Govt can’t do without traditional rulers —Sultan

Okodili Ndidi, Onitsha - 21.02.2008

THE Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Mohammed Sa’ad Abubakar, has said that government cannot do without the traditional institution. He said the institution should be stimulated to ensure purposeful and people-oriented government.

The Sultan, who made this remark at the palace of the paramount ruler of Onitsha, Igwe Alfred Achebe, said traditional rulers were in the best position to represent the people and interpret government policies to the people, who he said, had trust and belief in the institution.

He maintained that if properly empowered to carry out their functions, traditional rulers had the solution to the many crises that had bedeviled the country.

“It is our right to ask for empowerment from both state and federal governments due to the nature of our office and the roles we play in ensuring a peaceful co-existence among the various ethnic and religious interests in the country. If they work with us we will work with them,” he said.

Responding, the Igwe of Onitsha, commended the efforts of the Sultan, who he described as a true Nigerian, in ensuring that Nigerians, irrespective of their religious, ethnic and social backgrounds, lived together as one people.

He assured the Sultan that the Hausa communities in Onitsha and the entire Anambra State would continue to do their legitimate businesses in the commercial city without intimidation or harassment, adding that the central mosque which was burnt during the last crisis in the state would be renovated soon.