Jagunmolu:I Am Advocate Of Strong Traditional Institutions-Makinde

Speech by his Excellency Seyi Makinde, the Executive Governor of Oyo State, at the Coronation and Birthday Anniversary Celebration of the Osemawe and Paramount Ruler of Ondo Kingdom, His Imperial Majesty, Oba (Dr) Adesimbo Kiladejo, CFR, titled ‘The Role of Traditional Institutions in Socioeconomic Development in Nigeria’ delivered on Friday, 10 November 2023.

LET me start by wishing His Imperial Majesty, Oba (Dr) Adesimbo Kiladejo, CFR, a very happy birthday and a happy seventeenth anniversary as the Osemawe and Paramount Ruler of the Ondo Kingdom. May your days be long and blessed, and may your rule bring even more blessings upon the people of Ondo Kingdom. Let me also, at the same time, convey the greetings and goodwill of the good people of Oyo State to you and your people.

It gives me immense pleasure to be here today. Were my mother to be alive today, she would also have been very proud. I thank you for the honour that you have accorded me to come here today to speak. And the topic for today touches on a fundamental part of who we are as a people. We cannot exist without a past, and we cannot move forward without development. I will speak on the Role of Traditional Institutions in Socioeconomic Development in Nigeria.

I am an advocate for strong traditional institutions. I believe that when traditional institutions are strong, they promote a value-driven society. And it is in the entrenching of these values that we achieve socioeconomic development. This is why when I assumed office as the Governor of Oyo State, one of the first issues I set out to resolve was regarding the installation of Obas. Before I came in, this was one of the thorny issues in the State. But I insisted that I would not interfere with the traditional system in place. I also stated that whatever consensus the traditional rulers come up with to modernise the system, my role is to endorse it.

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So, sometimes you may read in the papers: Seyi Makinde appoints the new Soun of Ogbomosoland, or Makinde refuses to install the new Alaafin. Well, the press will always craft headlines in a way that will make their papers sell. The reality is that whatever the constituting authorities agree on is what they convey to us, and then all we do is to endorse it as long as due process has been followed. As I said, this is because I believe these institutions, their systems and mores should not be interfered with. We can benefit as a people by building on the structures that are already put in place as part of these systems.

In this speech, I will be highlighting three ways that traditional institutions contribute to socioeconomic development. These are: click to continue reading from Tribune