MARKS OF RIGHTEOUS LEADERSHIP (PART 3)

PROF. BEN ONYEUKWU (REV.)

NCE(Eng.) ND/HD (Journalism); BA (Hons) MA, PhD.

Call: +2348037346939  E-mail: professorbenonyeukwu@yahoo.com

MARKS OF RIGHTEOUS LEADERSHIP (PART 3)

THE MONARCHY AND RURAL GOVERNANCE

MAIN TEXT:

“One rules over men in righteousness when one rules in the fear of God”, (2Samuel 23:3).

                         

INTRODUCTION:

Monarchy, according to Chris Dibie, can be defined as a type of government by one individual, that may be a king, queen or emperor. In such a system of government, a monarch (king, queen or emperor), may or may not be subject to legal limitations, and so, there is constitutional monarch, that is, one who is subject to legal limitations, as well as absolute monarch, who is not subject to any legal limitation. Hereditary monarchy, which Dibie says is the normal type, is in place where the process of selecting a monarch is not democratized, as elective forms are also known.

In Israel, according to the scripture, monarchy is theocratic, in the sense that God makes a direct choice and supervision of one who becomes a monarch (1 Samuel 5:10), and then allows the people to do the confirmation and installation in line with biblical traditions, (1 Samuel 11:5). There are also other ways of choosing those who rule the people in various monarchies of the world, as there exist, therefore, community, national, regional and international monarchs who are in charge of different dynasties.

But, the writer’s concern in this work is on monarchs in Nigeria, who also are known as traditional rulers. In Igboland, they are called “ezes”. The Yoruba people refer to them as “obas”, whereas, the Hausa community calls them “emirs”, and within the context of this piece, the writer renders that, a traditional ruler is someone who rules the people of a given clan, village or community, according to the traditions of the land, as well as seeks to show how Righteous Leadership is the sine qua non for peace, unity and progress in rural communities, where traditional rulers are in charge. By this, therefore, the writer opines that,  

RIGHTEOUS LEADERSHIP IN MONARCHY WILL PROMOTE PEACE IN SOCIETY

The monarchy, from a biblical standpoint, carries a righteous foundation, since the God of Heaven and Earth who instituted it, is a righteous God, and by way of a simple definition, being righteous is possessing the ability to do things the right way(s). Before now, traditional institutions in Nigeria were citadels of truth and uprightness against the backdrop of insincerity and unfaithfulness in the present day dynasties, and one of the reasons for this pitfall is that, nowadays, the traditional rulers who are supposed to be the custodians of people’s traditions and customs have been fused into partisan politics or rather have allowed themselves to be influenced by the Western Culture, which hitherto have perverted the ideals of the people’s cultural heritage on how to choose their leaders as well as modes of rural governance, and these, among other factors have caused apparent disorder  in modern communities of the black race, including Nigeria.

In this connection, therefore, it becomes necessary to draw the attention of the administration of Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State that, though, it is a brilliant idea to bring government closer to the people through the forth tier system of government, which is referred to as Community Government Council (CGC), it is not proper to include the traditional rulers in the system, as this will definitely escalate community rifts which most of them have not been able to manage in their various domains. And, if not for selfish reasons, as alleged in some quarters, the chairman of the Imo State Council of Traditional Rulers, Eze Samuel Ohiri, would have advised Governor Okorocha on the need to separate the proposed Community Government Council from the traditional administration, since he knows, by his exposure that, the bringing together of these institutions is another blind imposition of the Western Culture on the traditional ethos of the people, and no doubt, this is bound to bring problem in future, if not restructured.

Having stressed the above, let it, as well, be cited that certain social unrests in our rural communities are traceable to the unrighteous leadership style of some of our traditional rulers, who seek to rob the people of what rightly belong(s) to them. Here, in Imo State, traditional rulers in the Oil Producing Communities are known for such as unrighteous behaviour in rural governance, and this, no doubt, is one of the major causes of unrest in that part of the world. Another source of conflicts in our rural communities is that most of these traditional rulers do not ascend the throne legitimately, as they manipulate or buy their ways into the people’s dynasties, and you know that when such a category of individuals take over the reins of power in society, problems begin, as the battle between the good and bad would continue unabated.

In fact, such a situation would have arisen in Umuohiagu, in Ngor Okpala Local Government Area of Imo State if one Chief B.C. Egu succeeded in his scheme to have usurped the traditional stool of that community against the will of the people, who are now in search of someone that would replace the late Eze A.U. Agube, and so, for a Righteous Leadership to emerge in any community, the process of choosing the people who would make-up the leadership must be transparent, and when such individuals are chosen, they should ensure that the people are ruled in righteousness, that is, making sure that everybody benefits from the common wealth of the people, as this is one of the ways to promote peace in community.

RIGHTEOUS LEADERSHIP IN MONARCHY WILL FOSTER UNITY IN SOCIETY

The monarchy is a rallying point for every segment of a given community and a symbol of unity for the people, which as well serves as the centre for the expression of their common beliefs and aspirations. This is the basic reason why traditional rulers are referred to as the custodians of people’s native laws and traditions. In Nigeria, the cited concept is better understood by the Hausa and Yoruba Communities and not the Ibos, especially since the advent of the whiteman in this part of the world. On this note, members of the Igbo Community should learn to unite around their traditional rulers for a common purpose, as the traditional rulers of the Hausa and Yoruba Communities are by this advised do ensure that their people are not united for evil plots against members of other ethnic groups. For, it is now certain that most traditional rulers fan the embers of disunity in Nigeria which is an indication that the principles of Righteous Leadership are not in place in such dynasties. Therefore, if the allegation that some traditional rulers in the northern part of this country are secretly uniting their subjects for the Boko Haram jihad against people of other ethnic groups and religions becomes established, then such traditional rulers or emirs are really out of touch with Righteous Leadership, as the hostilities of the Yoruba people against the Igbo Community in Nigeria may be an indication that some traditional rulers in Yoruba land are also indicated.

            But, rural governance, where the monarchy holds sway, is designed by God as a means for the foundation of unity in a country, which in turn fosters the unity of the overall country. Yet, at present, one notices that some traditional rulers play negative roles that disunite the people, instead of those that bring them together, especially those of them involved in partisan politics, and so, the writer wonders why Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State who once said he removed the former Chairman of Imo State Council Traditional Rulers, Eze Cletus Ilomuanya, from office because of his involvement in partisan politics is today making traditional rulers in the state part of the Community Government Council (CGC), which is an extension of civil government in the state.

            According to a report by Chidi Nkwopara in one of the local newspapers, on August 13, 2011 “Imo State Governor, Chief Rochas Okorocha has explained that the removal of the former chairman of Imo State Council of Traditional Rulers was considered necessary in the bid to restore sanity in the traditional institution. The governor who stated this when the new leadership of the Council led by Eze Samuel Ohiri paid him a courtesy visit at the Government House also said, the former chairman dragged the image of the traditional institution to the mud by deeply involving himself in partisan politics. Okorocha pointed out that his action was aimed at saving the institution from further embarrassment and enthroning a credible leadership that will implement the reforms needed to restore Igbo cultural values”…

            Based on the cited report, who is fooling who? In the words of Governor Okorocha, Eze Cletus Ilomuanya was removed from office because of his involvement in politics, and now Eze Samuel Ohiri is appointed, with others to play the same politics in the name of Community Government Council (CGC) or under the guise of advisory role. If the truth must be said, the involvement of traditional rulers in the politics of the proposed Community Government Council in Imo State will further divide the people, instead of uniting them. For instance, no one can dispute the fact that the immediate community of Eze Cletus Ilomuanya and that of Eze Samuel Ohiri are today deeply divided on the basis of the political misgivings which have torn the aforementioned traditional, cum political gladiators apart. Therefore, it is the submission of the writer that the traditional rulers in the state be allowed to play their traditional role of unifying the people instead of bringing them into the strange fire of Western Politics, that hither to would deepen the damages already done on the Igbo cultural values, which Governor Rochas Okorocha claims he wants to restore, and so, if the action of the governor was borne out of falsehood, then he needs to repent, as well as return to the path of Righteous Leadership for the good of the state and its rural communities.     

RIGHTEOUS LEADERSHIP IN MONARCHY WILL ENTHRONE PROGRESS IN SOCIETY

            The lack of peace and unity in a given community is the lack of progress in that aspect of human society. And, this is where the monarchy plays a vital role which seeks to ensure a harmonious co-existence among different segments of the community. Therefore, in an ideal situation, traditional rulers are instruments for the promotion of those cultural values of the people that make for peace and unity in their domains, while development projects are handled by town unions. So, the idea of Community Government in Igbo land, cum Imo State is not new, and the innovation that Governor Rochas Okorocha wants to put in place, which tries to bring the traditional institution and the said rural civil government together, as well as the appointment of traditional rulers, whether at advisory or administrative capacity into the system, is not proper, as this, if done, would result in power clash, which our forefathers, the original planners of community government carefully avoided.

            But, don’t forget in a hurry that this section of the piece is an emphasis on the fact that Righteous Leadership in monarchy would enthrone progress in society, and so, it becomes necessary, at this point in time, to stress the obvious truth that most of our traditional rulers lack the cited virtue that makes for good rural governance, and would constitute administrative breaches in the propose Imo State Community Government Council if engaged in the system, considering the antecedents of a good number of them. For instance, the already cited Late Eze A.U. Agube, the Agu 1 of Umuohiagu, in Ngor Okpala Local Government Area of Imo State, who ruled the Communtiy for about thirty years is today a reference of evil leadership in monarchy, and no doubt, most of our living monarchs are currently in display of the ungodly leadership style of the late traditional ruler. According to our source, Eze Agube, until his death was a heartless enemy of progress in his community, with a record of self-arrogation of absolute power that trampled on the women and town union leaderships of his town during his demonic reign, as investigation allegedly shows that in most cases the late monarch, in his bid to raise found for his annual birthday ceremonies and other frivolous spending played down on various development projects initiated by some concerned natives of the said Umuohiagu Community, and that if not for the efforts of one Chief Uju and Rev. Basil Njoku, the electricity project in that community would have been a mirage.

            And the reader may have been aware that most of the present day traditional rulers are worse than the cited late Eze Agube, and rule with uttermost wickedness, even now that they have not been formally inaugurated officers of the proposed Community Government Council (CGC) of Imo State, and therefore, should imagine what happens when they possess the official status of the state government as advisers or administrators in the said community government. Based on the foregoing, the writer, once again, calls on the Imo State Government, under the leadership of Governor Rochas Okorocha to jettison the idea of including traditional rulers in the said Community Government Council if he really desires the rapid development of the rural communities in the state, and for those who would emerge leaders in the new community government system, the writer, also remarks, in line with word of God that, without Righteous Leadership, no community really progresses, (Proverb 14:34).

            In conclusion, the series under review is another effort of the writer which seeks to draw the attention of the people to the fact of God’s desire for Righteous Leadership in every form of the human government, which now focuses on the monarchy. It equally tries to re-emphasize the cultural role(s) of traditional rulers in Igbo land, Nigeria and other parts of the Black Race, against the idea of getting them involved in partisan politics, especially as it concerns the Community Government Council project of Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State, as well as cautions against the envisaged future problems of the innovation if the Royal Fathers become part of the system or in the absence of Righteous Leadership. PRAY FOR DIVINE GUIDANCE!