Monarchs should be given security vote to fight insecurity —Oba Aderibigbe

Oba Asunmo Ganiyu Aderibigbe (Jamade 1) is the paramount ruler of Odo-Ayandelu Kingdom in Ikosi-Ejirin LCDA, Lagos State. In this interview by KEHINDE OYETIMI, he speaks on insecurity, the economy and the challenges confronting the South West.

What were the major challenges that you faced on assuming office seven years ago?

We had a primary problem of giving our children basic education. We wrote to the state government. As God would have it, they came and constructed modern classrooms. After that, the pupils in the primary school graduated and they had to go to another community for secondary education. They had to travel for about seven kilometers when going and the same distance when returning. We saw this as another challenge and we called on the state government again that there was the need for us to have a secondary school in our community. They told us that there was no money. We suggested to them that we could renovate the old block of the old school so that we could start a junior secondary school for our children. They told us that if we started the project, they would support us. We did it. We renovated the place and put in some furniture. The project cost us about N2.6 million. As God would have it, the local government refunded about N2 million.

We are still calling on the Lagos State government because we have created four acres of land for the permanent site both for the junior and senior schools. We want more structures. We understand the fact that there is national recession but we are confident that things can be done.

The issue of insecurity was part of the problems that I inherited. When I came into power, many of the unemployed youths in the community were into land-grabbing. I stopped all of this. Today, that is in the past. We are encouraging skill acquisition among the youths in our community.

Many monarchs in the South West today have been accused of getting involved in things that are unbecoming. How do you feel when you see this in the media?

God has made us kings. He has assigned us to represent him on earth. We are expected to do well. Supremacy battle and ego are part of the underlying factors troubling many Yoruba monarchs today. That is why we are having clashes by monarchs. I want us to emulate what the new Ooni of Ife is doing right now. Ife is the source of Yorubas irrespective of what people say. If the king there today could leave his domain and visit many obas, it is good and should be emulated. He has put aside ego. A monarch is a monarch, no matter how small. He did say that he won’t leave Ile-Ife and go else to stamp his authority in the domain of another monarch.

Many politicians today have rubbished the traditional stools of many communities. That is why there are many problems today. These politicians are not aware of the traditional implications of what they do. A monarch is expected to have 100 per cent loyalty to the government in power. If, as a monarch, you speak against government, you will be tagged as opposition.

About a week ago, the South West governors gathered in Ekiti. Do you think that these governors are doing considering popular opinion that the region is not where it is supposed to be?

I won’t like to speak of other states but I will talk about Lagos State. We have been having good successions of governments in the state. Many of the people who have governed us have done well. Look at Baba Jakande. His legacies are there for people to see. Look at Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. His legacies are there too. People felt it would be difficult to get a better governor than Tinubu. Then, Fashola came on board. After that we felt it would be difficult to get a better replacement for Fashola. Then, Ambode came on board. This is a governor who under a year delivered 114 roads, completed. Throughout Lagos State, everybody is feeling the dividends of democracy. He is the best that he can in the education sector today.

If I should judge with Lagos as standard then I would implore all the other South West governors to emulate the Lagos State governor. It is not enough to say that a person is representing the South West by being a governor. We want to see what you are doing.

In the South West today, there have been repeated cases of kidnapping. A few weeks back, Lagos was in the news. What is happening?

Many monarchs have lost track of their place in building societal values and cultures. In times past, our forefathers had what they used in securing their communities. But those things are no longer in place because of the incursion of foreign religions. Some obas do not even want to hear anything that has to do with tradition. I have told some monarchs that if they are not interested in observing tradition, they should allow those who are willing to do so. It is a disgrace for an oba to be kidnapped in his palace.

The government should also assist monarchs in the area of security. Much money is voted to the local governments in ensuring security. No monarch is given security votes to help in fighting insecurity. It is the monarch that is number one security chief in his own community. Kidnapping is a major challenge today. The state governments must liaise with traditional rulers. They should be given some amount of money to raise local vigilance groups. We believe in offering sacrifices to gods. We must appease the gods. They must partner with traditional rulers.

What are the traditional rulers doing to harness the latent natural resources in their areas?

As traditional rulers, we have been limited. They have taken our powers from us. The politicians are responsible for this. The constitution needs to be amended. Many of our lawmakers are not representing us enough. They are supposed to push for the amendment of those areas of the constitution that are not productive. When Buhari came on board, he said he would ensure that traditional rulers have better, more productive roles to play in governance. But some politicians felt threatened by that statement. They were not happy. No monarch can send anybody to mine minerals or else the people involved will be arrested. They are stealing our resources.

Nigeria is in serious economic recession. Many states cannot pay salaries. What roles should traditional rulers play in revamping the economy?

We should all go back to the farm. The Yoruba people believe that the farmer is king. I remember that Obasanjo introduced Operation Feed the Nation. Even at the back of your house, you can engage in subsistence agriculture. The government must empower the farmers. When it is time to distribute fertilizers, these politicians hijack them. They give them to their fertilizers. There is what is called catchment areas.

The government must revisit all the bottlenecks that accompany investing in Nigeria. This will cause distraction. It has always caused it. The government must ensure that Nigeria is investment-friendly. Farming must be prioritized. Today, Lagos has partnered with Kebbi in rice planting. People must be encouraged and mechanized farming should be encouraged. Once we reduce importation, the pressure on the dollar would be reduced.