AN APPRAISAL OF THE RELEVANCE OF TRADITIONAL RULERS IN CONTEMPORARY NIGERIA AS GOVERNANCE
ABSTRACT
The relevance of traditional rulers in contemporary Nigeria’s governance has been a subject of great controversy. The discourse led to different opinions among Nigerians. In some quarters, they argued that traditional institutions are archaic, particularist and anti-democratic while some Nigerians believed that the institutions of traditional rulership should be preserved and allowed to co-exist with the democratic governance in vogue. It is in an attempt to resolve this argument that this academic exercise was necessitated. In this endeavour, the study utilizes relevant literatures and as well collected raw data through the use of the Likert Scale questionnaire and oral interview in surveying the opinion of the people in Ozoro Kingdom on what should be the position of our Royal Fathers in the emerging Nigerian Political order. The study revealed that before the advent of colonialism, traditional rulers were the custodian of the people’s culture and tradition but the situation changed when their powers were eroded through colonialism, military dictatorship, constitutional review and self inflicted attitudes of the Royal Fathers. It is conspicuous that the unholy marriage of the traditional rulers co-existing with elected representative in the Nigerian Democratic order is anomalous. However, due to primordial sentiments and legitimacy which the traditional rulers still enjoy among populace, it would be better to disallow them from active party politics and cloth them with honours pending on when Nigeria would be able to modernize her political system.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title Page i
Certification ii
Dedication iii
Acknowledgement iv
Abstract vii
Table of Contents ix
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of Study 1
1.2 Statement of Problem 8
1.3 Objectives of Study 10
1.4 Research Question 11
1.5 Propositions 12
1.6 Limitation 12
1.7 Significance of the study 13
1.8 Literature Review 14
1.9 Methodology 24
1.10 Definition of Terms 26
CHAPTER TWO
THE ROLE OF TRADITIONAL RULERS IN PRE-COLONIAL
AND COLONIAL NIGERIA
2.1 Traditional Rulers in Pre-Colonial era 31
2.2 Traditional Rulers and Colonialism 35
2.3 Traditional Rulers in the Modernizing era of
Nigeria’s Government 40
2.4 Factors that led to the Decline of the Roles of
Traditional Rulers in Nigeria. 41
2.5 The role of Traditional Rulers in the 1976 Local
Government Reforms 42
2.6 Constitutional Development and the Role of
Traditional Rulers in Nigeria. 43
CHAPTER THREE
THE OZORO KINGDOM IN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
3.1 Origin of Ozoro 48
3.2 The Economic Life of Ozoro 57
3.3 Religious activities 58
3.4 Socio-Political Organization 58
3.5 Quarter Council 60
3.6 The Town Council 60
3.7 The Otota of the Kingdom 61
3.8 The Odion-Ologbo 62
3.9 The Oletu-Ologbo 63
3.10 The Ovie 64
3.11 The Emergence of Ovieship in Ozoro 64
3.12 Method of Selection and Ascension of the Ovie 69
3.13 The Struggle for dominance by Odion-Ologbo and the
Ovie in Ozoro Politics 71
3.14 The Ovie’s Contributions to the economic and
socio-political development of Ozoro Kingodm 75
CHAPTER FOUR
THE OZOROS AND THEIR KINGDOM: A CONTEMPORARY PERSPECTIVE
4.1 Introduction 80
4.2 Rating of Returned Questionnaire 81
4.3 Demographic Data Analysis (Section A) 82
4.4 Data Analysis for Section B 89
CHAPTER FIVE
CONCLUSION: RETHINKING THE ROLE OF TRADITIONAL
RULERS IN NIGERIA
5.1 Introduction 111
5.2 Major Findings 113
5.3 Conclusion &
