THE ROLE OF TRADITIONAL INSTITUTION ON NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA

Isiaq Atanda Abdulwaheed; Abdulrauf Ambali, PhD & Ibrahim O. Salawu, PhD

Abstract

Essentially, the traditional institution is the supreme authority, particularly in the pre-colonial African society. It provides a system of administration from which the law and order have come and has made a significant contribution to national development. This has not come without some modern challenges, as the main objective of this paper is to examine the role of traditional institutions in the context of national development.  The paper, which is theoretical in nature, derived its arguments from secondary data, including textbooks, journals, articles and publications. The paper finds that various issues have contributed to the continuous loss of importance of traditional rulers in administration of the grassroots and contribution to National development. Generally, the arrangement of traditional rulers follow set down customary system whereby just individuals from the imperial families reserved the privilege to be so delegated. In an endeavor to make sure their quest for political dominance supersedes that of another, traditional rulers strategically take part in factional governmental issues by sponsorship up-and-comers who they accept can bolster their cause. This is against their normal job of non-partisanship in the release of their regal capacities. Fundamentally, the political procedure isn't agreeable to conventional rulers. The paper however, concludes that traditional rulers play a very important role in national development and that the traditional institution is one of the veritable tools for a wholistic development.