Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III, has disowned the Traditional Council of Nigeria (TCN), which allegedly shared from the $2.1billion meant for the procurement of arms and ammunition to prosecute the war against Boko Haram insurgency.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had listed TCN as one of the beneficiaries of the slush fund shared by a former National Security Adviser, Colonel Sambo Dasuki (retd), who is currently standing trial over the deal.
The Alaafin disclosed this in his palace, in Oyo town, when he fielded questions from reporters at a special media parley to commemorate his 45th year coronation anniversary organised by the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Oyo State council.
Oba Adeyemi, who condemned the existence of TCN, stated that he vehemently opposed the formation of TCN when it was set up few years ago, adding that he opposed the formation based on the potential acrimony it could breed among traditional rulers in the country as well as the illegality of such organisation.
Oba Adeyemi, Permanent Chairman of Oyo State Council of Obas and Chiefs, held that the traditional institution in the country could not be centralised.
The centralisation, he explained, negates the federal constitution since traditional institution is purely a state matter.
His words: “When you talk of the arms deal fund, to the best of my knowledge, none of the traditional rulers in all the 33 local government councils in the state collected from such money. We were not part of it.”
Oba Adeyemi commended the anti-graft war of President Muhammadu Buhari, and also cautioned him and the anti-graft agencies to know their limitations by doing “everything in accordance with the dictates of the constitution in order not to be seen as vindictive.” (Daily Sun)