By Dada AYOKHAI
Benin Rejects Proposed Bill on Permanent Chairmanship for Ooni, Sultan”
By Dada AYOKHAI
The Ogbakha-Edo Indigenous Peoples Welfare Foundation has strongly rejected a proposed bill that seeks to make the Ooni of Ife and the Sultan of Sokoto permanent co-chairmen of the Nigerian Council of Traditional Rulers.
The foundation who said they were speaking on behalf revered and culturally conscious people of Benin
described the bill as “provocative, divisive, and historically unjustifiable,” arguing that it threatens the balance among Nigeria’s traditional institutions.
Addressing newsmen in Benin City, the foundation Chairman, Professor Sam Guobadia with the Secretary, Hon. Dr. Andrew Osaretin Izekor, and other members in attendance expressed “in strongest terms their deep- silted. disapproval and profound indignation to the proposed bill.
The contentious Bill is sponsored by Senator Simon Bako Lalong (Plateau South), has passed its second reading as of March 2025 and is now under consideration by the Senate Committee on Establishment and Public Service.
According to the body , the bill ignores the historical significance and sovereignty of the Benin Empire and the Oba of Benin.
The proposal is seen as an attempt to institutionalize supremacy where none exists, undermining the authority of the Oba of Benin.
The bill could fuel regional discontent and reignite historical grievances among ethnic nationalities.
The foundation demands the immediate withdrawal of the proposed bill or alternatively, the leadership position should be made non-permanent and rotational among all first-class traditional rulers in the country.
The foundation emphasized the historical significance of the Benin Empire, which existed as a powerful and sophisticated polity with the Oba of Benin at its helm, ruling over vast territories.
