The Lagos State Government has warned individuals and groups against assuming or parading unauthorised chieftaincy titles.
It described the trend as illegal and disruptive to public order.
In a public advisory issued on Monday, the government said its attention had been drawn to “an unhealthy development where some individuals or groups have assumed certain Chieftaincy titles, either on their own or as leaders of ethnic groups, without the approval of the State Government.”
The advisory, signed by the Commissioner for Local Government, Chieftaincy Affairs and Rural Development, Bolaji Robert, stated that such titles are not recognised by the State.
The advisory said, “These titles are not recognised in the State and their use has caused tension, confusion, and needless crises. The situation requires urgent action to inject sanity and arrest the growing trend of impunity, in the interest of peace, law and order in the State.”
The government noted that the number of self-acclaimed traditional rulers had continued to rise despite previous regulatory efforts.
“The preponderance of these self-acclaimed Chieftaincy titles has reached an alarming level, rendering efforts at curbing these untoward excesses by the State Government through the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy Affairs, and Rural Development largely ineffective,” it stated.
While acknowledging Lagos as a cosmopolitan state, the government warned against the assumption of royal titles and styles not backed by law.
“While we recognise the right of various groups to appoint leaders to coordinate their affairs in Lagos State, the assumption of Chieftaincy titles and nomenclatures equivalent to that of an ‘Oba’ or appellations such as ‘His Royal Majesty’, ‘His Royal Highness’ or its equivalent is in contravention of the extant Obas and Chiefs Law of Lagos State 2015 and thus illegal,” the advisory read.
The government stressed that only the governor has the authority to approve chieftaincy matters in the State.
“Particularly, the appropriate authority for the approval of Chieftaincy titles in Lagos State is Mr. Governor through the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy Affairs, and Rural Development,” it said, adding that Sections 15, 16, 17, 18 and 20 of the law outline the procedures for such approvals.
