A bill on the establishment of the National Council for Traditional Rulers, formalising their roles and recognition passed its second reading in the Senate on Thursday.
The bill’s general principles were presented by the Senator representing Jos District, Simon Lalong, at the plenary in Abuja.
The debate elicited concerns from lawmakers, particularly regarding potential conflicts of responsibility with elected political officers at local government councils.
Lalong explained that the bill was first introduced on October 8, 2024.
He highlighted that before the 1914 amalgamation of the Northern and Southern Protectorates and the Colony of Lagos, traditional authorities were highly influential in Nigerian governance.
He said the traditional rulers were custodians of culture, tradition, values, and religion, and played crucial roles in managing communal conflicts, commerce, and industry through trade with other kingdoms.
Lalong recalled that between 1910 and 1960, Nigerian traditional rulers had significant authority.
He said: “Under the British colonial “indirect rule” system, they functioned as the executive, legislature, and judiciary.”
“This continued during the First Republic as members of the regional houses of chiefs.”
“However, subsequent military regimes, starting with Gen. Aguiyi Ironsi’s unitary government in 1966, stripped traditional rulers of their powers, redistributing them between federal, state, and local governments.”
“While the 1979 constitution somewhat restored the role of traditional institutions, the 1999 constitution relegated them to the background.”
He noted the absence of a legal framework to guide the operations of traditional rulers, in spite of their societal importance.
Lalong, a former governor of Plateau State, stressed important non-kinetic role traditional rulers play in tackling security challenges, citing their education and insight into national issues.
He urged senators to support the bill’s second reading.
During discussions, some senators expressed concerns about potential overlaps with government functions and recommended clarifying the role of traditional rulers.
The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, agreed that the bill should outline traditional rulers’ functions more clearly and called for a public hearing to gather input from other stakeholders.
He referred the bill to the Senate Committee on Establishment for further consideration.
The committee is expected to present its report for a third reading of the bill in four weeks.
