Traditional rulers in the Niger Delta region have advocated for transparency and collaboration between oil multinationals, government agencies, and local communities to foster peace and development.
The Niger Delta region has been plagued by conflicts and crises over issues of development, employment, and empowerment of the people.
However, the royal fathers in the region believe that with adequate information about the activities of oil companies and development partners, there would be more peace in the communities.
They argue that, being the closest government to the communities, they are adequately positioned to mobilise and galvanise the communities for peaceful coexistence and relationships with companies and other development partners.
The monarchs bared their minds at a recent training program facilitated by the Community and Rural Development (CRD) Directorate of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) in Port Harcourt.
The program, which was held simultaneously in Akwa Ibom and Rivers States, brought together traditional rulers from Rivers, Bayelsa, Cross River, and Akwa Ibom states.
Speaking at the event, which had the theme “Capacity Building on Emerging Trends in Rural Governance,” the Traditional Ruler of Kerike Kingdom in Rivers State, King Air Commodore (Rtd) Tansiki Ogube, said the lack of transparency and collaboration has led to conflicts in the region.
“The service providers come into a community, select a few people, and recognise them as the board of directors without discussing with the traditional rulers,” he said.
Ogube lamented that oil companies were not dealing with the traditional rulers but rather with people perceived to be violent—people who are not interested in the development of the community.
“They build town halls in their localities and do not come to me,” he said.
The King emphasised that the traditional rulers were not against development but only wanted to be carried along in decision-making processes.
“We are not against development, but we want to be part of the decision-making process,” he said.
Also, the Chairman of Traditional Rulers of Oil and Mineral Producing Communities, Bayelsa State, Dr Toboro Andy Godwill, emphasised that collaboration is key to fostering peace in the region.
“Today’s leadership is based on development, and development will come from government for industrialisation,” he said.
Godwill noted that the traditional institution and the government must work together to ensure that developmental projects are implemented without hoarding information.
“If those who are providing development in the community are open-minded, and we are doing here, let there be a collaboration between the traditional institution and the government,” he said.
Stanley Okereke, a resource person at the training program, emphasised the critical role of traditional rulers in building sustainable peace.
“Without sustainable peace, there won’t be sustainable development, and so they have a very huge amount of work to do at the community level,” he said.
Okereke noted that traditional rulers have critical roles to play in promoting peace and development in their communities.
“They must have these peaceful dispositions and then try to mainstream peace across every stakeholder in the community,” he said.
On her part, Dr. Carol Ebuta, in her paper titled “Entrenching Peace, Progress, and Stability in the Niger Delta Through Engagement with Traditional Institutions,” stressed that traditional rulers should capitalise on trust and moral authority.
She highlighted their ability to facilitate communication between their communities and the government and hone the capacity for promoting social unity.
She noted that these strengths, if well harnessed, would allow traditional rulers to play a vital role in community cohesion, cultural preservation, and development.
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