The Gbong Gwom of Jos, His Royal Highness (HRH) Jacob Buba, has said that traditional leaders in Nigeria have been marginalized in the struggle for national peace, IgbereTV reports
According to the monarch, a lot of challenges faced within the country today, are a manifestation of the neglect of the roles that traditional rulers play and a conscious attempt at forgetting history.
Speaking on Friday at the International Peace Conference (IPC) put together by the Asokoro Seventh-Day Adventist Church, tagged – Contextualizing Peace: Nuggets For National Growth, the Gbong Gwom said there have always been a structure that saw traditional rulers and political leaders play their parts effectively for the progress of the nation, an arrangement which he noted has now been disregarded.
He said prior to the present era in which the disregard for chiefs and customary leaders have become very prominent, communities used to have their basic administrations and were always able to handle their affairs amicably.
As regards insecurity, the monarch who was a former Comptroller-General of Nigeria Customs Service, said the district heads and kings of various communities have a full knowledge of their various communities and could account for almost every member, however, this potential seem not to have been adequately harnessed as a vital tool for stemming the tides of insecurity.
In his opinion, the absence of community spirit and the marginalization of traditional leaders are major reasons why the enemies have continued to successfully invade villages and communities across the country
