Asagba of Asaba, Prof. John Chike Edozien, at the weekend, expressed concern over the spate of insecurity and high level of corruption in the country.

Addressing journalists while celebrating his centenary birthday anniversary at his Palace in Asaba, Delta State, Edozien hinted that there was need for Constitutional review, considering that, over the years, the traditional rulers have been schemed out of the system; hence, the imbalance in the land.

He said that a change in the Constitution and a resonating fight against corruption are the two fundamental issues that need to be tackled if peace and development are to be achieved in the country.

Following these ugly trends, he called on President Bola Tinubu and the political elite to urgently review the Constitution for the establishment of an indirect rule system that would bring in the traditional rulers into the ruling class. According to him, this would help to tackle the problems of insecurity and corruption in the country.

According to the pioneer Professor of Medicine at the University of Ibadan (UI), if the principles of indirect rule had been established for traditional rulers, it would have been easier to identify rebels like the Boko Haram and other unscrupulous groups perpetuating heinous crimes in the country.

He said: “So, to cure this menace, traditional institutions need to be recognised as the true local governments in Nigeria.

“In my opinion, the Constitution has one serious defect. The British ruled Nigeria as a colony for many years for peace and development. I believe the peace and development during colonial rule was because the British introduced indirect rule in Nigeria, while the people continued under the direction of the King.

“So, in Nigeria, we have two local governments; a constitutional local government with power and money, and the people’s local government with traditional rulers and the land. I think not having it now is the greatest impediment in the development of Nigeria.”