My friends and I were debating about this issue and what I noticed is dat we have decided to call traditional rulers a tradition that needs no change forgetting that it was someone that brought this idea in the past which served them right at the time and also we'r the ones complaining of our hunger for modern stuffs like electricity, computers, cars, planes, government accountability, pen and paper, farming equipments, better roads, etc.
My view is, if we want to use traditional rulers then lets use them instead of having two forms of governance and expecting accountability. Traditional rulers were once good but then things have changed, this century Nigeria is going to experience demography like never before and this kinds of rule bring barriers to the society and economy.
In Nigeria is very worse because every small village has a traditional ruler and his rule is different from the next village. To me it is also a tool for slavery because you have abled men standing around you doing nothing but gbegboru(amebo) and fanning the person like a captured slave. It goes back to how we have not freed ourselves to take risks and be better. I mean, all those machineries and forms of government you see in big nations were trials and errors and risk. I hope some people help me change my view on this issue because I feel no matter how hard Nigeria tries too many of these institutions will make our efforts be in vain.

the sad truth is dat Nigeria doesn't want to be united from the BS i saw today on my way and for a while I have to stick to my guns blazing, my etnicity IBO.

We should keep our monarchies, it's OUR culture.

nosa101:

We should keep our monarchies, it's OUR culture.

Even England kept its' monarchy. So did Monaco, Spain and a lot of other European countries. And their parliaments work alongside them. So what's the fuss?

nosa101:

We should keep our monarchies, it's OUR culture.

as long as they keep their nose out of politics!

Everybody is saying this country and dat country kept its monarchs even when they gat one or two monarchs whereas Nigeria has more than 200monarchs and the worst part is that many of them are fakes either during colonial times or after colonial times which makes their validity discouraging. We should see with a visionary eye and see that this is not going to help in the long run like I said earlier it is a barrier ethnically, tribally, and economicly. Its disadvantages are enormous to the point that I wouldn't even go into details.
There are lots of tradition that will keep us stagnant with this being the most immienent. If we want to keep tradition why are people hungry for modernization. The west changed tactics whereby many of the tactics were tradition in the sense that someone initiated those programs at some point in time and all they did was either adjust it or scrap it. Slavery is over but we Africans keep enslaving ourselves in different ways like this one. If monarchs were successful, why did the colonial come, conquer, enslave with traditional rulers help, and still enslave? Even traditional kings changed tactics in those times, i mean what did they know about mirrors or guns and everything else, but they saw the importance of those things that weren't their tradition and got through anyway they saw fit even if it meant to sell people, authorize resources be taken without citizens consent and much more. When people die in chaos like it was in liberia, sierra leone, congo, and currently sudan a lot of people at home and in diaspora said things like this is Africa in other words saying thats how it is supposed to be. Only God knows that we are the ones praying for such portions and wanting to be that way because that is not his plan for black African nations.
If you live in a house and there are 40 lions in your neighbourhood just roaming around, will you ignore such threat? Africans in the west enjoy everything from respect to finicial security because some other people adjusted their own traditions and culture to accomdate humanity eventhough they carefully analyze the overall factors. Anybody can argue this because their host country is not likely to change now but watch what happens when they feel threatened. All am saying is that our language is tradition, our clothing is tradition, and much more is tradition but traditional rulers are IMPOSITION.
Whether we like it or not that barrier will be broken like the walls of jericho. There will be a time when the people will have light, water, education, expertise, and other forms of development which will make people rebel against this unnecessary imposition because of their interference in government and people.

Is it the kings of Lagos, Oyo etc, you guys are calling monarchs

Nigeria has no kings, those Obas are just egoistic Chiefs

yeah, they also include the emirs, ezes, obis, or watever title that is heridity and oppression. Before the end of ten years from now these posts or title needs to be abolished because thry do more harm than good and also eliminate prospects of genuine leaders.

GO to malaysia, they have king and queen that rules the country and also have a primemister, same in australia, japan and so many asia countries. Its like you dont enjoy the tradistion of our kings. Its very interesting and seems to respect them more than those who have political powers.

The traditional rulers have an interesting role to play which is also part of our culture.

IMO Traditional rulers have no role to play in Modern Nigeria.

The Local Government Chairman should be able to take up the  responsibility of a traditional ruler.

After Independence there was a House of Chiefs (House of Traditional Chiefs/Lords/Kings) but since the military intervention, it was stoped.

Nigeria became a Republic in 1963.

A republic is a form of government maintained by a state or country whose sovereignty is based on popular consent and whose governance is based on popular representation and control.

The Monarchies ruling in a Republic is an irony.

tell them folem

smile4ken, may i ask what intresting roles traditional rulers play?