ALAAFIN
of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III, has disowned the Traditional Council
of Nigeria (TCN), which allegedly shared from the $2.1billion meant for the
procurement of arms and ammunition to prosecute the war against Boko Haram
insurgency.
The
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had listed TCN as one of the
beneficiaries of the slush fund shared by a former National Security Adviser,
Colonel Sambo Dasuki (retd), who is currently standing trial over the deal.
The
Alaafin disclosed this in his palace, in Oyo town, when he fielded questions
from reporters at a special media parley to commemorate his 45th year
coronation anniversary organised by the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ),
Oyo State council.
Oba
Adeyemi, who condemned the existence of TCN, stated that he vehemently opposed
the formation of TCN when it was set up few years ago, adding that he opposed
the formation based on the potential acrimony it could breed among traditional
rulers in the country as well as the illegality of such organisation.
Oba
Adeyemi, Permanent Chairman of Oyo State Council of Obas and Chiefs, held that
the traditional institution in the country could not be centralised.
The
centralisation, he explained, negates the federal constitution since
traditional institution is purely a state matter.
His
words: “When you talk of the arms deal fund, to the best of my knowledge, none
of the traditional rulers in all the 33 local government councils in the state
collected from such money. We were not part of it.”
Oba
Adeyemi commended the anti-graft war of President Muhammadu Buhari, and also
cautioned him and the anti-graft agencies to know their limitations by doing
“everything in accordance with the dictates of the constitution in order not
to be seen as vindictive.”
Source: The Sun
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