Vice-President Kashim Shettima has said traditional institutions are important to strengthening national unity and promoting peaceful coexistence across the country.

The vice-president stated this on Monday in Lafia, Nasarawa, during the 70th birthday and valedictory ceremony of the 16th Emir of Lafia, Justice Sidi Bage Muhammad I.

Mr Shettima described the Emir as an example of the leadership Nigeria needs, saying his life reflects integrity, scholarship, justice and service to the people.

He said Justice Bage’s journey from the judiciary to the traditional institution offers a clear lesson on good leadership. According to him, the Emir carried those values from the bench into the throne.

“From the lecture halls of Ahmadu Bello University to the corridors of the Nigerian legal profession, he built a reputation upon integrity, scholarship and an uncompromising fidelity to justice,” Mr Shettima said.

He added that the Emir did not abandon those values after ascending the throne.

“When he ascended the throne of his forefathers, he did not abandon the discipline of the bench. He brought it with him, and the people of Lafia have been the better for it,” Mr Shettima said.

Mr Shettima also praised him as the chairman of the Nasarawa State Council of Chiefs, saying his leadership has helped promote unity in such a diverse state.

He added that traditional rulers remain key to national unity, noting that the Emir has supported culture, religious harmony and peaceful coexistence.

“Traditional authority, when exercised with wisdom, remains among the most powerful instruments of national cohesion that we possess,” Mr Shettima said.

The vice-president said Nigeria would make greater progress if all regions produced leaders who choose service over personal gain and peace over division.

“I have come to believe, after years of reflection upon the condition of our country, that Nigeria will rise to the fullness of her promise on the day when every region, every state, and every community is blessed with leadership of this calibre,” he said.

He also commended Governor Abdullahi Sule for promoting stability and infrastructural development in the state, adding that the administration of President Bola Tinubu is working closely with traditional rulers to promote peace and development under the Renewed Hope Agenda.