Traditional Rulers in Exile

Bayelsa State has 24 government recognized First Class Traditional Stools, the highest per capita of such category of traditional rulers in the country. As at the last count over twenty of them are currently occupied.

In an ideal democratic setting, a First Class stool is the fourth tier of government, below the Local Government, the State Government and the Federal Government in that order. They are therefore supposed to function and be funded as such. What do we have in Bayelsa State?
Apart from the Pere of Kumbowei Kingdom, HRM Pere Jones Akadah, and a few others I can count on the fingers of my left hand, all first class traditional rulers live in exile in far flung places like Yenagoa (outside their domains), Port Harcourt and even Abuja. The last time I confronted one of them who happens to be a friend, he explained that his Kingdom was not safe for him so he lives in Yenagoa.

The job of a traditional ruler involves the maintenance of law and order, in addition to custody of the customs and traditions of the people. You do not need a fortune teller to know that you can not maintain law and order in the creeks of Bayelsa State if you live in Port Harcourt. How do you, for instance, prevent youths from kidnapping oil workers in your kingdom, if you live in Port Harcourt? The corollary therefore is that our Traditional rulers are responsible for the lack of peace in Bayelsa State because they all live in exile in other better developed states.

Since they cannot claim to be doing their jobs for which they are being paid, living in other states the way they do, the government of Bayelsa State should immediately suspend the payment of their salaries and stipends of those living and working outside their domains. The Rivers State government should, for instance, be able to pay the salaries of those of them living in Port Harcourt. The principle of “no work, no pay” is very appropriate in this instance.

Tata, everybody.

Napoleon