- The group said the bill, which is in the Senate, will further amplify the nation’s faultlines and deepen the historical mutual distrust among ethnic groups
The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has described as ‘ethnocentric and discriminatory’ a bill seeking to permanently make the Ooni of Ife and Sultan of Sokoto the exclusive Co-Chairmen of the Traditional Rulers Council.
The Igbo apex socio-cultural group said the bill will further amplify the nation’s faultlines and deepen the historical mutual distrust among ethnic groups as it failed to take into consideration the plurality and diversity of Nigeria.
Ohanaeze warned that the bill, which has passed second reading in the Senate, would be at the expense of apex traditional rulers from other ethnic nationalities and geopolitical divides.
The group’s position on the bill is contained in a statement issued on Sunday by Ezechi Chukwu, its National Publicity Secretary.
Chukwu said the Igbo body was stunned by the justification for such an asymmetric bill by the Senate with its blatant disregard for fairness, equity, justice, and the principle of federal character as enshrined in the Constitution.
“The Senate in this vein has failed in its capacity as the highest legislative carrier and custodian of the nation’s democratic mandate.
“This bill is not only inequitable, discriminatory, and ethnocentric, it is equally distasteful, reprehensible, and objectionable.
“It lacks all the ethical considerations, objective metrics, and unbiased categories for national unity and social justice in a pluralist nation-state like Nigeria,” Chukwu said.
He said Ohanaeze Ndigbo called for the urgent withdrawal of the bill and the need to review it in consideration of ethnic differences, cultural sensitivity, geopolitical balance, inclusive governance, and equitable representation.
“It is only by so doing shall the bill shall foster national unity, peaceful coexistence, and social stability,” he stressed