Teaching Comparative

Nigerian royalty

The World of Royalty web site pointed me at this article from The Tide (Port Harcourt) about the statement issued after a conference of Nigerian "traditional leaders."

Royal fathers renew call for constitutional roles

"Traditional rulers in the country in Abuja renewed their call on the federal government to assign to them some constitutional roles.

"The call was contained in a communiqué issued at the end of the Conference of Chairmen of States’ Traditional Councils presided over by the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar.

"The communiqué said in spite of the positive contributions of the traditional institution over the years, its role had been undermined by various political and constitutional reforms.

"It attributed that to 'imported ideas on democracy and development from foreign countries which had burdened the country’s constitutional framework'.

It called on the federal government to evolve a political and democratic culture that was in consonance with indigenous culture and tradition...

"Etsu Nupe [head of a six-man Coordinating Committee] told The Tide correspondent that the meeting was the first of its kind 'for quite some time.'

He said it was time for Nigeria to practice democracy along its culture and tradition. 'Examples abound in Pakistan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Britain, Japan, as nations that practice democracy peculiar to their culture,' he said."

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His Royal Highness, Alhaji (Brigadier General) Yahaya Abubakar. The 13th Etsu-Nupe

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A bit of context about traditional leaders in Nigeria is offered by Chris Ewokor's article on the BBC World News web site, Nigerians go crazy for a title.

"To be addressed as a Mr, Mrs or Ms in Nigerian social circles means you are a nobody. To be a mover or shaker you need to be a chief - or to at least hold a doctorate...

"To be a traditional chief is like being a small god - it is seen as the peak of one's achievement in life.

"A chief should be someone who is well-to-do financially and intellectually -- and has contributed substantially to the development of the community.

"Many people say honorary titles these days can often be bought by giving a donation of about $10,000 to one's home area...

"Financial manager Reginald Ibe, a chief of the Igbo people in the south-east, echoes this disquiet.

"'Chieftaincy titles have practically been bastardised these days,' he says.

"'Everybody wants to acquire one chieftaincy title or any other title. The number of honorary PhDs we have in this country is symptomatic of a people who have failed in so many aspects of life.'...

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One of the comments responding to the article offered this insight:

"Having a forgettable title like "Chief of Nowhere-ville" in Nigeria means nothing at all. However, those who hold important titles still wield a phenomenal amount of power. Titles like the Ooni of Ife, Aareonokankafo of Yorubaland (formerly the very important MKO Abiola), Bobagunwa ilu Egba, Sultan of Sokoto, Saradauna, Alaafin of Oyo, etc are extremely important titles, and having such titles DOES bring a LOT of respect. When the Ife/Modakeke crisis in Nigeria seemed not to have a solution, who did we turn to for a lasting solution? A very important Chief, the Ooni of Ife!"




And another noted:

"Initially, especially in the Eastern Nigeria, chieftancy was based on integrity and industry. Two major factors changed that. First, the British colonial indirect rule appointed people into chieftancy positions who had no right to it but were amenable to the colonial masters. Some of them became autocratic. Second, the military bought loyalty through the chiefs. That made having a title a lucrative projective. If the government stop the practice of buying blind loyalty through the traditional rulers; if the financial gain is removed, this madness will end."

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Labels: civil society, Nigeria, political culture

posted by Ken Wedding @ 7:19 AM