Give Traditional Rulers constitutional role – Yoruba Youth Congress tells Tinubu

A Pan Yoruba Youth socio-political organisation, Yoruba Youth Congress (YYC) has urged President Bola Tinubu to amend the constitution in such a way that will grant constitutional roles to monarchs.

The group said the amendment to the 1999 constitution would be in line with the 1969 constitution that gave traditional rulers roles to play in governance.

The National President of Yoruba Youth Congress, Prince Dapo Adepoju who doubles as chairman coalition of southern Nigeria ethnic youth nationalities made the statement during a programme tagged “Revitalisation of Yoruba Language and Cultural Values” in Akure, Ondo State Capital.

Adepoju said giving constitutional roles to monarchs in the country would promote stability and steadiness and help the executive to stabilise the polity.

He said “The traditional institutions act as instruments for coordinating various social-economic activities within the society; it has also been a social agents as well as mass mobilization facilitators in various communities in Nigeria.

“The roles of traditional rulers in conflict resolution include reconciling and integrating both parties in conflicts, without rancour and maintaining law and order in the communities, and promoting the use of informal settlements, checks and balances in the society, managing improper communication and interaction breakdowns amongst their subjects”

He said the Monarchs should be given a clear constitutional role as 4th tier of government.

His words “We implore the Federal government to allow the traditional rulers to maintain the internal security of their domain with other government security apparatus”.