House of Chiefs should be next, By Eric Teniola

Following the anticipated constitutional establishment of State Police in Nigeria, the author proposes that the next logical step should be the creation of a House of Chiefs. However, he voices significant doubt about the feasibility of this proposal, attributing his pessimism to the current caliber of politicians.

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Now that we are about to establish State Police in the Constitution, the next step should be the establishment of House of Chiefs in the Constitution too.

According to the author, today's politicians are unlikely to welcome a House of Chiefs, fearing it would introduce competition for power and influence. He suggests they would prefer to maintain their current relationships with traditional rulers, offering them gifts or accepting titles, rather than ceding any authority. Furthermore, the author observes that traditional rulers themselves appear content with their current low-profile roles, lacking constitutional mandates and not actively pushing for greater defined powers.

The idea of a House of Chiefs is not novel in Nigeria's political history. The author recalls that after the 1957 London Constitutional Conference, there was an intention to broaden representation in the Northern House of Chiefs, with proposals for it to comprise first-class chiefs and other senior traditional rulers, alongside advisors and members of the executive council.

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I am afraid the wish may be dead on arrival. Considering the present set of politicians that we have, I do not see the possibility. They would not want competition for power and influence with the future House of Chiefs.

Discussions at the conference also covered the Western Region's House of Chiefs, with plans to increase its membership and vest power for recognizing and grading chiefs in the Governor-in-Council. The House of Lords in the UK was cited as a model for potential delaying powers. The Western Regional government was also considering a Council of Chiefs to advise on matters of chief discipline and other referred issues, with principles for selecting members to be included in the constitution. Similarly, the Eastern Region had reached an agreement on a formula for classifying chiefs to enable the establishment of a House of Chiefs, while the Southern Cameroons House of Chiefs was to remain an advisory body appointed by the Commissioner.

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Moreover, the traditional rulers themselves seem to be satisfied with what they are indulging in now. Low profile responsibilities without constitutional schedules. They are not pushing enough to have constitutional roles and they are behaving as if they are helpless.