As Nigeria continues to grapple with worsening insecurity across its regions, the Ovie of the Great Idjerhe Kingdom, His Royal Majesty, Obukohwo Monday Whiskey, Udurhie I, has said that traditional rulers remain the most effective but least utilised actors in addressing the country’s security crisis.
 
Speaking at a press briefing yesterday in Idjerhe Kingdom, the monarch said only traditional institutions possess the grassroots reach, cultural legitimacy and intelligence networks required to confront insecurity across Nigeria’s 774 local council areas.
 
His comments come amid rising public concern over banditry, kidnapping, oil theft and communal violence, despite increased defence spending and the deployment of multiple security operations nationwide.
 
He called on the Federal Government to formally integrate traditional rulers into the country’s security architecture through clearly defined constitutional roles.
 
“Nigeria must look inward,” the monarch said, insisting that traditional authorities have, over time, deployed indigenous conflict-resolution mechanisms that have helped maintain relative peace within their domains, particularly in rural communities often beyond the reach of formal state institutions.
 
According to the monarch, without constitutional recognition, traditional rulers remain spectators in a security crisis that directly affects their people.
 
He said empowering monarchs with defined responsibilities would strengthen early-warning systems, intelligence gathering and community trust, areas where conventional security agencies have struggled.
 
Beyond security, the monarch also criticised what he described as the continued marginalisation of Niger Delta communities in the oil and gas sector, despite bearing the environmental and social costs of production.
 
He urged the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led administration to adopt deliberate integration policies in 2026 that would give host communities deeper involvement in oil and gas operations taking place in their “backyards.”
 
The traditional ruler challenged the Federal Government to demonstrate appreciation for the Niger Delta’s role in sustaining Nigeria’s crude oil and gas output through visible, people-oriented and sustainable projects.