…Say treatment unfair, calls for urgent redress

The people of Moro Local Government Area in Kwara State, under the aegis of the Moro Descendants Development Union (MODDU), have decried the exclusion of their traditional institutions in the recent upgrading of traditional rulers in the State.

Speaking with journalists in Shao on Wednesday, the President of the socio-cultural organisation, Professor Reuben Kehinde Akano, lamented that the State Government excluded the Local Government Area from all its grading, re-grading and upgrading of traditional institutions and rulers from 2003 till date.

The people, who described the treatment as unfair, appealed to the state government to summon the political will and treat all Local Government Areas as equal by restoring the rights and dignity of the people of the Moro Local Government Area as was done to the other local governments and as prescribed by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

MODDU also lamented that out of the five local government areas in the Kwara North Senatorial District, namely Baruten, Edu, Kaiama, Moro and Patigi, it is only the Moro local government area that does not have a graded chief and traditional council at present.

He added: “Baruten and Kaiama Local Governments, whose people are Baruba and Bokobaru, have four First Class Chiefs each and several other classes. Edu and Patigi too have four First Class Chiefs each and they are mainly Nupe.

Why is it that only Moro Local Government, whose people are mainly Yoruba the only local government in the Kwara North Senatorial District, is being deprived as their traditional rulers are not graded?

“We, hereby appeal to the State Government to urgently correct these ungodly imbalances and
anomalies to prevent negative experiences which have been witnessed in other places in the country.

We want to advise that the Kwara State Government should be seen to be treating all Local Government Areas of the State equally by upholding the provisions of the constitution and be open-minded to creating avenues for even developments including the welfare of traditional rulers in Moro Local Government Area as done in other parts of Kwara State in particular and Northern States of Kaduna, Sokoto, Yobe and Katsina among others.”

The people implored people of goodwill to prevail on the Kwara State Government to summon the political will and begin to treat all Local Government Areas as equal by restoring the rights and dignity of the people of Moro Local
Govern Government Areament Area as being done to the other Local Government Areas of the State and as prescribed by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The people also called for the “implementation of the State Government White Paper of 17th
December, 1987 which directed that the appointment of District Heads for Moro Local Government Area should be stopped and appointments made among the indigenes of the local government area and
immediate remedy to the degrading injustice done to Moro Local Government Area, by first restoring the Ohoro of Shao and Oba of Jebba to their pre-1984 status of 3rd Class”And immediate upgrading of the duo of Ohoro of Shao and Oba of Jebba to First Class status to meet up with their counterparts in the State like Olupako of Share, Olusin of Isin, Olosi of Osi of the 1983 Cadre, because what is good for the goose is good for the gander.

“Immediate recognition and grading of the following traditional rulers in Moro Local Government Area namely Okutala, Lanwa, Bielesin, Malete, Bode Saadu, Igbo Emu,
Sheji, Malete and over three hundred Baale and Mogajis in Moro among others.”