The olowu of Kuta, Adekunle Oyelude Makama has called on the Federal Government to constitutionally recognise traditional rulers and deploy modern security technology to tackle insecurity in Nigeria, saying monarchs possess grassroots intelligence capacity but lack the legal authority to act effectively.
He stated this on Sunday while receiving the new leadership of the Osun Online Publishers Association (OOPA) at his palace in Kuta, Osun State.
The leadership of the association paid a courtesy visit to the monarch to formally inform him of the change in leadership and appreciate his support as the association’s patron.
During the visit, discussions centred on national security, governance, media responsibility, and the constitutional relevance of traditional institutions in Nigeria.
Speaking on the security challenges facing the Southwest, the monarch said the rising wave of insecurity in the region had long been anticipated, expressing confidence that both the Federal Government and Southwest governors were capable of addressing the situation.
“The wave of insecurity in the Southwest is what had been foreseen ahead of time. I believe the Federal Government and governors in the Southwest are up to the task. Security budgets have been approved, but what we need now is proper coordination and application of platforms, both hardware and software,” he said.
The monarch stressed the need for the deployment of modern technology, including drones and surveillance equipment, to support security operations and reduce risks faced by security personnel.
“Rather than endangering our security personnel unnecessarily, drone technology and surveillance equipment will solve a lot of problems,” he added.
He also urged residents of the Southwest not to panic, encouraging citizens to remain vigilant and cooperate with security agencies by sharing useful information.
“If you see something, say something. The major issue is that security situations should never be politicised under any disguise,” he warned.
Speaking further, the traditional ruler noted that the burden of national security largely rests on the Federal Government, pointing out that governors have limited control over federal security agencies operating in their states.
“No state government controls the Commissioner of Police in its state, neither does any governor control a Brigade Commander, talk less of a General Officer Commanding,” he said.
The monarch advocated stronger support for regional security outfits such as Amotekun, urging Southwest governors to strengthen the corps while calling on the Federal Government to complement local efforts with advanced security platforms.
“In the Southwest, we already have a nomenclature of state policing through Amotekun. Every state government should strengthen its Amotekun corps, while the Federal Government should also up its game by deploying more security platforms,” he stated.
The Olowu of Kuta also lamented the declining constitutional relevance of traditional rulers in Nigeria, saying monarchs currently possess influence but lack legal authority.
“No monarch has real power again; what we have today are influential monarchs. The powers of traditional rulers were eroded long ago. Traditional rulers are not even mentioned in one line of the constitution, yet councillors are mentioned multiple times,” he said.
According to him, the exclusion of traditional institutions from the constitution has weakened grassroots intelligence gathering and local security management.
“How many traditional rulers have been kidnapped or killed? We can only offer advice. The policy file of every traditional ruler is sitting on the desk of the local government secretary. We are merely managing that table so that it does not break,” he added.
The monarch, however, disclosed that traditional institutions still maintain dialogue with government authorities through the National Council of Traditional Rulers and state councils.
“There is dialogue. The Federal Government and state governments are talking to us. There are interface meetings through the National Council of Traditional Rulers and state councils. We are the closest to the people,” he said.
He called on the National Assembly to expedite legislative actions that would formally recognise traditional rulers in Nigeria’s constitution.
“The speed with which the National Assembly passes executive bills should also be used to enact laws that will include traditional rulers in the constitution,” he said.
Reflecting on traditional governance systems in the past, the monarch explained that local intelligence gathering previously began at the community level before modernisation weakened those structures.
“When a visitor entered a community, the compound head or village head would immediately ask questions about the visitor. Intelligence gathering started from there. But today, we do not have constitutional roles,” he explained.
The monarch also urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Federal Government to recognise traditional rulers as critical partners in national development and security management.
“If the Federal Government truly wants it done, no executive bill spends more than 72 hours at the National Assembly. We expect Mr President to be magnanimous enough to see traditional rulers as partners in progress,” he said.
