The Olowu of Kuta, Oba Hammed Adekunle Makama Oyelude, has declared that the worsening wave of insecurity and kidnapping-for-ransom cases in the Southwest had long been anticipated, stressing the urgent need for modern technology and stronger collaboration to combat the menace.
The monarch made this known on Sunday while receiving the leadership of the Osun Online Publishers Association.
Speaking during the visit, Oba Oyelude said the deployment of drones and advanced surveillance technology would drastically reduce the risks faced by security personnel and improve intelligence gathering across the region.
According to him, “The wave of insecurity in the Southwest is what had been foreseen ahead of time. I believe the Federal Government and governors in the Southwest are up to the task. Security budgets have been approved, but what we need now is proper coordination and application of platforms, both hardware and software.
“Rather than endangering our security personnel unnecessarily, drone technology and surveillance equipment will solve a lot of problems.”
The traditional ruler urged residents not to panic over the growing security concerns, but instead remain vigilant and cooperate closely with security agencies.
“If you see something, say something. The major issue is that security situations should never be politicized under any disguise,” he warned.
Oba Oyelude also emphasized that the responsibility for national security lies primarily with the Federal Government, noting that governors have limited control over federal security agencies operating within their states.
“No state government controls the Commissioner of Police in its state, neither does any governor control a Brigade Commander, talk less of a General Officer Commanding,” he stated.
The monarch further advocated for the strengthening of regional security outfits, particularly Amotekun corps across Southwest states, while calling on the Federal Government to complement local efforts with more technological security platforms.
“In the Southwest, we already have a nomenclature of state policing through Amotekun. Every state government should strengthen its Amotekun corps, while the Federal Government should also up its game by deploying more security platforms,” he added.
Oba Oyelude lamented what he described as the declining constitutional relevance of traditional rulers in Nigeria, saying monarchs today possess influence without formal authority.
“No monarch has real power again; what we have today are influential monarchs. The powers of traditional rulers were eroded long ago. Traditional rulers are not even mentioned in one line of the constitution, yet councillors are mentioned multiple times,” he said.
He argued that the exclusion of traditional institutions from the constitution has weakened grassroots intelligence gathering and local security coordination.
“How many traditional rulers have been kidnapped or killed? We can only offer advice. The policy file of every traditional ruler is sitting on the desk of the local government secretary. We are merely managing that table so that it does not break,” he remarked.
Despite the challenges, the monarch disclosed that ongoing engagements exist between traditional rulers and government authorities at both state and federal levels through councils and interface meetings.
“There is dialogue. The Federal Government and state governments are talking to us. There are interface meetings through the National Council of Traditional Rulers and state councils. We are the closest to the people,” he noted.
The Olowu of Kuta subsequently called on the National Assembly to expedite legislative processes that would formally recognize traditional rulers in Nigeria’s constitution.
“The speed with which the National Assembly passes executive bills should also be used to enact laws that will include traditional rulers in the constitution,” he said.
Drawing comparisons with traditional governance structures of the past, Oba Oyelude explained that intelligence gathering once began at the grassroots through compound and village heads before modernization weakened the system.
“When a visitor entered a community, the compound head or village head would immediately ask questions about the visitor. Intelligence gathering started from there. But today, we do not have constitutional roles,” he explained.
He, however, appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Federal Government to recognize traditional rulers as critical stakeholders in national development and security management.
“If the Federal Government truly wants it done, no executive bill spends more than 72 hours at the National Assembly. We expect Mr. President to be magnanimous enough to see traditional rulers as partners in progress,” the monarch declared.
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