The 1979 Statutory Payment of Traditional Rulers in Edo State; Changing the Ugly Narratives By Setting the Records Straight With Raw Facts

by Comrade Bobby Eghosa Obayuwana

It is nolonger news that there have been false information which have widely spread across the media space by mischief makers insinuating that the Traditional Rulers have not been paid since 1979, especially that of the very reverred Benin Traditional Monarch Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, Oba Ewuare N’Ogidigan II who by the Provisions in the Act of 1979 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, remains the Permanent Chairman of both Edo South Senatorial District and the entire Edo State.

Following the provisions in the 1979 Federal Constitution of Nigeria, every Local Government Council should have a direct Traditional Council which coordinates and controls the affairs of Communities, Localities and the cultural affinity of the people in the grass roots, of which Edo State is not an exception to and as such, are entitled to Resource Allocation from the government of the day. This means that a hierarchical structure of State Government Authority which Coordinate the affairs of Local Governments who in turn Coordinate the activities of the various Traditional Councils should be strictly adhered to with the legal provisions which are clearly stated in the 1979 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Sometime ago the Benin Traditional Monarch which was represented by the Iyase of Benin Kingdom, Chief Sam Igbe alongside other Traditional Rulers across the Three Senatorial Districts of Edo State led a delegation of Chiefs from the Benin Traditional Council along side other Traditional stakeholders to meet with the Edo State Government under his Excellency Governor Godwin Nogheghase Obaseki who in turn noted that before this MEGA ADMINISTRATION, the 1979 Act had not been consistently followed by previous administrations part of which led to such meeting in order to reach a compromise on the way forward and before that time, the disagreement on the sharing formular by these Traditional Rulers as well as the relevant stakeholders involved spanned a period of Three Months which lasted from April till July, 2023. His Excellency in his window decided to look into the issue and came up with a plan to solve the problem once and for all. His Excellency noted that the Traditional Rulers received little than what they expected and decided to upgrade upgrade their Payment Process by ensuring the 5% removal of Value Added Taxes and Excess Crude Taxes are only subtracted annually from the income statement of the Traditional Rulers as against the usual monthly deductions which greatly reduced their payment. As a result, their salaries became upgraded their statutory allocations and ensured that their salary structures were not less than that of a permanent secretary in the state due to the financial resources that were carefully earmarked for such important purpose in order to follow the 1979 Constitution strictly, reduce complaints from the aggrieved parties and promote the general interest of all Traditional Rulers involved in Edo State. And as such, it was unequivocally established that the Oba of Benin Kingdom remains the Permanent Chairman of all the Traditional Rulers in Edo State, irrespective of the Senatorial District involved.

Meanwhile, an estimated #1,316,746,764.13 was earmarked to be shared amonst the various Traditional authorities in the Three Senatorial Districts of Edo State with Edo South Getting #639, 269, 245.26, Edo North getting N377,642,592.006 and Edo Central getting #299,834,926.027.

N63,926,924.052 was exclusively reserved for emergency situations in all of the Local Government Areas in Edo State which may arise for payment of salaries of their workers, settlement of debts and donations to the less privileged in their communities.

In Edo South, the sharing formular is carefully structured in such a way that #319,634,622.063 is reserved exclusively for the Benin Monarch as his annual share of the proceeds from the Local Government Council while #255,717,668.028 is reserved for the Chiefs, Enigies, other relevant stakeholders and their various staff in the effective discharge of their duties to their various communities and localites across Edo South.

Meanwhile, Edo North and Edo Central also have their respective sharing formulae which are decided strictly by their respective Traditional Councils and Rulers, exclusive of any intrusion by the Edo State Governmen.

To this end, everyone can now see that the Edo State Government under His Excellency Governor Godwin Nogheghase Obaseki is not guilty of the various allegations and false accusations of financial fraud which have been labelled against the MEGA ADMINISTRATION of the Governor and as such, the general public should never pay attention to the lies, rumours & alternative facts from mischief makers, bitter oppositions’ e-rats as well as unverified sources from the Mass Media, especially social media platforms which are only used to cause disaffection by these unscrupulous elements who do not have the interest of Edo People at heart.

All those with skeptical perceptions about the facts raised in this information should carefully GO and Verify from the Edo Ministry of Communication and Orientation and not rely on fake news from fabricated stories from some social links and websites which are only a calculated attempt to stop the Goods work of His Excellency Governor Godwin Nogheghase Obaseki who is ever willing, ready, focused and totally committed in Making Edo Great Again with His Several Cerebral Economic Policies and Programmes in Edo State overtime.

So therefore let us all be guided by these raw facts and collectively Join Hands with the MEGA Governor in Finishing Well and Strong .

A Better Edo Begins with YOU & I So Let’s GO Further Together.