The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi 111, and the Oluwo of Iwo, Oba AbduRasheed Akanbi, have urged Nigerians to refrain from acts or inflammatory utterances capable of igniting ethnic violence in the country.
The two monarchs gave the advice in a communique in Oyo town during the visit of Oluwo to the Alaafin in his palace.
The two traditional rulers submitted that freedom of speech, though sacrosanct, is not absolute, as freedom is a shared one, limited by the freedom of others.
According to them, citizens must draw the line between free speech and arbitrary spite, as they expressed grave concern about the dominance of ethnic incendiary speech in our country.
They noted that the public space has been hijacked by a vocal minority of individuals who promote ethnocentric ideas inimitable to the peace and well-being of a majority of citizens.
“Nigerians must exercise restraint, must bear in mind Nigeria’s long history of ethno-religious conflicts, as people use this type of deep seated animosity in their speech precisely because of the culture of impunity which reigns in the country.
“To comprehend today’s current fracturing, as citizens, we must understand the historic, religious, ethnic and geographic context.
The two Paramount Rulers also described traditional rulers as formidable barricades which reinforce peace and security of the nation.
While expressing deep concern about insecurity in the country, they
called for seamless synergy involving traditional rulers, security agencies and government at all levels, to fashion a framework for collaboration on security, grassroots mobilisation, advocacy and development, with the objective of ensuring stability at all times.
Their words: “As custodians of traditions and values, we are the ones who keep peace in our rural areas and in the various local governments that constitute our various states. As Nigerians, we must respect our various religious and ethnic backgrounds, because it is God that brought us together under one country. Thus, when we understand one another, the security challenges bedevilling the country will be a thing of the past.
“As citizens, let us bury differences, embrace peace, live in harmony and shun hate comments which have been contributing to increased tensions in Nigeria.
” What is more, hate speech is an agent provocateur and precursor to insecurity any where in the world.
In a multi-cultural country like Nigeria with different diverse ethnic settings, inflammatory statements are very sensitive that if not contained, could lead to war”.
The traditional rulers, therefore, asserted that it is the duty of the government to do everything in its power to protect her citizens, apprehend and prosecute criminals and bandits who unleash terror on innocent and defenceless citizens, so that will be seen to have been done.
Oluwo was accompanied by some traditional rulers and Baales across Iwoland.
