Alaafin receives Kwankwaso, charges politicians to find solutions to Nigeria’s problems

The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi 111, has called on politicians to eschew primordial sentiments but be more pragmatic
on finding solutions to myriads of problems confronting the country.
He said national growth and development depend largely on the good
sense of justice, moral worth and responsibility, conscientiousness,
devotion to duty, selflessness, probity and honesty exhibited by the
leaders and the led.
Oba Adeyemi gave the admonition yesterday when a presidential hopeful
on the platform of the Peoples’ Democratic Party [PDP], Dr. Rabiu Musa
Kwankwaso, paid him a courtesy visit in his ancient palace in Oyo town.
He said, ‘’it is assumed that a nation’s value system is sacred and
could extend beyond that nation’s boundaries. All nations are supposed
to be proud of their value systems, just as a person is proud of his
or her upbringing and character and would try to impress that
behaviour and beliefs on others. Basic values are traditional and
historic, reflecting aspects of the experience that each nation went
through since its inception as a national unity’’.
Alaafin noted that politicians must close ranks, logically brainstorm,
and arriving at an in-depth and coherent understanding of the
contending state-building issues in the country which he identified as
the fear of the predominance of one state over another,
over-concentration of powers, lack of consensus politics and
government based on a community of interests, absence of truly
integrative national political parties, non establishment of the
principle of public accountability for office holders; and inequitable
system of revenue allocation.
The monarch stated that these issues are not new but immutably
metamorphosed and taken different and violent character in today’s
national live, adding that the ultimate consequences are that they
still pose serious threats to peace and national security.
‘’As constant variables in our national consciousness, there should be
genuine and concerted efforts towards addressing these challenges to
peace and security. Nigeria’s ethnic, sectional and religious
diversities ought to serve as source of national unity, cohesion and
integration but unfortunately this has over the years constituted
serious threat to peace, security and national development because the
political elites have always tended to manipulate these identities
for their parochial interests’’.
He went further, ‘’politically, the amalgamation of the Southern and
northern protectorates in 1914 brought together peoples of diverse
historical and cultural background into one political space to chart a
new future. Despite this obvious challenge of diversity, the
commitment of the colonial government towards ensuring the unity was
demonstrated in a number of policies aimed at fostering cultural,
political, social and economic ties among the various groups in the
new nation.
‘’Thus, from the time of amalgamation of the two protectorates with
the colony of Lagos, till the period of regional administrations,
Nigeria became committed to a united federation. Its commitment arose
from its acceptance of federalism as a particular kind of function
arrangement between diverse communities for living together and
working together nationally whilst preserving a measure of separately
entity’’.
‘’The quantum of unification and the quality of unity achieved were
obvious. Education, solid infrastructures, gainful employment, social
welfare programmes and sound heath care delivery were successfully
accomplished by our leaders of blessed memory, Chief Obafemi Awolowo,
Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, and the Sardauna of Sokoto who fought for the
country’s independence’’.
‘’Where were those legacies today? Why are things falling apart today?
Why is it that public funds spent for successful running of regional
governments by our founding fathers were sourced internally without
any external borrowings? Why is it that despite whooping amount of
money being borrowed externally by the present day governments, lives
of citizens are still miserable? Where did we get it wrong? Are our
problems, including insecurity and socio economic duoldrums defied
solutions?’’
The paramount ruler who asserted that the Old Oyo Empire was the
first longest reigning Empire to operate cabinet system of government,
noted that different sub-ethnic groups and religious groups co-existed
peacefully and where ethnic and religious sentiments were subsumed
under societal interests.
‘’If we are honest with ourselves we would mostly agree that all is
not well with our nation and that the values we once held dearly had
gone into oblivion. Where are values like honesty, integrity, good
neighbourliness, religious tolerance and so on that once defined our
society? ‘’
Earlier, Kwankwaso, a former governor of Kano State and serving
Senator who lauded intellectual sagacity and contributions of the
Alaafin to national peace and stability, described traditional
institution as part of the working tools that could make democracy and
development sustainable and be consolidated.
He stated that since the citizens who are the major determiners of the
success or otherwise of democratic and development programmes are
under the traditional influence of rulers, then the position of
traditional rulers as potent mobilisers, advisers, mediators,
facilitators, adjudicators and more importantly in native intelligence
gathering should be greatly harnessed.
‘’The traditional institutions which are the only remnants of our
pre-colonial political system must be preserved, promoted and
strengthened through official constitutional recognitions and
acknowledgements’’, Kwankwaso pointed out.