Ifim Ibom Ibibio Advisory Council has called on the Akwa Ibom state government not to jitter out in the present brouhaha surrounding Akwa Ibom Traditional Rulers Council Law Cap 155, insisting that the law does not in anyway carpet any tribe as second or third class citizen.
In a release made available to newsmen, the Advisory Council made reference to similar law in 24 states of the country without any issue and wondered why Cap 155 should generate heat.
“The provisions of the Akwa Ibom State Supreme Council of Traditional Rulers Law, 2023′, regarding the life tenure of the President-General (Oku Ibom Ibibio) as the Supreme Head of the Council is not peculiar to the State.
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“This is rather, the practice and norm across most parts and regions of Nigeria. Recent checks show that over two-thirds (24) of the 36 States and the FCT of Nigeria have domain-based life and permanent Heads of their Traditional Rulers Councils. For clarity (and possible verification), the following 24 States (and the FCT) are the parts of Nigeria with this category of Traditional Rulers Councils – the States and Heads of Traditional Rulers Councils (in brackets):
“Adamawa State (Lamido of Adamawa), Akwa [bom State (Oku Ibom Ibibio), Anambra State (Obi of Onitsha), Bauchi State (Emir of Bauchi), Benue State (Tor Tiv), Borno State (Shehu of Borno), Edo State (Oba of Benin), Gombe State (Emir of Gombe), Jigawa State (Emir of Hadejia), Kaduna State (Emir of Zazzau/Zaria), Kano State (Emir of Kano), Katsina State (Emir of Katsina), Kebbi State (Emir of Gwandu), Kogi State (Attah Igala), Kwara State (Emir of Ilorin), Lagos State (Oba of Lagos), Vasarawa State (Emir of Lafia), Niger State (Etsu Nupe), Osun State (Oni of Ife), Oyo State (Alaafin of Oyo), Plateau State (Gbong Gwon Jos), Sokoto State (Sultan of Sokoto), Taraba State (Aku Uka of Wukari), Yobe State (Emir of Fika) and the FCT (Ona of Abaji).
“In none of these States (or in the FCT) is the Traditional Rulers Council made up of just one person – the Head. Virtually all of them are dialectal and ethnically (or even in terms of their component tribes), plural.
“Notwithstanding this, their apex Traditional Rulers Councils exist as one, with life Supreme Headships under the Laws of the States. Nothing in this makes.
“citizens from any of the dialectal/ethnic groups other than that of the Head of the Council, second class, third class or inferior.
“In what they do, Nigerians out there obviously see the bigger picture of their States in the national arena, in spite of their linguistic, ethnic or even tribal disparities.
“This is virtually the picture in all the other 15 States and the FCT. All of these States have laws duly enacted by their respective Houses of Assembly and Governors to back the operations of their Traditional Rulers Councils.
“Nowhere have we heard of the interpretation of these State Laws to mean discrimination against some ethnic/dialectical groups in the States, or a classification of the progenitors of any language groups as second class, third class or inferior citizens.
