Why youths attacked traditional rulers – Emir of Gwandu

The revered and respected traditional institutions came under attack in some parts of the north as fall-out of the Presidential election. What is your view on this development? You see, politics is a very dirty game. The way and manner some politicians mobilized their people and manner in which they went about their campaign was […]

The revered and respected traditional institutions came under attack in some parts of the north as fall-out of the Presidential election. What is your view on this development?

You see, politics is a very dirty game. The way and manner some politicians mobilized their people and manner in which they went about their campaign was the cause of the crisis. Leaders, whether traditional or political, have those who oppose them. Those who are opposed to some of these traditional institutions or political leaders take this opportunity of election and this opportunity of getting people together to talk to them anyhow. As a result, they create tension and blame some other people. I am sure, as pressmen, you will appreciate that those who have taken the law into their hands are not educated and responsible. They took drugs and became intoxicated. Somebody who has no sense can do anything. There are quite a number of young men who used the political gathering to unleash their anger against the traditional institution. That is what happened. When you are a leader some will appreciate what you do while some will not.

Here, in this country, people spread rumour like a wild fire, without seeking truth and analysing rumors before they believe in or work on it.  Unfortunately, those who were misguided and got drunk seized the opportunity to do the havoc. Otherwise, why should you rise against your leader? Why should you shed blood? Why should you go and destroy the property of somebody? What is the gain?  What do they gain out of this destruction and shedding of blood and showing disregard to their leaders?

It was alleged that traditional leaders were given money by the PDP to canvass for President Jonathan, and the youths felt betrayed. What is your take on this?

Nigeria has got a very bad name for its corruption. All over the world we are being accused of corruption. Most of you know that government has established a body which is to check those who are accused of corruption. Have we got rid of corruption? So, it has become a pattern in this country to accuse everybody of being corrupt. Those people who were accusing Emirs and what not of corruption have they established the fact that the traditional rulers are guilty of corruption? There is law that even traditional leaders are not supposed to take part in politics, but the emirs are supposed to talk to their subjects. Now anybody who wants to be elected cannot get traditional leaders to come publicly to say we support him even though some want us to do so. Can we do that? Is that right?  Even if it is your son who wants to be elected, a traditional leader cannot come out publicly and say, “support my son”. Now, your son, if he is not successful, would say that his father does not like him. So this is the situation. How on earth do you go to the house of a leader, whether political or traditional, and set it on fire? The house is not his. It is public peroperty. You belong to the society and you have no respect for your society. After all, there are people who can check the emirs – the king makers, the government. If they  have committed an offence those laws are there, he can be checked. Who in this country is not being accused of corruption? It has become endemic in our society. What one should say as leaders, whether traditional or political, we must search oursalves.  We need to do something to get rid of undue-accusations and get rid of this corruption. Our society, there is no doubt, is corrupt.  It is a task and we must get rid of it. That is why when there is a rumour that you have done this or that people tend to believe it.  So the issue of corruption is what this country needs to address. Those who are leaders and responsible for checking it should do something.  Even members of the society must do something because if you don’t give to the people, don’t take from them. So the offence is social; the society is committing the offence. The point here is this, let us search our minds and do the right things by respecting our rules and regulations and Nigeria will become a better society.

For the first time in Nigeria’s political history, a very important institution like yours is being attacked. Are you not worried that things have got to this level?

Like I have said earlier on, because of the level of corruption in Nigeria today, the way we play politics and see our leaders has changed. I am talking, not only about traditional institutions but even public institutions. So, attacking houses of some traditional leaders is very unfortunate and sad. That traditional leader is your leader. He is representing your culture and your society. The question we should ask is the category of people involved in this attack.  The majority of the people don’t like traditional rulers being attacked.  Those people who attacked the institutions are working on sentiments and under intoxication. They were bad members of the society who even attacked themselves by taking drugs.

You realized that it is not only the houses of traditional leaders, but even individual houses, political leaders houses; religious leader’s houses, mosques and churches were attacked.  They attacked houses of God, they attacked houses of their leaders, they attacked houses of those who they wanted elected, and they attacked preachers. Who is left? They are miscreants. They have no jobs and no sense and do not know what they were doing. In most cases after burning places they stole what was there. They are thieves. They kill and take the money of the people they kill. The attacked the Galadiman Kano’s house because they were saying that they heard the rumour that the vice president gave him money to distribute to the people. What evidence do they have or they went there to steal the money? Otherwise, why attacking his house? Even Buhari, I heard him over the radio that his cars were attacked. What is the sense, really? So it is unfortunate.

As a father of all, what word of wisdom will you give to the winners and losers of elections for peace to reign?

Yes, this is a very vital issue. Those who have won the elections should thank God and pity those who lost. There is no need, especially those who are governing, to say that those who lost be abused or punished. Winners should thank God for their success and join hands with those who lost, not only to work together but work justly according to rules and regulations of those various offices they got. Those who lost should realize that election is a contest. Where there is contest there must be a winner and a loser.   The loser should wait for tomorrow to contest again.

The almajirai issue has become a big problem and, sometimes the  almajirai are used by politicians. How can this problem be solved?

The Almajirai, especially in the North, because wherever you see an Almajiri, either in the North or in the South, he is a northerner and particularly Hausa. It has become a problem worrying all of us, and even government at state and national levels have taken some measures to do something about it. This type of almajirai has become the source of crimes and many kinds of irresponsible acts.

As I have said government has established some organizations and even launched schools in Jigawa State recently where some of these Almajirai would be brought under boarding schools and be given both religious and modern education. Like in Kaduna State, when Vice President Namadi Sambo was a state governor, he established various schools where they put some of these children in boarding schools for formal education. Both the government and Traditional institutions and in fact the society in general are worried about this and are doing something. There are non-governmental organizations that have been establishing schools where some of these Almajirai are being enrolled. We hope with the training they will recieve on various occupations they find jobs to do and stop begging.

Also you have to look into the parents of these Almajirai. How can you take your son and give him to somebody to look after without giving him the where-withal of taking care of that child? So, these boys have no option than to beg. Imagine a child that starts begging from five years by the time he becomes an adult he has no respect for anybody. This is because nobody takes care of him. These are the people when preachers or join politics go against everybody. They have no respect for anybody because right from childhood up to the time they become adult nobody cared them. That is the danger of it.

On our part as traditional leaders and indeed the government we are doing everything possible to see that we stop this menace. It will take time to even convince the parents that they should look after their children instead of releasing them to go and become beggars. Begging is terrible. How a beggar feels when he is kicked away. It is a very dangerous thing. We will continue to pray and draw the attention of the parents that they should look at their children.

I have been talking to parents that, whether rich or poor, they should draw their children near them. There must be link between the parents and children so that they can be properly nurtured and socialized.

There is this agitation in the country that traditional leaders should be given constitutional roles. What is your view on this?

This issue of giving traditional rulers roles in the constitution has been on for several years. During the Native Authority era, the emirs  were the chief executives running the affairs of their communities, but when the military came in 1976 and established local governments the functions of Native Authority was taken away from the traditional leaders and most of it was handed over to the local and state governments. Now the cultural and religious aspects of it are not taken care by the local government. And people believe in their religion, culture and tradition. These are the areas the traditional leaders are looking after. As long as you do not give traditional rulers constitutional backing to play this role, then you create a vacuum. The 1999 constitution removed the issue of traditional rulers from the constitution. Why? The traditional leaders, I can tell you, especially here in the North, have a comprehensive structure. If you study and analyze carefully, the state and local governments are not reaching the people. It is the traditional structure that reaches the people. Whatever these various governments want to do they pass it through traditional rulers and the traditional leader reaches out to the people and mobilizes them.

The traditional leaders, especially those of us from the North, are not asking for a new role. We only want the constitution to recognize it. We are playing the role and nobody stops us from exercising our role. Our communities appreciate our roles in solving so many problems but the constitution did not recognize this. What we are yearning is, let the constitution recognize the role of traditional leaders. There cases which are purely traditional. Sometimes such cases have to be brought back to us from courts to resolve them.

In the contemporary democratic dispensation, what roles do you think traditional leaders could play in the government?

Now that the general elections have been conducted and a new government would soon be formed, you want to select somebody to be your commissioner. How do you know the type of person he is? How do you know his background? It is through the community he comes from. Then, how do you know that he is really representing that community? How do you know that the community recognizes him as their own? If you go to his village head, that is the traditional institution, they will tell you.

If you want to be made a minister you have to appear before the Senate for interview. Do they know you? Do they know the type of person you are? Do they know your parents? These are vital things because you are going to represent the community you come from.  Do members of the community know you, believe in you and accept you? The government does not take care of that. You say it is democracy – government of the people for the people by the people.   Have his people appointed him and accepted him? These are some of the roles the traditional leaders should play, but we are not allowed to play them. All they need is to seek advice.

I am telling you, I was born, bread and brought up hear, but I have gone through all aspects of administration of the local and national levels. I had been a Major General involved in security at the lower and national levels. What is wrong with a governor, who wants to appoint a commissioner or even with the federal government, asking me what I know about the individuals before being given appointments. Most of the traditional leaders are well-educated and experienced. For instance, here in Kebbi State, the Emir of Yauri was a Vice Chancellor, Usmanu Danfodio University, Sokoto, before he became the Emir. The Emir of Argungu is an engineer. He was also a commissioner. The Emir of Zuru was a major General and a governor before. What is wrong in asking me about somebody you want to appoint as a sole administrator of a local government? This advice is free-of-charge and for the benefit of the community. Neither at the national level nor at the state level is this sort of checking done. These are some of the problems.

I know, in the past, the traditional rulers were the guarantors for businessmen who wanted to take bank loans. This is because, if the debtor failed to pay, the traditional leader knew where the person would be; he knew his parents and could recover that money. Do modern banks bother with the roles of traditional leaders when they give out loans nowadays? Likewise, when people were to be employed referees were sought and traditional leaders were needed.