The 7th General Assembly of the National Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria (NCTRN) opened a crucial meeting today in Abuja to take a look at the preparations for the 2015 general elections in the country.
The Council is being co-chaired by the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammed Sa’ad Abubakar III and the Oni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuade. Today’s meeting has as its theme: Sustaining The Natural Mandate Of The Traditional Institutions In Contemporary Nigeria,
Declaring the meeting open on behalf of President Goodluck Jonathan, Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo appealed to them to enlighten their subjects on the need for peaceful conduct during and after the elections.
Namadi Sambo acknowledged the unifying force and the tremendous contributions of the traditional institution towards maintaining peace and stability in the country.
“As royal fathers and traditional rulers, a time like this 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 custodians of our rich cultural heritage has contributed immensely to ensuring high moral standard amongst the citizenry and must be greatly appreciated.”
The Vice President also called on the royal fathers to join hands with governments at all levels to ensure the end of the security challenges in the country even as he informed the royal fathers that 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 and Governor Niger State, Dr. Babangida Aliyu called on the traditional rulers to come up with holistic traditional mechanisms to address the security and socio-economic challenges facing the country.
Earlier the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, reaffirmed the commitment of the royal fathers to the peace, unity, justice and stability of the nation. He urged government to positively look into their recommendations.
He said the meeting would extensively deliberate on issues affecting the country, particularly the preparations leading to the 2015 general elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). They would also look at the insecurity ravaging the North-Eastern part of the country, among others.
In his keynote address, the Chairman of INEC, Professor Attahiru Jega assured the traditional rulers of the Commission’s readiness to deliver a free, fair and credible election in 2015.
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 polls.
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