MURIC tasks traditional rulers with caring for masses

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has applauded the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, for his recent effort to bring down the prices of foodstuffs in Ile-Ife and environs.

Ooni of Ife, Oba Ogunwusi

In a video clip that went viral on Saturday, 13 July, traditional chiefs of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Ogunwusi, were seen going around the city markets to publicly announce a ban on market unions, particularly the practice of fixing prices of foodstuffs by the unions, which usually results in inflation.

In a statement by the Founder and Executive Director of MURIC, Ishaq Akintola, on Sunday, the Islamic human rights group noted that Ooni’s initiative underscores the relevance of traditional rulers in governance.

It called on other traditional rulers in the country to emulate the monarch.

“MURIC applauds the Ooni’s initiative and his concern for the plight of the poor in Ile-Ife, its environs and even beyond. The royal father has demonstrated beyond any reasonable doubt that he empathises with the hoi polloi and acknowledges the hunger that is widespread in the land.

“We call on other monarchs in the country to emulate the Ooni by thinking outside the box to find ways of alleviating the sufferings of their subjects. Like security, governance must be by collective effort,” the group noted.

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MURIC said the contributions of traditional rulers like that of the Ooni are one of the reasons why the rigid theory of the separation of powers between the executive, the judiciary and the legislature must be revisited to include traditional rulers. It added that the latter must be captured in the whole gamut of legislation to legalise their activities.

The group called on Nigerians as intermediaries in the Nigerian economy, like market unions petrol and transport-related organisations, to reconsider their negative effects on ordinary Nigerians.

“Most often, the evil that these groups cause is by far worse than what any other body inflicts on the average Nigerian,” it added.