His Royal Majesty, Oba Sunday Oladapo Oyediran, Lagbami Osekun III, the Onpetu of Ijeru Kingdom Oyo State, has counseled President Muhammadu Buhari and the National Assembly to as a matter of necessity assign specific roles to the traditional rulers and equip the various vigilante groups to stem the ugly tide of insecurity in the country.
The monarch who made the call during his chat with journalist on his 62nd birthday said Nigerian governments at all levels need to empower local security which according to him is in line with agitation for state police, if kidnapping, ritual killing, banditry and all forms of terrorism will be curbed.
Noting that general election year is a delicate period, and the fact that President Muhammadu Buhari had promised to ensure free, fair and credible elections next month, the monarch urged that security of lives and property be given utmost priority by the Federal Government so as to achieve the desired result.
His words: “I want to implore the National Assembly to consider empowering non-state actors such as the Joint Task Force Vigilante groups and security-related associations. The NASS should empower them with modern-day equipment for them to be able to provide adequate security because they are providing services to complement the services of the government security agencies. The security of lives and property remain pivotal to the development of any nation.
“As traditional rulers close to our community and who are the custodians of our traditions and culture, I hereby call on all our subjects to cooperate with us at the National Assembly to ensure they give us specific roles and equip us with what we need to perform to the best of our ability. There is no way you can guarantee the security of the nation without carrying the traditional rulers and local vigilantes along.
“At the same time, I want to beg each and everyone of us as citizens to be watchful and be our brother’s keeper, and to always brief the security agencies in and around us with vital and adequate information whenever we suspect any breach of the peace in our environment”, the monarch advised.
On the celebration of the New Year which coincided with his birthday, Oba Oyediran who celebrated his 20 years on the throne last year, wished Nigerians a glorious 2023, “which is a year that the presidential, National Assembly and gubernatorial, with House of Assembly elections are coming up between February and March. Let us all conduct ourselves in peaceful and orderly manner throughout the exercise”, he urged.
