By Austine Agbo Emmanuel, Kaduna
The Southern Kaduna Peoples’ United-Associations, SOKAPU, has outrightly rejected the reintroduced National Council of Traditional Rulers Bill, describing it as an agenda aimed at legitimizing cultural domination and erasing the identity of indigenous ethnic nationalities in Nigeria.
In a press statement released in Kaduna and signed by its National President, Engr. Tabara Samuel Kato, SOKAPU expressed deep concern over the renewed push by the National Assembly to resurrect a bill it said was previously rejected in 2008 due to its divisive implications.
According to the group, the current version of the bill, sponsored by Senator Solomon Lalong, is more dangerous in intent and scope, and if passed into law, could institutionalize a framework for what it termed a “legalized cultural genocide” against native communities across the country.
SOKAPU stated that the bill, which proposes the creation of a National Council of Traditional Rulers with powers to codify customs and traditions into law, is not only unconstitutional but also represents an assault on the cultural rights of indigenous Nigerians. The group questioned the legitimacy of installing the Sultan of Sokoto as the permanent chairman of the proposed council, asserting that the Sultan is a religious leader, not a traditional ruler in the ancestral sense.
The statement argued that the Fulani, from whom the Sultan hails, do not possess original ancestral claims to any land in Nigeria. It maintained that allowing such a figure to lead a national council of traditional rulers amounts to suppressing native authority and distorting historical facts.
Engr. Kato recalled the historical overthrow of Hausa kingdoms by the forces of Usman Dan Fodio, which he said replaced indigenous structures with foreign institutions and paved the way for a cultural and political imbalance that has persisted in Northern Nigeria.
The group warned that the proposed bill, by empowering a central traditional council to determine which cultures are considered outmoded or harmful, could be used as a tool to delegitimize indigenous traditions while promoting a narrow religious or ethnic worldview.
SOKAPU noted that the 1999 Constitution as amended does not recognize or protect the rights of native indigenous peoples, placing them on the same legal footing as immigrants without acknowledging their ancestral claims, cultural identity, or historical rights to land and self-determination.
The association emphasized that in other democracies such as the United States, there are constitutional safeguards for indigenous populations, despite their minority status. It wondered why similar protections do not exist in Nigeria, where native populations make up the overwhelming majority.
Engr. Kato called on all National Assembly members representing Southern Kaduna to work collectively to ensure that the bill is permanently withdrawn, describing it as a direct threat to the existence of the people they represent.
He further urged Nigerians of goodwill to resist what he described as a subtle attempt to impose a religious and ethnic hierarchy on the country through backdoor legislation.
The association called for a national constitutional reform that guarantees the cultural, political, and land rights of indigenous communities in Nigeria. It stressed the need to restore traditional institutions to their rightful ancestral owners and to prevent any form of cultural imperialism from taking root in the country.
A copy of the statement was also sent to Senator Sunday Marshall Katung, representing Kaduna South Senatorial District, along with other concerned stakeholders at the National Assembly.
