Our once revered traditional institution seems to have since lost its awe. Needless to say that the reverence once accorded the monarchy not just in Yorubaland but the entire country has been so eroded that some Nigerians have questioned the imperative of retaining this last vestige of our pre-colonial epoch in our current political reality.
A 2004 concept paper on the theme of “Governance for a Progressive Africa” by the Economic Commission for Africa had said: “The relevance of traditional institutions, especially chieftaincy, to the modern day transformation of African economies and governance systems is highly disputed in post-colonial literature. At the risk of over-generalisation, three strands can be identified in the debate. One highly sceptical component contends that chieftaincy is anachronistic; a hindrance to the development, undemocratic, costly and divisive.”
The above position is an apt reflection of the Nigerian situation.
In Nigeria, the concern over the relevance of traditional institutions is borne out of how the monarchs have conducted themselves. For many of our traditional rulers, their conduct has at various times desecrated the hallowed throne they occupy. While some traditional institutions have been brought into disrepute by the occupiers, there is no doubt that they represent a critical segment of the society.
The history of traditional institutions dates back in time. During the pre-colonial times, the monarchy performed the traditional role of government. With the coming of the British, traditional rulers acted as proxy rulers under the Indirect Rule system.
At the time, traditional rulers were the tool used to perpetuate British hegemony. No doubt, monarchical institutions have been relevant in the two epochs; their post-independence relevance is still subject of debate among Nigerians.
According to the ECA concept paper, “traditional authorities can play in the process of good governance which can broadly be separated into three categories: First, their advisory role to government, as well as their participatory role in the administration of their domains and districts; second, their developmental role, complementing government’s efforts in mobilising the population for the implementation of development projects, sensitising them on health issues such as HIV/AIDS, promoting education, encouraging economic enterprises, inspiring respect for the law and urging participation in the electoral process; and third, their role in conflict resolution.”
However, the argument against the retention or to put it mildly the re-assessment of the traditional institutions also resonate when juxtaposed with recent happenings in the country. In recent times, traditional rulers have behaved in certain ways that have changed the perception of them as the gate keepers of our cultural heritage.
In many instances, we have seen how the so-called traditional rulers have carried out actions that are at variance with the respect accorded the throne. In Yoruba land and across the federation, the throne of the monarchy is highly revered. In traditional African societies and even in modern day, the institutions are considered as the representatives of the gods and ancestors.
Their subjects worship, reverence and look up to them for wisdom and guidance. While many traditional rulers have continued to fulfil these roles, the conduct of many others continues to provoke debate about the place of the institution in the modern day. There are genuine reasons to be worried when traditional rulers desecrate the hallowed chamber of their palaces. This is because they are considered as the mirror in the society. Their subjects take examples from them.
How then does one explain the recent spat between two first class traditional rulers in Yorubaland? It is still a shock how a needless spat over superiority between two first class rulers is allowed to degenerate into a public brawl that has pitted two sub-Yoruba groups against the other. I refer to the recent rift between the Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo and the Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona. The debate about who is superior between the two is needless.
The Egba king had reportedly said that the Awujale was the least in the echelon of status among the Yoruba major traditional rulers. He had claimed that as the Alake, he was far superior to the Awujale. In subsequent statements, the Alake had insisted that the listing of the Awujale as occupying the last position after the quartet of the Ooni of Ife, Alaafin of Oyo, Oba of Benin and Alake of Egbaland, “was supported by documentary evidence and therefore stands by his position.”
The question one should ask is why all the fuss about who is superior over the other? How does that change or affect anything in present day Nigeria? To be sure, both the Ijebu and the Egba have since emerged from the pre-colonial traditional setting where Obas sustain and prove superiority by waging wars on themselves and claiming territories.
I had imagined this was the pre-colonial era. The Alake’s comment would have attracted Ijebu warriors to invade Egba and vice-versa. This is hardly possible now. So, what did the Alake hope to achieve with the “I am superior to you” rhetoric that has now pitted the two against each other in a media war.
Let’s even agree both rulers have taken a voyage back in time and found out who is the first among equals, of what relevance is it today? Perhaps, it may be relevant in the distribution of largesse to the palace of the monarchs but how does it solve the socio-economic challenges bedevilling the country and their “subjects” in particular?
The unnecessary feud has even led to the convening of a press conference to address the issue of superiority between the Obas. Before long, this debate will spread to all the traditional rulers in Yorubaland and even beyond.
As an offshoot of the argument between the Alake and the Awujale, I foresee a situation where other Yoruba monarchs will begin to make statements about their superiority. Who knows? It may even spread beyond the South-West. That is the way we are as a people. We argue over nothing instead of looking for solutions to our existential problems.
I am sure there are plenty of issues to be addressed by the two warring monarchs than this needless media war over superiority. As we have seen in the past, Nigerian monarchs don’t fight for nothing.
The Obas’ feud is not without repercussions. When monarchs disagree, they drag their entire domains along with them. Only recently, another argument that evoked the war of the kingdoms was stoked when the subjects also debated who was superior between the Oni and the Oba of Benin. This also dominated discourse in the media.
Traditional rulers must recognise the importance of their position in the society. Rather than engage in needless wars over ranking, they should use their positions to unite their subjects and the country at large.
PUNCH
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