The Delta State Council of Traditional Rulers has told governor Ifeanyi Okpwa to always give the council a 21-Day notice before any new traditional ruler in the state is presented with a staff of office.
This was part of a resolution reached at a meeting of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee (ADRC) of the Council held Friday at the palace of the Obi of Owa, at Owa-Oyibo, Ika South East LGA of the state and chaired by the Obi of Owa-Oyibo, Emmanuel Efeizomor II.
The council which resolved that the 21 days notice should reach the council through the Directorate of Chieftaincy Affairs in the state, noted that the notice would make room for the resolution of all possible kingship tussle between the governments for more recognition of monarchs in the state.
It also resolved that all the 25 local government traditional committees should forthwith set up local chapters of alternative dispute resolution committees and forward list of members to the state council.
The council equally resolved that the Patrick’s Commission Report, Justice Ehodaro’s Report and the Justice Amadi Emena’s Report circulated to all traditional monarch in the state to forestall the disparage emergence of kingdoms.
Meanwhile, Governor Ifeayi Okowa of Delta state has said Nigeria will be a more united and stronger nation if the zones gets what they deserve.
Speaking Thursday when traditional rulers in the South South geo-political zone under the aegis of the South South Monarch Forum led by Edmund Daukoru, the Amanayabo of Nembe Kingdom paid him a courtesy visit in his office in Asaba, Governor Okowa averred that “there is no doubt that generally, we need a united Nigeria and to achieve that is to give each zone what is due her and also by respecting who we are as a people and allowing the zones to develop at their own pace.”
According to the governor, “There have been various threats coming across the nation which include the issue of kidnapping, armed herdsmen who are ravaging various communities and I think that our traditional rulers are well positioned to be able to sit down and offer suggestions to us and also to be able to plan with us on the national discourse as it involves the armed herdsmen who are destroying our economy and also destroying the means of livelihood of our people.
“There is no doubt that the South-South by God’s grace is well endowed and we have played a major role in the economy of this nation and I think that there is a need for us stakeholders to sit together and see how we can utilize the resource to develop our zone beyond where we are and to ensure that we are able to get a reasonable share of what we contribute to the national purse because the oil economy will not last forever; it means that we have to be able to create a South-South geo-political zone that will stand the test of time in the future, if possibly when the oil economy is gone, that is why we need to diversify and develop our states.”
Earlier, King Daukoro who was accompanied on the courtesy call by members of the Forum disclosed that more than 200 first class traditional rulers from the South South zone are members of the forum which was designed for the Monarchs to speak with one voice on issues affecting the zone.
