Understanding of the legal framework and administrative process in the filling of vacant Chieftaincy stools is essential to reduce the crisis, delays as well as unnecessary litigations occasionally experienced in the State.
The Head of Service (HoS), Mr. Kolawole Fagbohun stated this while presenting a paper titled "The Role of Local Government in the New Obas and Chiefs Law of Ogun State" at a 1 - day Stakeholders Workshop organised by the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs held at the Obas' Complex, Oke Mosan, Abeokuta.
The HoS said the stakeholders should approach the selection process with respect for cultural and traditional norms and recognised the importance of preserving heritage and customs of the people.
Mr. Fagbohun painstakingly reeled out the roles of Obas and Chiefs to include serving as custodians of cultural practices and historical knowledge, representing symbols of unity and continuity in their domains and representing the historical and cultural linkages that bind their subjects together.
He also outlined the roles of Local Government in filling vacant Chieftaincy stools in accordance with the extant laws of the State, Obas and Chiefs Law of 2021, to include the Secretary of the competent council announcing the name of the ruling house entitled according to customary law to provide candidate(s) to fill the existing vacancy, amongst others.
The Number One Civil Servant did not fail to enumerate the responsibilities of the Local Government during selection process of Obas as maintaining of official records related to Chieftaincy, including details about vacant stools and lineage information, notifying relevant ruling houses, parties and stakeholders including community members, traditional councils and the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs.
He advised that the stakeholders should uphold the principles of good governance and cultural sensitivity while the Local Government should become an instrument of navigating the complexities of chieftaincy successions and ensure that the richness of cultural heritage remains vibrant and be committed to neutrality, adding that the issue of security should be upheld in their domains to put an end to kidnappings and incessant killings in the communities.
In his address, the Commissioner in the Ministry, Hon. Ganiyu Hamzat said the workshop was intended to assist the stakeholders in the discharge of their primary duties as Government representatives and umpires of Chieftaincy matters in the State via their respective areas of jurisdiction.
In his opening remarks, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dr. Rotimiolu Akinlesi, said the bottleneck created over the years in the filling of vacant stools has become more challenging and collective efforts must be put up to resolve the issues, hence, the necessity of the stakeholders' workshop.
Stakeholders at the workshop included Directors in the Ministry, the 20 Local Government Chairmen, the Secretaries in the Local Government Areas, Schedule Officers among others.
Omolara Osindele & Tunde Olayiwola
Office of HoS
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