The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi-Ojaja II, has advised President Bola Tinubu to make use of traditional rulers, being the closest to the people, to tackle the issue of insecurity bedevilling some parts of the country.
He advised on Friday, during a courtesy visit by the National Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria (NCTRN) to the President at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja.
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The Ooni, who is also the co-chair of traditional rulers of Nigeria, said:
“There are areas we would like to work with you, one of which is security. It is time to use us more, we are not saying we are idle but to make your work easier, use us.
“The foundation of this country today is the traditional rulers. We are here to pledge our loyalty and support. We want to work with you to ensure you leave a legacy. Don’t underestimate what traditional rulers can do,” he said.
Earlier, Sultan of Sokoto and co-chair of NCTRN Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, said the visit is a normal tradition by the monarchs whenever there’s a change in the leadership of the country.
He said the monarchs are people of different professions from the military to judiciary and businessmen, who have what it takes to contribute to the betterment of the society, saying, “Whenever you reach out to us, we will be here.”
The Sultan said the monarchs do not envy President Tinubu at this time with the numerous challenges facing the country but expressed confidence that with the combination of himself and Vice President, Kashim Shettima, they will deliver.
He said: “We thank God for the smooth way the elections took place. Many negative people thought this country would collapse but we are still here. We are here for you, for our people and for our country. If you don’t reach out to us, we will reach out to you. We wish you the most successful tenure in good health.”
Also in attendance is the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume.
The meeting, which is said to be part of President Tinubu’s consultations with various stakeholders across the country, is expected to be discussing sundry issues, including how to achieve national healing and the unity of the country.
