By Peter Omopo / August 2, 2025
A prominent Benin socio-cultural organisation, Ogbakha-Edo, has strongly rejected a provision in a proposed bill before the National Assembly that seeks to establish a National Council of Traditional Rulers with permanent co-chairmen.
The bill, which names the Ooni of Ife and the Sultan of Sokoto as permanent co-chairmen of the council, has drawn sharp criticism from the Benin group, which described the provision as “provocative, divisive, and culturally offensive.”
In a statement jointly signed by its Chairman, Prof. Sam Guobadia, and Secretary, Dr. Andrew Osaretin Izekor, and released on Saturday, Ogbakha-Edo called for a rotational leadership system within the council that includes all first-class traditional rulers.
The group warned that the current provision was a deliberate attempt to “undermine or diminish” the authority of the Oba of Benin, a monarch it described as historically imperial and central to Nigeria’s traditional heritage.
“We find it highly inappropriate to perpetually subjugate the Oba of Benin by way of an illogical constitutional enactment,” Guobadia stated. “This ill-conceived and historically unjustifiable proposal represents a blatant attempt to institutionalise supremacy where none exists.”
The statement further argued that the proposal fails to take into account the historical significance, territorial reach, and cultural authority of the Benin Kingdom, which, according to the group, predates many other kingdoms in Nigeria.
“The Oba of Benin was not merely a king, but an emperor with vast dominions extending across present-day Edo, Delta, parts of Ondo, Lagos, and even into the modern-day Republic of Benin,” the group said.
Ogbakha-Edo described the plan to permanently allocate leadership of the council to two traditional rulers—purportedly to represent Nigeria’s North and South—as unfair and lacking historical justification.
The group demanded the “immediate withdrawal of the proposed bill in its entirety” or, alternatively, an amendment to make the leadership position non-permanent and rotational among all first-class traditional rulers in Nigeria.
The debate around the bill has stirred wider discussions about representation, cultural recognition, and equity among Nigeria’s diverse royal institutions. The National Assembly is yet to officially respond to the concerns raised.
