THE TUSSLE BETWEEN CIVIL & TRADITIONAL AUTHORITIES !!!

The trouble is.. Kings, Emirs, Obas, Monarchs etc have been rulers all through history. Even when you read through the Bible especially Old Testament, we have chapters called 1st & 2nd Kings dedicated to these theocratic Monarchs. They were both temporal & divine leaders through whom God communicated with the people. But with advent of modern times, their powers started to recede with advent of Civil Authority & Democracy that vested power direct to the people. So conflict had arisen between the Monarchs & their Conservative supporters on one side & the Modernists who regard these Kings, Obas as obsolete vestiges of Feudalism that belonged to the past, neanderthal relics or fossils that should be discarded into history.

This is the raging conflict today between Govts (both state & federal) & our traditional institutions. The Govt feel they exclusively have the mandate to rule either by bullet (Gen Abacha vs Sultan Dasuki/1996) or by ballot box (Buhari/Ganduje vs Emir Sanusi/2020).

Make no mistakes, these conflicts was all over Europe too starting well after the Middle Ages, all through the Renaissance, the Enlightenment, the rebirth of Learning, the Reformation, the Industrial Revolution, the Universal Suffrage etc. Power gradually shifted from the Kings, removing them from Absolute to Ceremonial Monarchies all through Europe. Today not a single absolute monarch remain in Europe. For the rest of the world it is the same story save for the Arab world especially the Arabian Gulf with their Theocratic Kingdoms & Emirates. Morocco still has an Absolute Monarch but in Egypt Gamel Nasser overthrew King Farouk in 1952, in Libya Col Gaddafi overthrew King Idris in 1969 & in Iran Ayatollah Khomeini overthrew Shah Reva Pahlevi in 1979. In Africa Emperor Halle Sallasie was overthrown by the military Junta led by Col Mengistu Halle Mariam in late 1970s. Some Absolute Monarchs also remain in Southern Africa like the King of Swaziland for example.

Clearly the tussle for the loyalty of the minds of our people, between Government Authorities & Kings, Obas, Obis etc will remain as long as we live. Govts will continue to assert their authorities whenever the Kings, Emirs, Obas cross the lines set for them by Constitutional & Civil authorities. It is not just in Nigeria or Africa this will continue to play out but all over the world where Civil Authorities have replaced Traditional Institutions in governance !!!

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