acknowledging the passion and pain of the youths. He however, enjoined Nigerian youths to refrain from destructive protests, urging them to work with the government to solve the country’s challenges.
“The take-home message for me, hearing from Mr. President directly, I can see the passion. But at the same time, I think the government is finally understanding we are at the precipice.
“Our youths are our future and I think today we’ve demonstrated that the government, with the officials, we do have the hearts of the nation in our minds, we will listen to our youths because the lead the future.
“The power, the strength of Nigeria is certainly with the young people. We feel your pain, I’m a young person myself. It’s been 24 years I’ve been back and it’s been 24 years that I’ve started seeing the nation going in a very unpalatable direction, but by God’s grace, I think if you give us the chance, this protest, I know that it’s catching very high in your neck, but if you give us the chance, let us not destroy our own country.
“I’ll ask you think of Libya. Libya was a beautiful country, what has happened to Libya, we don’t want it to happen here. Let’s go home, let’s continue to strive the best that we can and continue to work with the government to see if we can proffer some solutions.
“I think that that would be best rather than to destroy property or injure ourselves”, the royal father said.
On his part, the Emir of Zauzzau, Ahmed Nuhu Bamalli, said, “The message we are taking back to our people is to be calm, exercise patience, to also listen to the words of wisdom coming from the Government.
“The President has given us the blueprint of what he has been doing over time and we are hopeful that by God’s grace it will be alright.
“Though we have made it very clear to him, the main problem in this country, especially the north is insecurity. If the security situation is addressed certainly people will go back to their farms and the issue of hunger will drastically reduce and disappear”.
Asked if the traditional rulers class were worried about the Protest, Bamalli said “nobody that will not be worried about the protest, in any place in the world and we have seen what is happened in other climes and governments were brought down. As an ex-diplomat, I have seen what happened in other climes and that is why I am in the position to say what happen in other places.
“So we are calling on our people to exercise patience and to listen to the words of wisdom. We are very optimistic Nigeria will bounce back to its former position as the leading country in Africa”, he said.
The President also met with the council of Islamic Scholars in Nigeria.
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