Imo State governor, Hope Uzodimma, on Tuesday urged traditional rulers in the South East to get more involved in tackling the problem of insecurity ravaging the region.
He told them to take the challenge more seriously and make it part of their deliberations and day-to-day programmes in their states, local government areas and communities.
The governor, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Chief Cosmas Iwu, at the South East Council of Traditional Rulers Expanded Executive Council Meeting held at the Eze Imo Palace, Mbari Owerri, Imo State, urged the monarchs to also take seriously the problem of absentee royal fathers who live outside their communities, thus creating a vacuum in leadership at a time of internal crisis and general insecurity challenges that they and their Presidents General could have handled.
Governor Uzodimma emphasised that as the Chief Security Officers of their communities, the traditional rulers are bound by law and tradition to look into the stubborn challenge of insecurity in the South East and find ways to stem the tide.
He said the government was working to check the surge of insecurity but noted that “without the royal fathers playing their role efficiently and effectively, nothing substantial will be achieved”.
He said government had given them a sense of belonging in the fight against insecurity by involving them as members of the State Security Council and members of the Local Government Security Committee.
Governor Uzodimma, therefore, advised the traditional rulers to work in synergy with the Presidents General of their various town unions to improve the all-round security situation as a sure way to ensure development, adding, “No peace, no development.”
He further challenged the royal fathers to always come up with advice on how to achieve better governance in the states and local governments in the South East so as to make the region the envy of other geo-political zones in the country.
Uzodimma praised his government’s efforts in the areas of infrastructure, health, education, agriculture, as well as security, saying the Imo State traditional rulers and the entire South East traditional rulers can attest to that.
He congratulated the monarchs for coming together to discuss their welfare and the welfare of the South East.
In his welcome address, the Chairman of Imo State Council of Traditional Rulers, who also chairs South East Council of Traditional Rulers, HRM Eze Dr. Emmanuel Okeke, said the meeting offered the monarchs the opportunity to “come together and speak with one voice, to bring sanity to the administration of their states, South East zone and the country in general”.
He said the meeting was mainly focused on the state of affairs in the South East and the country and the need to make progress, noting that they “gathered to state the obvious without sentiments but with sincerity of purpose in all the deliberations”.
He appreciated the South East Governors’ Forum and its leadership and the national legislature for the efforts they have made to secure additional states for the region and the return of peace to Imo State in particular and the region in general.
Prominent among the traditional rulers who attended the meeting were Igwe Alfred Nnaemeka Achebe (the Obi of Onitsha), HRM Eze Samuel Asogu (Enugu), HRM Eze Joseph Ndubuisi Nwabeke, among others traditional rulers and delegates from the five states of the South East.
