Remarks At Palace Of Abe 1, Ovie Of Uvwie Kingdom Of Delta State, Dr. Emmanuel Ekemejewan Sideso

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REMARKS BY HIS EXCELLENCY, PROF. YEMI OSINBAJO, SAN, GCON, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA AT THE PALACE OF ABE 1, OVIE OF UVWIE KINGDOM OF DELTA STATE, DR. EMMANUEL EKEMEJEWAN SIDESO ON THE 5^TH OF MARCH, 2022

PROTOCOLS

I am here to celebrate one of the prominent and distinguished sons of the Urhobo Kingdom, late Chief Patrick Ideh, who passed on at the age of 95 and today, we have held a thanksgiving service in his honour.

Ideh was, aside from being a very notable lawyer here in this kingdom and also in Nigeria, he qualified as a lawyer in 1961, and since then has participated very actively. He was one of the leaders in the struggle for Nigeria’s Independence and also for the Mid-West State and later on, Delta State.

He was a very prominent son of our nation, and I came not just on my own but on behalf of the Federal Government to pay our respects to this great leader of our nation and the people of this community.

Just as you have said, I know that it will be not just disrespectful, but unimaginable that I will pass by without stopping to pay my respects to your Royal Majesty.

The last time both of us interacted was in 2018 at the Traditional Rulers’ Summit which you have always been the chair. But since then, COVID-19 and all sorts of things have prevented proper interaction.

I am really happy to be here to pay my respects and also to ask after your good health and the good health of your people.

We held a closed-door meeting before we came here where your Royal Majesty mentioned several things of importance and the Deputy Governor, Barr. Kingsley Burutu Otuaro has alluded to that and I intend to take them up seriously and make sure that we are able to deliver on some of those very important issues that you mentioned.

Aside from that is the issue of constitutional role for traditional rulers which had not been attended to by the National Assembly.

I hope that the National Assembly will eventually attend to it and it will be caught in the politicking that is going to be taking place in the next few months.

But I think that there is a genuine desire by traditional rulers to be more intricately involved; to be more directly involved in governance and government in Nigeria.

Just going by the track record that we see even in this kingdom, it is very evident that your role has been instrumental in keeping the peace here.

This was a place that was known for a bit more turbulence than many other parts of the State but today, we see that it is a very peaceful community; a peaceful kingdom and it is all on the account of the fact that there is a moral orbit that only the traditional rulership can operate in; and even our laws, fidelity to our laws is really first and foremost, based on the foundation of people’s respect for law and order as proffered by the traditional rulership.

So, I think traditional rulership is so important in keeping law and order and in maintaining peace in all of our communities.

We are extremely proud of the work that you are doing and I think it is a good example and a good way by which we can continue to propagate the importance of traditional rulers in governance in Nigeria.

Thank you very much for your warm reception and for your courtesies at all times. I am extremely grateful that I am able to come and see you and that you received me on very short notice.

I also bring, of course, the very warm greetings of President Muhammadu Buhari, who as you know, has a great deal of respect, not just for you, but for the traditional rulership in Nigeria.

I pray that the peace and tranquillity that you enjoy here will continue and that your Royal Majesty will reign long and well and that all your communities and all of our people will benefit greatly from your rulership at all times.

Thank you very much and God bless you, Sir.