The South East Traditional Rulers Council, led by its newly inaugurated Chairman, on Tuesday gathered in Umuahia, the Abia State capital to deliberate on ways to foster collaboration, unity, and development across the South East geopolitical zone.
The Meeting, attended by traditional rulers from the five states of the South East zone, afforded the royal fathers opportunity to discuss strategies for advancing the region’s development.
Declaring the event held at the JAAC building open, Governor Alex Otti expressed appreciation to the South East Traditional Rulers Council for selecting Abia as the host for their meeting.
Governor Otti underscored the vital role traditional rulers play as custodians of culture and emphasized the importance of preserving the values that bind the people together.
He highlighted that the preservation of culture is essential for societal stability and warned against the erosion of values through external influences that deviate from cultural norms.
Governor Otti while reflecting on the integrity of the leadership selection process within traditional institutions, cited the Obi of Onitsha as an example of rightful emergence of leadership.
The Governor lamented the destructive infighting and materialistic tendencies that often overshadow the selection of traditional rulers and urged communities to prioritize competence and tradition over financial influence or political support.
“Every society has it’s own process for selecting leadership, though I would advice that anywhere people had resorted to throw away the process, just because somebody has money, or has government support, that is not enough for you to emerge as a traditional ruler.
“Ofcourse, there can only be one traditional ruler in a kingdom and if it is not for you, you still have a lot to contribute to make your kingdom what you want it to be”, Otti advised.
He highlighted his administration’s approach to governance as one of stewardship and urged citizens to hold their leaders accountable and ensure that those in power remain answerable to the people.
In his address, the Chairman of the South East Traditional Rulers Council, Eze E.C Okeke, commended Governor Otti for his outstanding leadership and for creating a conducive environment for the successful hosting of the meeting.
“We, the traditional rulers of the South East, are proud of your leadership. Your people-oriented projects are eloquent testimonies of your commitment to transforming Abia State,” the Chairman stated.
Also, the Chairman, Abia State Traditional Rulers Council, Eze Linus Ntoh Mba, who emphasized the importance of preserving the cultural heritage of Ndi Igbo, advocated for greater collaboration between the Governors and political office holders from the five states in the region to pursue a unified front for the peace and development of the South East.
Eze Ntoh while commending the Federal Government for the recent passage of the South East Development Commission Bill, which he said is a step toward achieving lasting development in the region, however, called for the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and pointed out that his release would assist in reducing insecurity in the region.
“As we all know, the passage of the bill is only the beginning. We are at the meeting to deliberate on how to give continual support and collaboration with our Governors and political office holders in implementing the goal and aspirations enshrined in the bill for the development of our region like other regions.
“This meeting will also would enable us to press home our demands that are yet to be attended to by the state and federal government like the creation of more states in the South East region“, Eze Ntoh remarked.
The South East Traditional Rulers Council meeting brought together Monarchs from across the South East region including the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Alfred Nnaemeka Achebe.
