The paramount ruler of Idu-Obosiukwu Community in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area, Eze (Amb) Uche Anayo Umejuru has criticized in strong terms, traditional rulers who abdicate their responsibilities to pursue contract jobs from multinational oil companies in their domain.
Umejuru who is the Eze-Okwu-Onu-Ka-Oha-1 of Idu Ogba said it is despicable that traditional rulers would abandon their traditional responsibilities for selfish financial gains.
Decrying the attitude which he said was part of why peace had eluded most communities, the royal father urged his colleagues who are in the habit, to retrace their steps, as according to him, traditional rulers, as the custodian of the people’s customs and tradition, had enormous responsibilities which always suffer setback when the royal fathers lose focus.
“These set of traditional rulers abdicate their responsibilities to move from company to company in search of contracts. They undermine their original purpose of the call which is to ensure that peace and tranquility reigns in the land”, he stated.
Asked how he expects the traditional rulers to survive economically if they do not chase contracts from oil companies operating in their domain, the Eze-Okwu-Onu-Ka-Oha-1 of Idu Ogba insisted that those involved in the practice are deviating from the traditionally laid down system.
“What happens to our farmlands and rivers which before this time were the major source of economic activities? How were we surviving before this time? Are we now using the stool to change our original means of survival?”, he queried.
Eze Umejuru posited that with all the ‘little things’ attached to the paraphernalia of office of the traditional ruler; they should be enough for his upkeep and survival, adding that the ‘unholy contract chasing’ was usually driven by ‘avarice and the unquenchable thirst for materialism’.
“It is regrettable that most palaces today no longer handle cases in their domain because their major concern is on this company and that company. In as much as I am not saying they should not do one or two things, but they should not forget their original traditional obligations to the people.
“There should be clear lines drawn, know when to reconcile both. If that is done, the next thing is to take a proper studies to know what is going on in the community because if you don’t know where you are coming from, you won’t know where you are going”, he declared.
On some of the challenges bedeviling his community, Eze Umejuru appealed to the Rivers State Government for establishment of industrial development center for Usomini District of Ogbaland.
He said his community had already concluded an application for government to change the Idu Ogba Comprehensive College to a technical vocational school to train youths who are technically inclined while other could learn other trades at the development training centers.
