The traditional institution remains the fundamental foundation of every government, especially in the South-East of Nigeria, but it is on the brink of destruction by politicians. The Obi Gburugburu of Igboland and paramount ruler of the ancient kingdom of Ihim Autonomous Community in Isiala Mbano Local Government Areas of Imo State, His Royal Majesty, Eze (Dr.) Oliver Ohanweh, disclosed this on a radio program monitored in Umuahia.
He said, “It is the way our people have been taking it that made the traditional institution not to be effective in the South-East in particular, and Nigeria in general. “Recall that before the arrival of the colonial masters, traditional institutions were in governance, but today, politicians have ruined the traditional institutions.
“First, because we don’t have a constitutional role as a traditional institution, the politicians tend to do things in whatever way they like and undermine the traditional institution. “And you know, every politician and every personality must have come from a traditional enclave or community. South-East traditional rulers, more so, are also suffering religious problems because, Christianity is an imported religion, an imported sect.
Before the religion, there was also a traditional institution. And even if we want to talk about religion, go to the Bible, we have the Book of Kings, the Book of Wisdom and thereabouts. They are all about the traditional institutions, the kings. In the South-East region, the people don’t seem to understand the importance of traditional institutions or traditional stature.” He noted that the proliferation of traditional institutions in the region was orchestrated by the politicians to ruin the institution, stating, “It is a creation of the politicians. Political interference has made it so that there are so many traditional rulers everywhere.
