Posted by On Saturday, Abbas Tajudeen, speaker of the House of Representatives, said the Green Chamber would try to give traditional rulers constitutional duties.
He explained that the traditional rulers’ contributions to national stability and progress have made this a pressing issue.
On his first trip to Zaria since taking office on June 13, the Speaker addressed a gathering at the palace of Amb. Ahmed Nuhu Bamalli, the Emir of Zazzau.
He is known as Iyan Zazzau in Zaria, where a huge crowd greeted him with cheers and songs of celebration upon learning of his status as the city’s fourth-most-famous resident.
The Speaker, who is serving his fourth term as representative for the Zaria Federal Constituency, paid his respects to the emir in his palace, where he emphasized the value of traditional institutions and argued for their inclusion in Nigeria’s Constitution of 1999.
Over 50 members of the House, representing every area and every political party, accompanied him.
He expressed gratitude to the people of Zaria and to his House colleagues for allowing him to serve as their representative.
One of the reasons I’m here is to ask for your help and your prayers so that I can have an effective term in office. Please pray that we will be effective leaders and accomplish our goals.
Here’s a pledge I’d like to make to you today. I recall you testifying in the zonal hearings on constitutional amendment around three years ago, arguing that traditional rulers should have constitutional roles.
I want to reassure you that this is our chance. Since I am your son and the Speaker, we will revisit that plan to give our traditional rulers formal constitutional roles, he promised.
He said the House of Representatives wants all the North’s and the country’s traditional institutions to work with them to help them improve as leaders, and he argued that they should be told the truth about how to advance the country.
In his speech, Emir Bamalli reflected on the many prominent Zaria natives who came before Abbas as Speaker of the House.
Gratitude is shared by all of Zazzau, the Emir remarked. The people of Zazzau have historically occupied influential roles in this country. Yakubu Gowon served as our president. Namadi Sambo served as our vice president. There is now a Speaker. We also had ministers, diplomats, and other high-ranking officials.
The Emir claims that Zaria residents have been politically active since 1999, and that the Emirate has achieved significant strides toward peace and democracy.