Abia Government did not gag traditional rulers – Monarch

 

The traditional ruler of Umudike Ukwu autonomous community in Ikwuano LGA of Abia State, Eze Ben Oriaku, has reacted to reports claiming that the Abia State government has gagged traditional rulers in the state.

Eze Oriaku, who spoke to journalists on the matter, refuted such claims, stating that the government merely sought to rebrand and elevate the traditional institution.

He clarified that no monarch in Abia has been gagged, as was erroneously alleged by some, but explained that the state government only organised an orientation course on how traditional rulers in the state should conduct themselves, particularly in public.

“At least I am here and I am free. Nobody is gagging me. We were taught to know that people are looking up to us.

“We were taught that it is absurd to see a traditional ruler on Okada. There could be breakdown on the road. There could be challenges. But the situation where you dress in your regalia, enter bike, in the New Abia, is not wise.

“These were the things we were taught. You will see Onyeze eat publicly anyhow. Onyeze will attend a function dressed in English attire. It does not go well. So these rules are the lessons we were taught,” Eze Oriaku said.

The traditional ruler, who noted that the present administration in Abia State has increased the monthly salaries of traditional rulers, remarked that previous administrations paid them mere peanuts, which rendered it difficult for them to function effectively in their localities.

While acknowledging the improvements in the sanitation conditions of Abia, Eze Oriaku appealed to the Abia State Environmental Protection Agency, ASEPA, to address the poor waste disposal system in World Bank Estate, PIU Umudike.

He lamented that the few drainages in the estate become completely blocked whenever it rains, leading to severe flooding. He added that the waste disposal buckets in the estate, which houses about 2,000 university students, are often overfilled with rubbish.