delivering his speech during the Corporation’s coutesy visit to the Asagba of Asaba, HRM Prof. Epiphany
Azinge (left) at his Palace in Asaba, yesterday.
of the corporation.
BY PATRICK MGBODO/JUDITH OBIANUA
WITH national reforms to codify the roles of traditional rulers in progress, the Asagba of Asaba, HRM Obi (Prof ) Epiphany Azinge SAN, has moved ahead to set the benchmark for modern traditional governance in Nigeria.
HRM Azinge, the 14th Asagba of Asaba, disclosed this while hosting the board and management team of the Delta Printing and Publishing Corporation (DPPC), publishers of The Pointer Newspapers.
The revered monarch, who has been vocal and instrumental in redefining the constitutional role of traditional rulers in the country, also pledged his support to the flagship print media organisation of the Delta State Government (The Pointer), marking the beginning of an even stronger partnership with the media.
‘’I do not see myself as a traditional ruler anymore. I have migrated from traditional rulership to traditional governance, and that is what I do.
So, it is not the old-fashioned way of sitting in the palace and waiting for kegs of palm wine, rice, and yams to be brought by your subjects. No. ‘’I go out to meet with people, to attract things to our people and to see to the welfare of the people, their healthcare, among others. This, for me, is the (traditional) governance.
‘’So when people say that I am all over the place, I tell them ‘yes, I should be’ because in the fullness of time, it is my legacy that will speak for me when I am no longer there. ‘’Again, I am running my race, conscious of the fact that I may have succeeded as a lawyer, public administrator, among other things, but I also want to succeed as a traditional ruler,’’ the monarch said.
He further appealed to the Chairman, Pastor Austine Igbine, and the General Manager of DPPC, Mrs Rosemary Nwaebuni, to explore ways of nationalising The Pointer Newspaper, ‘’so that people in Abuja, Jos, Lagos, among other places, will also want to look at The Pointer every morning.
‘’We have a lot of Deltans all over the place; let their first port of call be The Pointer Newspaper. This should be the challenge before you. Let us not restrict our horizon. Let the challenge be how you can push the frontiers. If you can achieve that, then you can say that you have made a success of your appointment.’’
In his address, the Chairman of DPPC, Pastor Austine Igbine appreciated the monarch for his reforms and innovations, which have continued to transform the traditional, cultural and socio-economic landscape of Asaba.
Pastor Igbine stressed the need for a stronger alliance between the media organisation and the traditional institution, which The Pointer has long pursued in its vision statement to practice journalism to represent the interests of and generate benefit for all stakeholders.
Corroborating the Chairman, the General Manager of DPPC, Mrs Rosemary Nwaebuni, appealed to the revered traditional ruler to adopt the media outfit into the organisations he holds dear.
The high point of the meeting was the presentation of an award by the General Manager, Mrs. Nwaebuni, to the Asagba of Asaba, HRM Azinge.
