It may not be out of place here to indicate that the traditional rulers in Igbo land deserve respect from the people, as what obtains in the Western and Northern parts of Nigeria, more than what the situation is today.
In the time past, the traditional stools in Igbo land and the rulers who occupied them were highly regarded, honoured and respected by their subjects in particular and members of the public in general unlike what obtains today. The traditional rulers also enjoyed general goodwill from their subjects at home and those abroad whenever such people returned home. During the new yam festivals, igba ekpe cultural festivities and similar other traditional ceremonies, many indigenes of the various communities paid homage and solidarity visits to their traditional rulers during which time such visitors presented various items as gifts to their Eze, including money, to enable the concerned traditional ruler to have the traditional kola nuts, assorted wines and spirits, and other things he would need to present to the visitors that would eventually troop to his palace in keeping with the spirit of such festivities.
Apart from that, the traditional rulers then were highly respected because they were able to protect and respect the traditional norms, general cultural heritage and values of the people they held in esteem at all costs. In other times, the traditional rulers then were honest in handling the affairs of the people; they were quick at dispensing justice without fear or favour in arbitrating the disputes and conflicts that arose among their subjects. Many of them did not take sides in doing that; such rulers were only interested and concerned with ensuring that peace reigned in their domains and those who fanned the embers of disunity and discord were sanctioned accordingly to serve as deterrent to others. Thus, peace, tranquillity, justice, equal respect, equity and fairness, reigned and prevailed, and were accorded every subject, to the admiration of all and sundry. In such prevailing convivial and conducive environment, each traditional ruler operated freely and gave their best in handling the affairs of their communities.
In those days, as people witnessed, all traditional rulers conducted and comported themselves in the most dignifying ways, and they were without reproach. Such traditional rulers fully understood the unique positions they occupied and what the society at large demanded from them; they revelled in the aura surrounding their traditional stools as they were the number one citizens of their respective kingdoms and communities. Really, it was a thing of joy to behold traditional rulers in Igbo land in those days.
But as it stands today, things have really changed for worse in this regard. In many parts of Igbo society today, not much is done towards respecting, dignifying and honouring the traditional rulers. Many of them are today insulted by some of their subjects in one way or the other while others are treated with contempt and debasement whereas the rest are disregarded and their presence not felt in their communities.
This is awfully bad and should not be. We must at all times accord our traditional rulers the respect and dignity they deserve from us because the Bible, God’s word, enjoins us all to support, obey and honour those in authority because they are put in such places by God Himself. We must always remember that our traditional rulers protect and guard the traditional norms, customary values and general cultural heritage of their respective kingdoms and communities. They are, thus, the number one citizens of their respective communities and they should be seen and treated as such always.
On their own part, the traditional rulers in our midst must always do their best to live up to the demands of the all-important and sacred stools they occupy. They must show this by the ways they conduct themselves always. Today, many traditional rulers tend to be whiter than the White men themselves in behaviour and conduct; some more Christian than the saints! Many of them no longer live up to their name; they continue to engage in acts that force their subjects to disparage and insult them because, according to the late Major-Gen Mamman J Vatsa, a poet, ‘The moment you start insulting yourself, others begin to join you.’ Our traditional rulers must respect themselves always as to attract respect from their subjects in reciprocity.
Today, many traditional rulers no longer dispense justice without fear or favour in trying cases brought before their courts. Such traditional rulers, instead, take sides because their ‘palms have been greased,’ according to a source; or that such traditional rulers accept bribes in one way or the other – which goes to show why there is high-level perversion of justice in communities that their subjects no longer have regard for them!
Apart from this, many traditional rulers in our midst today are those who imposed themselves on their people as against the wishes of such people because such traditional rulers had the money to ‘buy’ the stool they occupy even though they were not qualified to occupy such stools in their communities (because of one reason or the other.) This is one of the reasons why rancour, strife and bitterness are always rife in many communities today throughout Igbo land. Others do what they should not do as traditional rulers, including extortions and imposition of unnecessary levies on the people.
The worst is that, unlike what obtained in the years gone by, many of the traditional rulers today permanently reside outside their domains, and from where they visit their kingdoms and communities instead of living at home. Such traditional rulers go ahead to place the traditional governance of their subjects and communities in the hands of the so-called traditional prime ministers and or palace secretaries while they reside permanently in the townships and going ahead in carrying on their businesses and pursuing other economic ventures. This developmental oddity must be checked now in the interest of the traditional institution in Igbo land as it is, without a doubt, an aberrational absurdity that the gods and ancestors frown at.
This is why the governments of the five South-East states must come in now and decree that no traditional ruler, and even the village heads, should live outside his domain; these governments should indicate that no community should choose any of her indigenes not resident in his community as its traditional ruler.
This will help earn respect for the traditional stools and their occupiers in Igbo land.
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