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From Olanrewaju Lawal, Birnin Kebbi
The Emir of Gwandu and Chairman of Council of Chiefs and Traditional Rulers in Kebbi State, Alhaji Muhammad Illiyasu Bashar, has suggested that the Senate, House of Representatives and House of Assemblies should change some of Nigeria’s laws, inherited from the colonial era to fit the current situation in the country.
The Emir stated this during the courtesy visit of a member of the House of Representatives, representing Iseyin/Itesiwaju/Kajola/Iwajowa federal constituency, Hon Shina Peller, the Ayedero of Yorubaland at his palace in Birnin Kebbi and his team.
Bashar, who commended the House member for his sacrifice to embark on a tour across Nigeria for peace and prosperity to reign, noted that, without peace, there cannot be prosperity.
He said: “I hope the year 2022 will be more peaceful. Also, the Senate, House of Representatives, House of Assemblies, should try to look into where we are coming from. Some of the laws we have in this country were inherited from the colonial era.
“We need to change them. Our country needs prosperity, our country is very large and we have a large population. We should try to respect traditional rulers. We should try to govern the way our people understand.
“And the youths you are talking about, they are copying us. Who are they coping? We, their fathers, parents. We need to behave very well. We should be more responsible because they are trying to copying us.”
The Emir, who recalled his service years in Enugu and Ibadan, noted that all his services to the nation were for peace and prosperity, stressed that Hon Peller sacrifice is commendable.
Earlier in his remark, Peller informed the Emir that, he was in Kebbi State to preach peace to the youths ahead of the 2023 general election in order to curb them from engaging in violence.
According to him, ‘I am a Muslim and as Muslim Islam is a religion of peace and you cannot be a Muslim without promoting peace. As an Aiyedero of Yorubaland, the promoter of peace, looking at what happened in the year 2021, where about 35,000 people were killed due to insecurity in the land. We don’t want such a scenario to repeat itself.
“We are already in the preceding election year, which is normally a year of violence. In order to curb the escalation of violence, as the promoter of peace, I have to come out with proactive action so that we can visit geopolitical zones, especially our traditional rulers. And the youths so that their mode of engagement with the government must change. So that they can understand you cannot engage the government with violence.
“They should be able to engage government constructively by understanding and dialogue. So, this is why we are here,” he said.
In his reaction, the representative of Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, represented by His Royal Majesty, Oba Muraina Adedini, Asoya of Isoya Ife explained that the Ooni of Ife is passionate about peace and prosperity, that was the reason he delegates the team to embark of peace tour across the country.
