From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
The House of Representatives has restated its commitment to ensuring constitutional roles for traditional rulers.
Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu, stated this when he received traditional rulers from Ila/Boluwaduro/Ifedayo federal constituency and some South West lawmakers.
The delegation led by the Orangun of Okeila, Oba Adedokun Omoniyi Abolarin, were at his office to submit a proposal for the creation of Igbomina State.
Kalu, who doubles as the chairman, Constitution Review Committee, according to a statement by his Special Assistant on Press Affairs, Udora Orizu, commended the traditional institution for its significant contribution to national development.
He maintained that the House is committed to its quest to ensure that traditional rulers get constitutional roles in the ongoing review of the 1999 Constitution.
“Let me start by commending the traditional rulers for the work they’re doing, so it has national coercion, national unity and peace around the country.
“My colleagues around the federal republic of Nigeria, my office and myself commend the hard work that you always put in making sure that we don’t have community crisis, we don’t have lack of peace and that is the reason some of us are pushing for some sort of recognition for the traditional rulers in the Constitution the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“We are still looking at it, and hoping we find a way to crack it so that it can get some recognition at the local government level, the State level and National level.
The deputy speaker, while responding to their request for a new state, said: “You believe that the dividend of democracy will trickle down better to the grassroots if a state is given to the people, who are homogeneous in culture.
“So you just started the journey hoping that you have fulfilled all the provisions of the constitution in terms of documenting all that is required by the provisions of the constitution if you are seeking for a new state.”