“Traditional Rulers Have Intelligence Capacity but No Legal Authority,” Says Olowu of Kuta During OOPA Visit

The leadership of the Osun Online Publishers Association (OOPA) on Sunday paid a high-profile courtesy visit to the Olowu of Kuta, His Royal Majesty, Oba (Dr.) Hammed Adekunle Makama Oyelude, in a meeting that blended media engagement, royal diplomacy, and critical discussions on national security, governance, and the constitutional relevance of traditional institutions in Nigeria.

The OOPA delegation commended the first-class traditional ruler for his unwavering support for successive administrations and his consistent advocacy for peace, development, and national unity. The association also sought royal blessings and guidance from the monarch as it continues to promote responsible journalism and public engagement across Osun State.

Speaking during the visit, the Olowu of Kuta addressed the growing wave of insecurity in the Southwest, noting that the security challenges currently confronting the region were long foreseen.

“The wave of insecurity in the Southwest is what had been foreseen ahead of time. I believe the Federal Government and governors in the Southwest are up to the task. Security budgets have been approved, but what we need now is proper coordination and application of platforms, both hardware and software,” the monarch stated.

Oba Oyelude stressed the need for modern technological solutions in tackling insecurity, emphasizing that the deployment of drones and surveillance equipment would significantly reduce risks faced by security personnel.

“Rather than endangering our security personnel unnecessarily, drone technology and surveillance equipment will solve a lot of problems,” he added.

The monarch also urged residents of the Southwest not to panic, encouraging citizens to remain vigilant and cooperate with security agencies.

“If you see something, say something. The major issue is that security situations should never be politicized under any disguise,” he warned.

Speaking further, the Olowu of Kuta said the burden of national security rests largely on the Federal Government, noting that state governments have limited control over federal security structures.

“No state government controls the Commissioner of Police in its state, neither does any governor control a Brigade Commander, talk less of a General Officer Commanding,” he said.

The traditional ruler advocated for the strengthening of regional security outfits such as Amotekun across Southwest states while urging the Federal Government to deploy more technological platforms to complement local security efforts.

“In the Southwest, we already have a nomenclature of state policing through Amotekun. Every state government should strengthen its Amotekun corps, while the Federal Government should also up its game by deploying more security platforms,” he noted.

Oba Oyelude lamented the diminishing constitutional relevance of traditional rulers in Nigeria, declaring that monarchs today possess influence but lack legal authority.

“No monarch has real power again; what we have today are influential monarchs. The powers of traditional rulers were eroded long ago.

Traditional rulers are not even mentioned in one line of the constitution, yet councillors are mentioned multiple times,” he stated.

According to him, the absence of constitutional roles for monarchs has weakened grassroots intelligence gathering and local security management.

“How many traditional rulers have been kidnapped or killed? We can only offer advice.

The policy file of every traditional ruler is sitting on the desk of the local government secretary. We are merely managing that table so that it does not break,” he stated.

The monarch, however, disclosed that dialogue between traditional institutions and government authorities remains ongoing at both state and national levels.

“There is dialogue. The Federal Government and state governments are talking to us. There are interface meetings through the National Council of Traditional Rulers and state councils. We are the closest to the people,” he said.

Oba Oyelude called on the National Assembly to expedite legislative action that would formally recognize traditional rulers in Nigeria’s constitution.

“The speed with which the National Assembly passes executive bills should also be used to enact laws that will include traditional rulers in the constitution,” he said.

Drawing references from the traditional governance structure of the past, the monarch explained that local intelligence gathering used to begin from community leadership structures before modernization weakened those systems.

“When a visitor entered a community, the compound head or village head would immediately ask questions about the visitor. Intelligence gathering started from there. But today, we do not have constitutional roles,” he explained.

He concluded by urging President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Federal Government to recognize traditional rulers as critical partners in national development and security management.

“If the Federal Government truly wants it done, no executive bill spends more than 72 hours at the National Assembly. We expect Mr. President to be magnanimous enough to see traditional rulers as partners in progress,” the Olowu of Kuta declared.