By Abah Matthew Abah-Enyi (windsoundafrica@gmail.com)
The ingridients with which all nations prepare the common contents of the pots that keep them together as one indvisible entity are the ones that only a few Statesmen and voiceforious leaders in a given nation are. often prepared to talk about, not to talk of providing. In Nigeria, where national cohesion and all inclusive development have been pushed to its extreme tolorance level in its history, the nation has so far prooved to be made of iron cast durability by God, the almighty creator. Between 1967 and 1970, the nation paid a high price for its unity with the blood of millions of her citizens on the slutter slap of a civil war. In 2015, human parts harvesters from the Western hemisphere had contrived all sorts of medical health investment programmes that placed them at strategic positions to descend on the nation when the predicted war that. was programmed to break out after the elections were dissapointed after former president Goodluck Jonathan saved the nation by living up to to his manstra of “my ambition is not worth the blood of any Nigerian”.. The nation’s survival and unity is again hanging on the precipice as it plungs into an election year in 2023 at a time the youth-dominated citizens are ready to fight for the true realization of the fruits of hard earned electoral reforms and political leadership promises to deliver free and credible election results. The nation’s survival is highly threatened because, according to invetigations, selfish politicians in conspiracy with their political party machinaries, have decided to take full advantage of the battered state of the economy by resorting to vote buying to abort the realization of the true changes Nigerians desire to achieve through the forthcoming election. How to prevent the desires of intending vote buyers in 2023 is therefore a project all Nigerians in various spheres of lives, but most specially amongst those in leadership positions, must commit themselves to its difficult realization.
EXECUTIVE GOVERNOR OF PLATEAU STATE
Wind Sound Africa, in futherance of the very necessary Save Nigeria Conversation on the issue had the previllege of having a conversation with the Da Gwong Kabong in Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State Retired Justice Gabriel Adamu in company of his Council members. The collective conversation for which the royal father provided leadership created an avenue for the cultural father and his Council members to profer idears and surgestions for the way forward on a number of germane issues that touch on the nation’s transition programe and the state of the nation’s economy, amongst others.
Gbong Gwom Jos
The royal father emphasixed. that organizing credible elections on the African subregon has been a difficul ambition over time and the process of achieving it in Nigeria would require the sacrifices and honest contributions of all segements of the society. He said evey nation stands to benefit enomously from credible and fare ellections which is the only sure way of entrusting effective leadership in the hands of people of good conscience. On the issue of the roles traditional leadeship can play on the guidance of the citzens towards credible electoral habits and other issues across Nigeria, the royal father emphasized that under a constitutional arrangement that gives defined roles to traditional institutions, alot can be achieved through their culture-induced roles. When asked if the institution of Traditional Rulers in Nigeria have ever actually sort for constitutional roles for themselves, the royal father said he is aware that in the not too distant past, a conference of Traditional Rulers presented a documented recommendation to the Federal Government on the need to grant consritutional powers to traditional institutions to enable them play positive roles for the good of all Nigerians. He said the recommendations are yet to see the light of day. On the present danger the menace of vote selling and buying poses to the fothcoming elecrion and the danger it represents, the entire Council emphasized that every Nigerian citizen, including those that live within and outside Kabong kingdom are advised to do all they can to vote according to their consciences for their own interest and the the interests of their children yet unborn. The Council also advocates for a constitutional role for Traditional institutions across Nigeria because of the closeness of the institution to the people. The Council strongly advocates for a constitutional situation where the government would define the geographical parameters of Traditional kingdoms while the institution of Traditional rulers are constutionally asigned the roles of filling the stools with culturally identified and qaulified people. They also passionately advocated for constitutional roles for Traditional rulers in the area of the maintainance of. law and order in view of the spiralling incidencies of faulty offenders prosecusion processes prevalent in the extant system.
Da Gwong Kabong, in His Royal Highness and Council presides over the most highly populated indegenous people of Plateuu State, the Beroms in Jos North Local Government of the State. They are known to be a peace-loving, hospitable, strong willed, extremely industrous. people and lovers of justice and fareness.
