Traditional rulers in the country have been reminded that beyond being custodians of the culture and tradition of their people it behoves them to show leadership that will promote peace and development in their domains.
The Asagba of Asaba, His Royal Majesty, Asagba Prof Epiphany Azinge, SAN, OON, FNIALS, made the remark when a delegation of Ndigbo Progressive Traditional Rulers’ Council visited him in his Palace.
Asagba Prof Azinge said showing leadership should include being fair and just to all manner of persons in the community, carrying everyone along in the scheme of things, preaching inclusivity and leading by good example in order to earn the trust and confidence of the people.
He maintained that as progressive minds, the South East traditional rulers should strive to do things differently, emphasizing the need for them to be united and resilient to be able to speak with one voice.
The Asagba said giving the traditional institution the deserving pride of place in Nigeria should be the concern of everyone of them, pointing out that since he ascended the throne in October last year, a lot had happened, not just in Asaba, but also in the commanding heights of the traditional institution in the country.
The highly respected and influential traditional ruler promised to continue to work behind the scene to elevate the traditional institution, disclosing that a Committee, chaired by him, was currently working to ensure that traditional rulers in Nigeria were assigned constitutional roles and a lot of progress had been made in that direction.
To buttress his point, the Asagba said he had met with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on the issue, pointing out that the National Assembly had made progress on the matter, while the Bill being sponsored by Senator Lalong in that regard was receiving attention at the Senate.
He added that the Committee had gotten documents from some countries where traditional rulers were assigned constitutional roles, just as it was carrying out research on how to blend so that Nigerian traditional rulers could also receive the same recognition with the accruing benefits, either in terms of stipends and allowances, protocol recognition, and assigned roles, amongst others.
Asagba Prof Azinge agreed with his guests on the necessity of a cultural renaissance and identity with the Igbos of the South East, stressing that the cultural nuances of Asaba and those of the South East communities were inter-related and interwoven, while affirming the potential prospects of the solicited cultural ties.
The First Class traditional ruler accepted to be a Patron of the Ndigbo Progressive Traditional Rulers’ Council, thanked his visiting counterparts for the honour to him and the Asaba community and urged them to come up with ideas that would enable the Council to make a difference in promoting the culture and tradition of the people.
Speaking earlier, the leader of the delegation and Diawa of Umudiawa kingdom of Abia State, His Royal Majesty, Eze Nnamdi Ofoegbu, congratulated Asagba Prof Azinge on his emergence as the 14th Asagba of Asaba, describing him as a highly educated, influential and wise King in whom they were well pleased.
Eze Ofoegbu, who is Oroko Abia, said the Progressive Traditional Rulers’ Council was formed to unite the members and effectively promote the culture and tradition of the Igbos, pointing out that Asaba had been more than a home to Ndigbo.
He told Asagba Prof Azinge that he had been nominated to be a Patron of the Council because they were confident that he would use his exalted position and far-reaching connections to advance the cause of the group.
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