As the 2015 general elections draw near, the Federal Government has appealed to traditional rulers across the country to enlighten their subjects on peaceful conduct during and after the elections.
The appeal was made on Monday in Abuja by President Goodluck Jonathan in his address at the 7th General Assembly of the National Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria (NCTRN) with the theme, ‘Sustaining the natural mandate of the traditional institutions in contemporary Nigeria.’
Speaking through Vice President Namadi Sambo, the president acknowledged the unifying force and the tremendous contributions of the traditional institution in maintaining peace and stability in the country.
He said, “As royal fathers and traditional rulers, such a time calls for your wise counsel and the enlightenment of your subjects as well as prayers to ensure hitch-free and successful elections across the federation. The role of the traditional institution as the custodian of our rich cultural heritage has contributed immensely to ensuring high moral standard amongst the citizenry and must be greatly appreciated.”
The president used the opportunity to also call on the royal fathers to join hands with governments at all levels to ensure the end of the surmountable security challenge in the country.
President Jonathan further informed the royal fathers that government was doing everything necessary to uplift the socio-economic status of Nigerians through job and wealth creation mechanisms.
In his remarks, the chairman of the Northern States Governors’ Forum and also the governor of Niger State, Babangida Aliyu, while lauding the traditional rulers for their dexterity, urged them to come up with holistic traditional mechanisms to address the security and socio-economic challenges in the country.
Earlier, the Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar III, reaffirmed the commitment of the royal fathers to the peace, unity, justice and stability of the nation, while also urging government to positively look into their recommendations.
He said the assembly was going to extensively deliberate on issues affecting the country, particularly the preparations leading to the 2015 general election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and the insecurity ravaging the North-Eastern part of the country, among others.
In his keynote address, the chairman of INEC, Attahiru Jega, assured the traditional rulers of the commission’s readiness and determination to deliver a free, fair and credible election in 2015, which would surpass that of 2011.
He appealed to the traditional rulers to partner with the commission to ensure attitudinal change by the electorate and the political class to ensure success of the forthcoming polls.
