We all know the facts: there are 36 states, 1 federal capital territory, 6 geo-political states and numerous kingdoms spread from the North to the East and from the South to the West, yet today those facts maybe changed if some people have their ways. Groups of people from different ethnicities and religions have been calling for the creation of more states for reasons best known to them. Let me state clearly I am not against these people or anyone who wishes to see the creation of a new state. I am interested in knowing of what benefit it is to the greater Nigeria. Also in some states we’ve seen the creation of new emirates and kingdoms, Borno being the latest examples.
Despite the fact that we have states run by Governors, we find emirates and kingdoms within which are ruled by emirs and chiefs respectively. How much influence these kingdoms have depends largely on the followers but we know Abacha did once remove a former Sultan of Sokoto, which means the Federal Government seems to have a larger autonomy over them. Apart from the Sultan of Sokoto who serves as a figure head of the nation’s Muslim population, all other traditional rulers rule over a specified area of land, which -without being prejudice here- puts the Sultan a tad above them, for while his Caliphate may be in Sokoto he presides over a populace not specified to any state, like the head of CAN does. Which puts him out of the next equation: understanding that these traditional kingdoms serve as a link to our pre-colonial past, some have argued for and against them.
Most people, who argue for, see the rulers and kingdoms as a connection to our past and for their great influence in society. Those who have argued against, have citied the lack of influence of some, as well as what they see as excess money being spent on the rulers by the federal government. My reason for excluding the Sultan of Sokoto from the rest of the rulers is simply because (among other things) going by our recent history of violence (and politics), it is clear we need representatives for the two major religions of this country. The head of CAN is not a traditional title as no such position existed pre-colonialism, but after. What makes the issue of traditional kingdoms even trickier is the fact that the rulers are divided into first class, second class and third class, which means one group, has a higher autonomy over the other and so on.
Lest we forget, it was through these various traditional kingdoms that the colonials were able to establish what will eventually become Nigeria. Some kingdoms were more receptive to the colonials, others weren’t. Furthermore some states were created based on the existing emirate(s)/kingdom(s) within. An example would be Kano state. It would be impossible to imagine a Kano state without a Kano emirate, yet a Kano emirate without a Kano state is quite plausible. Likewise in the Southern part of the country we have Oyo state, whose creation can be said to have been based on the existing Oyo Kingdom. Again in the North-East, we have Borno state, whose existence too can be said to have been based on its Kanem-Borno empire. Sokoto is there, we can go on and on, yet the argument for more states and the existence of traditional kingdoms is one that has always opened the door for debate.
Perhaps to clear the air on the issue, I should state my stand on both. First of all I believe there are enough states in Nigeria, but if a proposed state is seen to bring some sort of economical welfare to the greater nation and its people (as some have claimed) then I think it should be seriously considered, but not necessarily created. Also if the creation of states leads to peace, say for example, in the case of another Plateau crisis (as has happened quite recently), then as heartbreaking as it may be for some, it should be seriously considered. As for traditional kingdoms, I can respect them, particularly their past. I do however think there are enough and no newer ones should be established.
So do you think Nigeria needs more states and why? And are you for or against the traditional kingdoms? One Nigeria!
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