Tajudeen Abbas, speaker of the house of representatives, says the parliament will revisit a bill seeking to give traditional rulers constitutional roles.
The bill did not scale through during the last assembly.
Speaking on Saturday when he visited Ahmed Nuhu Bamalli, Emir of Zazzau, in Zaria, Kaduna state, Abbas said it has become necessary to give traditional rulers constitutional roles due to the critical function they play in the society.
Abbas, who holds the traditional title of Iyan Zazzau, said he visited the emir to seek his royal support and prayers for a successful tenure as speaker.
“I want to make a promise to you today. I remember about three years ago when we held zonal hearings on constitutional amendment, you made submissions regarding the need for traditional rulers to have constitutional roles,” Abbas, who represents Zaria federal constituency of Kaduna, said.
“I would like to assure you that we now have the opportunity. With me as your son being the speaker, we will look at that proposal once again so that our traditional rulers will have recognised constitutional roles.
“We are also here to seek the cooperation of the entire traditional institutions in the north and the country.
“We also want you to give us advice on how to succeed in our leadership. Where we err, you should tell us the truth. I seek the support of the Zazzau Emir and the people of the emirate.”
Abbas thanked his colleagues in the house who accompanied him to the emir’s palace for their “massive support”.
In his remarks, Bamalli thanked the speaker for the visit and for showing respect for the traditional institution.
“The entire people of Zazzau are appreciative,” he said.
“The traditional institutions have made meaningful contributions to the political growth and development of our country.
“All of you seated here – the members – have a link to the traditional institution in one way or the other. Unfortunately, most politicians, once they win an election, the traditional institutions don’t see them again. The good thing is that wherever you go, you must come back to the traditional institutions.
“Politicians fear that we want to have another tier of government. But that is not the case. We have made our case and presented it at different levels.
“We met with the then chief of staff to the president. We met with the senate president and the then speaker yet nothing happened on the bill.”
The emir appealed to the lawmakers to “dust the bill and work on it once again”.
“All we want is for the bill to be passed unopposed. We hope that the legislature will look at this quickly,” the Emir said.