Stakeholders in traditional matters in Oyo State, including traditional rulers, have called for caution over the ongoing move by the State Executive Council to review the state Chieftaincy Law, through an executive bill tagged, Chiefs (Amendment) Bill 2023.
The bill seeks to give the governor the discretionary right and sole authority to specify those to wear beaded crowns without consultation with the Council of Obas and Chiefs of the State.
Governor Seyi Makinde sought an amendment to the Chiefs Law, Cap 28, Laws of Oyo State through an Executive Council letter he forwarded to the State House of Assembly on Tuesday, last week, to amend Subsection (1) of Section 28 of the Principal Law.
The bill which was read for the second time on the floor of the House was committed to the House Committee on Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters.
Speaking at a public hearing convened by the House of Assembly through the Committee on Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters to seek input on the proposed law, the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Lekan Balogun, who was represented by the Otun Balogun of Ibadan Land, High Chief Tajudeen Ajibola, commended the Makinde administration for the move to amend the law.
He argued that the Chiefs Law was long overdue for a review, and wondered why the Olubadan could also not crown chiefs in his domain, lauding the Makinde administration for embarking on the amendment through the State House of Assembly, as the move by the immediate past administration faced opposition because it was not legalised through the State House of Assembly.
However, leading calls for caution, the Onpetu of Ijeru, Oba Sunday Oyediran, said historical antecedents of the chieftaincies, as well as the peculiarities of domains, should be considered in deeming people fit for beaded crowns, apart from the doctrine of necessity.
Oyediran noted that the governor, in exercising his discretion, should carry out due diligence to ensure that territorial identities are respected to avoid overlapping of areas of traditional authorities and draw a distinct line between traditional chiefs and honorary ones, adding that beaded crowns approved by the governor should be annotated with the inscription of Obas created by statute.
For his part, the Basorun of Oyo, High Chief Yusuf Ayoola, urged the governor to critically consider the long term consequences of elevating Baales cum giving them beaded crowns, noting that it was imperative for machinery to be put in motion for the Council of Obas and Chiefs to resume meeting.
Presenting his own position, the Alado of Ado Awaye, Oba Olugbile Ademola, stressed that the amendment move must take into cognisance the fact that a crown is sacred and should be treated with sacredness, and that it has history which must be protected from falsification.
From the Oke-Ogun zone of the state, the Ikolaba of Iseyin, Ismail Odubiyi, said there were crowns with deep history and there might be situations where holders of crowns without history would disrespect holders of crowns with history, noting that the law must be crafted to curtail misuse of power and a situation where influential persons get beaded crowns.
Representing retired directors of Local Government Administration, Mr Bashiru Akande argued that the clause of the governor consulting with the Council of Obas (Traditional Monarchs) and Chiefs before giving beaded crowns should not be expunged but subsist.
He argued that the amendment could sail through provided it permits that the report of the commission of inquiry set up to determine those to be given beaded crowns is not committed to another consultation but to an administrative process, saying the state Council of Obas and Chiefs should rather be reconvened and strengthened.
In their remarks at the hearing, the state Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Olasunkanmi Olaleye, and the House Committee Chairman on Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Akintunde Olajide, stressed that the governor, having the authority to determine those to get beaded crowns, without consultation, would hasten to attend to several applications for beaded crowns across the state.
Akintunde further said the Committee had received memoranda from the traditional rulers and all other relevant stakeholders in order for them to work in tandem with the House of Assembly rules, assuring that all memoranda submitted by the stakeholders would be duly considered in the amendment process.
In his keynote address, the Speaker, Adebo Ogundoyin, represented by his Deputy, Muhammed Fadeyi, explained that the public hearing on the Chiefs (Amendment) Bill, 2023 became necessary as it had passed through first and second readings, stressing the need to have the input of the relevant stakeholders in order to ensure balance before the bill is passed into law.
He emphasised that the essence of the legislative arm of government is to make laws and amend laws considered to be obsolete in order to meet up with the present situation.
PIAK
