Traditional oath taking good for officeholders —Lowa Adimula

Public officeholders should start taking oath in traditional ways so as to put an end to all manners of corruption in office.

The Lowa Adimula of Ile-Ife, Oba Abraham Adekola Adeyeye, stated this while speaking to newsmen at the weekend in his community.

He said using deities to administer oath of office to political officeholders and those in high places of authority will reduce the rate of stealing public funds to the barest minimum and address corruption.

Adeyeye said politicians, especially political officeholders and those in places of authority should be accountable to the people who elected them into office.

“They must be compelled to take oath through the use of Sango and other traditional deities.

The Lowa Adimula, who called for urgent constitutional review, disclosed that  Nigeria needs a constitution that allows the use of Sango’ among other traditional deities to be applied in place of Bible and  Koran’ in taking oath during swearing-in of any political leader, president, governors, members of the national and state assemblies, among others.

He said politicians are not afraid of the Bible and Koran when taken oaths, because they believe nothing will happen to them.

However, if they were subjected to be using traditional deities to take oath of office, know quite well that they can get instant judgement.

Adeyeye, who decried the suffering caused Nigerians by corruption occasioned by those elected to serve them, said that it is high time for them to review the 1999 Constitution being operated upon.

His words “ I am using this medium to call on President Bola Tinubu-led administration to see the best way to review constitution the country is operating with, just as he said there are lots of lapses that needed review.

“The current constitution did not duly recognise and respect traditional institutions. How can a traditional ruler be answerable to a local government chairman who is supposed to be his son or subject. How can a traditional ruler be removed by council chairman? This is an aberration which must be corrected in the new constitution. Traditional rulers are custodians of the custom and tradition of the people and, as such, should be recognised in all ramifications.

“I am appealing to President Tinubu to, as a matter of urgency, look into the role of traditional institutions and give them necessary recognition and respect they deserve.

He added that Ile-Ife, being the home of Yoruba land, has not felt any Federal Government presence in many areas of development and infrastructures,” he said.

While commending the autonomy granted by the Supreme Court to local government,  he said such will help bring development to the grassroots, Lowa Adimula charged the electorate to vote out non-performing leaders and shun money inducement during voting exercise.

He decried how some politicians had been using money to induce the electorate and after they assume office, they abandon those who voted them into office.

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