ABUJA (Office of the Vice President Report) – President Goodluck Jonathan has appealed to traditional rulers across the country to enlighten their subjects on peaceful conduct during and after elections as the 2015 general election draws near.
The appeal was made on Monday December 22, 2014 in Abuja 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 Traditional Institutions in Contemporary Nigeria.”
The President, who was represented at the occasion by the Vice President, Mohammed Namadi Sambo acknowledged the unifying force and tremendous contributions of the traditional institution to maintaining peace and stability in the country. “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 institutions as the custodian of our rich cultural heritage has contributed immensely to ensuring high moral standard amongst the citizenry and must be greatly appreciated,” he revered.
Goodluck Jonathan bided the royal fathers to join hands with governments at all levels to ensure end to the surmountable security challenges in the country. He told them that the Government is 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, who is the Governor of Niger State, Babangida Aliyu (Dr) 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.
Speaking 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. He urged the Government to positively look into their recommendations, saying the assembly is 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) as well as talk on the insecurity ravaging the North-Eastern part of the country, among others.
In his keynote address, the Chairman of INEC, Attahiru Jega (Professor) assured the traditional rulers of the Commission’s readiness and determination to deliver a free, fair and credible election in 2015, surpassing that of 2011. He appealed to the traditional rulers to partner with the Commission towards ensuring attitudinal change by the electorate as well as political class and success for the forthcoming polls.
The National Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria (NCTRN) was chaired and co-chaired by the Sultan of Sokoto, Mohammad Sa’ad Abubakar III (Dr) and the Oni of Ife – Oba Okunade Sijuade (Oba).
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