El-Rufai to Assign Security Roles To Traditional Rulers, Calls for Review of LG laws
Fatimah Abdullahi
Kaduna State government in a bid to address the incessant communal clashes and killings in some parts of Kaduna, has proposed to assign constitutional roles to traditional rulers to oversee the security of lives and property in their respective domains.
The governor of the state, Malam Nasir El-Rufai stated this while addressing members of the Kaduna State Traditional Rulers Council in his office when they paid him a courtesy call.
According to El-Rufai the traditional institutions are important in the management of welfare and security in the country, but lamented that their roles have been usurped by the local government authorities.
He stressed the need for the review of the 1976 local government laws which give the traditional rulers powers to maintain peace and security in their respective domains.
The governor lamented that the problem of insecurity in the state had become complicated and compounded because of the failure of past administrations to assign constitutional responsibilities to the traditional institutions.
He explained that a security committee which will include traditional rulers and other critical stakeholders will soon be established by the state government in order to work out the specific roles for traditional rulers towards the maintenance of peace and security in the state.
The traditional rulers led by the Chairman of the Traditional council, Emir of Zazzau, Alhaji Shehu Idris told the governor their mission was to congratulate the Governor and his deputy on their victory at the last election and successful inauguration, as well as to seek areas of collaboration with government.