OPINION: Re: Chairmanship Of The Cross River State Traditional Council - How Not To Treat Our Royal Fathers

It is interesting and worrisome, the way we have continually desecrated the traditional institution in Nigeria and in Cross River State. Worrisome because of the persons involved, to them everything is politics and it does not really matter, after all the government pays and whoever pays the piper dictates the tune. And that is where we miss the point. Because this is where we collectively rubbish our heritage, the British will not rubbish their monarchy, and neither will the Saudis joke with their royalty. Everywhere you go , the essence of the people before the arrival of Western civilization is being messed with.  

Let me stay with Cross River State, where the state government ,through its legislative and executive arms, decided to dramatise the tenure expiration of the chairman of the traditional council of chiefs, a state House of assembly that has just embarrassed itself in public after accusing the speaker of misappropriation of funds and ineptitude and the executive whose achievements after one is highlighted by rebuilding roundabouts in the state capital, had to drag HRH Etim Okon Edet , the paramount ruler of Bakassi to the village square, that he had overstayed in the position as chairman of the council of traditional rulers . 

The questions to ask include, couldn't they have called him privately? 

Should it have been so dramatised? 

I am aware that the revered traditional ruler had offered to step aside several times in the past.  

Was it a responsibility for the house of assembly? Was the governor whose responsibility it was aware? Who are their advisers ,whether special or ordinary? 

What have they achieved by all the balablu sorry hullabaloo? 

I believe very strongly that the government of cross river state by their actions in this matter have succeeded in embarrassing all of us . I hope they will not proceed to give us a new anthem for the state, I'm still revising "Nigeria we hail thee."

Effiong Nyong, writes from Calabar.