The Ondo State Government says it has made a move to ensure seamless succession in vacant stool and reduce the levels of litigation associated with chieftaincy matters in the state.
The state Commissioner for Local Government Affairs and Chieftaincy Matters, Alhaji Amidu Takuro, stated this at a news conference on Thursday in Akure.
Takuro, who said that there would be public hearing on Monday on submitted Chieftaincy Declarations for various stools in the state and petitions, explained that the move was to allow peace to prevail across communities in the state.
The Chieftaincy Declaration is the law guiding each community in the state in respect to their chieftaincy succession arrangements: number of ruling house, number of kingmakers.
“ We are embarking on public hearing on chieftaincy declaration in understood which has to do with the laws of each of the community that has an approved tools.
“These laws will determine the numbers of their ruling houses, they will determine their successor arrangement; they will determine the numbers of their king-makers.
“ So that when the king eventually pass away, there will be seamless succession arrangement.
“In the absence of that, we’ve discovered that we’ve been having a lot of litigation upon litigation across the state.
“ And we find it as a point of duty to us as a ministry that we must do everything humanly possible to limit the numbers of litigation on chieftaincy matter in the state,” he stated.
The commissioner said that the Chieftaincy Declaration Committee had received over 50 proposals and 70 petitions that would be analysed for deliberation during the public hearing.
According to him, the state government will not allow any traditional ruler or individuals to undermine government’s efforts in ensuring that peace reigns across the state.
“ The government will not allow any traditional ruler or person to impose his view and interest on other community.
“ We have put in mechanisms that will address all raised issues on chieftaincy issues.
“ The Gov. Lucky Aiyedatiwa-led administration has so much interest for the welfare and wellness of all traditional rulers in the state. We are backing them with all necessary paraphernalia.
“ In fact, it has increased their monthly take-home to 5 per cent and we are planning to give them cars. They are happy now and we want to make them happier.
“ They are the heart of government because they are the closest to the people and they also preserve our culture,” he said.