The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, has said the Green Chamber would work to ensure that traditional rulers have constitutional roles.
The Speaker spoke at the palace of the Emir of Zazzau, Nuhu Bamalli, during his first visit to Zaria in Kaduna State.
According to a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Musa Krishi Abbas, the Speaker made the comment after the Emir asked that a Bill on constitutional roles for traditional be passed, saying this has become necessary due to the critical roles traditional rulers play in the society.
Abbas, who holds the traditional title of Iyan Zazzau, represents Zaria Federal Constituency for the fourth time.
During his visit to the emir’s palace, Abbas noted the important role of traditional institutions and called for their recognition in the 1999 Constitution.
The Emir, in his remark, said most politicians, once they win elections, forget the traditional institutions. According to him, “The fear of politicians is that we want to have another tier of government. But that is not the case. We have made our case and presented it at different levels. We met with the then Chief of Staff to the President; we met with the Senate President and the then Speaker; yet, nothing happened on the Bill”.
The Emir, therefore, appealed to the lawmakers to “dust the Bill and work on it once again,” noting that, “All we want is for the Bill to be passed unopposed. We hope that the Legislature will look at this quickly”.
