Reasons For Chieftaincy Tussle

The pull factors are many and the scramble is rife. Several villages across the country have chiefdom tussle, with accusations and counter accusations causing tensions. This has led to some villages having vacant chieftaincy positions. Amongst the varied reasons is the placement of traditional rulers on a monthly allowance, their presence in the Regional Councils and the search for honours that accompany chieftaincy positions. 
On September 13, 2017, the President of the Republic, Paul Biya signed a decree instituting traditional chiefs to receive a monthly allowance. At the moment, first class traditional rulers receive FCFA 200,000, those of the second class receive FCFA 100,000 and third class traditional rulers have FCFA 50,000. The financial allocation serves as a great motivation for the scramble of becoming a traditional ruler. 
Secondly, with the acceleration of the decentralisation process through the putting in place of Regional Councils which has the presence of traditional leaders, the tussle has increased. The Regional Council of every region is made up of divisional representatives and traditional leaders with their roles clearly outlined in the General Code on Regional and Local Authorities. With the Special Status of the North West and South West Regions, they have a House of Chiefs, made up of traditional rulers. The putting in place of such an institution by...