Supremacy battle among traditional rulers as things go awry

Aalafin of Oyo: Oba Lamidi Adeyemi

 Yorubas do not joke with their traditional rulers but the truth is that

for every idea, there is a time and season. For traditional rulers their time is up.

Those who know, know how to manage theirs. The Queen is the ceremonial head of Britain. On policy matters and governance, she keeps mum.

She keeps to her lane and she gets her age - old respect. She does not deceive herself. So too other advanced countries with vestiges of monarchy.

For Nigeria, the Constitution has made things very clear but our traditional rulers are still deceiving themselves, thinking they are still relevant.

The Oba of Lagos got a taste of what it is like to be irrelevant in the scheme of things.

The surprising thing about the traditional rulers is that they bow to the Constitution by kowtowing to politicians, but at the same time, they want to be treated with reverence. 

The only reverence, they can get is that reserved and earned by whoever appointed them. For they remain in office only at his pleasure.

The case of Sanusi Lamido Sanusi is a case in point. Sadly, the Emirship was his dream under a constitutional democracy. What a wasted dream for such a man.

Today as a decisive push is being made against fulani Herdsmen in Yoruba land, it is a litany of bickering among the Obas.

I do not blame them for they cannot cry more than the bereaved. They are under the Governors and apart from Rotimi Akeredolu, others are silently praying for Sunday Igboho.

If the Governors are unsure of what to do, what do you expect of the traditional rulers?

They will only cool their heels, put out denials and wait for the politicians to give them a semblance of direction.

Their time is up. But who will tell them?