THE Olu of Ilaro and Paramount Ruler of Yewaland, Oba Kehinde Olugbenle, has called for specification and inclusion of traditional rulers’ role in the nation’s constitution.
Olugbenle also called on government at all levels to tap from the wealth of experience of monarchs who are professionals with a view to enriching policies and programmes.
The first class monarch, who doubles as the Chairman of Ogun State Traditional Council, spoke with journalists in his palace in Ilaro, Yewa South Local Government ahead of a week-long Oronna Ilaro festival 2017 which kicked off on Saturday.
Olugbenle bemoaned what he called lack of consultation for input of monarchs on traditional and cultural programmes of government, saying you cannot do anything outside those who are custodians of culture and traditions.
Olu Ilaro challenged governments to retrace their steps and ensure monarchs are accorded their position as custodians of cultural values.
He also rejected the insinuations that monarchs are “not doing well to uphold and promote cultural values among Nigerians.”
His word “Where the traditional institution is having a challenge is the area of not having a specific role in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. And that’s not our problem. It is the problem of those who are making the constitution. Let them give us a role and see whether we will not play that role very well. A number of the traditional rulers have a lot to offer their communities. So, the government has a lot to tap from some of our professional colleagues who are now emerging as role fathers. Go to the North, South-East, South-South, and South-West, you will find them.
“When we are talking about culture, we are the custodian of culture and no government can say it’s promoting culture when you don’t have a royal father there to get their input. They will just sit down somewhere and say something should be done. You can’t do anything on culture without the custodian of the culture.
“So, most of these cultural programmes that governments are rolling out, what level of input do they get from a traditional institution? By the time it is rolled out you begin to see some of the defects in their programmes.
“Government needs to think out of the box and retrace their steps by making sure that those who are custodians, the owners of traditions are consulted widely before the begin to roll out programmes.”
Olugbenle described Oronna as a unique festival which showcases the rich cultural heritage of Ilaro and also a unifying factor among his subjects and Yewaland at large.
Later in a press conference held at Yewa Frontier Hotel, Ilaro, the Chairman of the Planning Committee, Alhaji Rafiu Akinola disclosed three artists have been invited to add glamour to the colourful festival.
The artists are; Kiss Daniel, Small Doctor, and Reminisce.
Highlights of the programmes lined up for the festival which fully begins on Monday to Saturday are Road Show, 5 kilometers festival race, medical checkups, traditional dance, onigbaje procession, cooking competition, visit to less-privilege home, Sis Ilaro (Beauty Pageant) among others.
Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun among other top personalities are billed to attend the grand final holding on Saturday.
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