National Wire About Nigerians, Nigerian Business and Other Stories
By:Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa.
With the gale of reactions rocking the chieftaincy reclassification exercise carried out by the Bayelsa state Government recently another affected monarch and traditional ruler of Emeyal 1 community of Ogbia Local government Area,host community of the Nigerian content,Development and monitoring board,NCDMB,HRH Jephtah Iwolisi says he has registered his protest to the Government through the state Ministry of Community Development and Chieftaincy affairs.
HRH Iwoli stated this on Saturday in a chat with our correspondent in Yenagoa,maintaining that it is worrisome and disheartening that the exercise was hijacked by politicians to patronize their followers and monarchs who were given higher classifications at the detriment of others.
The NCDMB host community royal father described the original intention of the exercise as being defeated,re-emphasing that it was surprising that traditional rulers of communities with younger or no adequately documented history in the name of having their people within the corridors of power were upgraded higher.
According to the monarch,while his community was graded 4th class not minding their historical background, much younger and migrant communities from his place and other areas were reclassified as 1st, 2nd and 3rd classes respectively.
“The stools reclassification exercise was manipulated by politicians to favour their communities. Imagine a situation where much younger communities that migrated from my community were given 2nd,3rd and first classes while we were graded 4th class,” he said.
“It’s only in Bayelsa that I’ve heard of this 4th class,it’s not tainable anywhere. Between 1996-1997 when the State Government first carried out stools reclassification exercise it was stipulated in the chieftaincy reclassification committee recommendation that no matter how big or small no community should be classified below 3rd class,” he mentioned.
He reiterated his commitment towards ensuring peace in his community, saying it took the intervention of his subjects and others for him to accept the 4th class grade given him.
Speaking on his next line of action, the monarch said he intend to work with fellow royal fathers who have expressed similar dismay on the exercise to drive the processes of according them their deserving classes with a view to giving them a sense of belonging.
It would interest you to note that lately the chieftaincy stool reclassification carried out recently by the Bayelsa state Government has received kudus and knocks from traditional rulers and concerned individuals.
