Posted by By LUCKY NWANKWERE, Abuja on
Just about one year after the National Assembly rejected the amendment of the 1999 constitution over the vexed third term plot of immediate past president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, President Umaru Yar'Adua says his administration would spare no effort at pursuing the review of the constitution.
Just about one year after the National Assembly rejected the amendment of the 1999 constitution over the vexed third term plot of immediate past president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, President Umaru Yar'Adua says his administration would spare no effort at pursuing the review of the constitution.
Speaking in Abuja on Tuesday when he met four top traditional rulers in the Presidential Villa, comprising the Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuade, the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero, the Emir of Zauzau, Alhaji Shehu Idris and the Emir of Daura, Alhaji Umar Farouk, the president said that the Federal Government would, for example, ensure that the proposal for a constitutional role for traditional rulers would be accommodated through the creation of a National Council of Traditional Rulers.
The president said: "We shall propose and place again before the National Assembly as an amendment to provide for the National Council of Traditional Rulers.
I believe and I am confident that this single act will provide this nation with an instrument that will improve greatly the quality of governance because we would have input and advice from a section of the national leadership that is fully conversant with the problems of our people at any level and with the problems of all our communities in the nation.
"I want to place on record that the contributions you have been making cannot be quantified and I want to assure you that as our royal fathers, we shall continue to accord and provide you with the opportunity to make input into the evolution of good policies to improve quality of governance."
President Yar'Adua recalled that the administration of his predecessor, Chief Obasanjo, was not able to review the constitution "due to some circumstances," restating the importance of a recognized role for royal leaders as a way forward in the governance of the country.
He pledged to provide credible and honest leadership and do whatever it would take to move the country away from a developing to a developed and industrialized country. He expressed gratitude to the traditional rulers for their support, prayers and goodwill.
Speaking on behalf of the royal fathers, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Sijuade, said the traditional rulers were late in coming to felicitate with President Yar'Adua because they traveled out of the country to the Czech Republic to discuss the possibility of that country assisting Nigeria in the power sector.
"It is of interest that we had a very successful visit to the Czech Republic and the president asked us to extend his sincere regards to Your Excellency and to the government of Nigeria. And during our visit, we discussed the possibility of the Czech Republic joining hands with the Federal Government to assist in, most especially, the energy sector which you have been discussing how it will help us as they are already doing in Vietnam and China," he stated.
The Ooni prayed that God would use President Yar'Adua to move Nigeria to greater heights. The meeting later went into closed-door session.