First Class Traditional Rulers in Nigeria: Guardians of culture, heritage, and leadership — highly respected across the nation.
In today’s feature on Nigerian leaders and culture, we highlight some of the
First Class Traditional Rulers in Nigeria, as documented by Iyierioba.com.
According to Nigerian law, 5% of the monthly federal allocation to local governments is reserved for traditional rulers, with First Class Kings being the highest beneficiaries. Many state governments further classify traditional rulers into First Class, Second Class, and Third Class, with benefits allocated based on these categories.
First Class monarchs are chosen from Nigeria’s most historic and influential kingdoms.
Whenever the Federal Government meets with traditional rulers, it is this category of leaders that
receives invitations. They are officially recognized as First Class Traditional Rulers in Nigeria.
List of Nigeria’s First Class Traditional Rulers
Below is a comprehensive list of some of the First Class Kings recognized by the Federal Government of Nigeria:
| S/N | Title | Kingdom/Region |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oba of Benin | Benin |
| 2 | Ooni of Ife | Ife |
| 3 | Olu of Warri | Warri |
| 4 | Obi of Onitsha | Onitsha |
| 5 | Atta of Igala | Igala |
| 6 | Amanyanabo of Kalabari | Kalabari |
| 7 | Oluwo of Iwo | Iwo |
| 8 | Igwe of Nnewi | Nnewi |
| 9 | Dein of Agbor | Agbor |
| 10 | Emir of Kano | Kano |
| 11 | Sultan of Sokoto | Sokoto |
| 12 | Azagba of Asaba | Asaba |
| 13 | Emir of Ilorin | Ilorin |
| 14 | Alaafin of Oyo | Oyo |
| 15 | Oba of Lagos | Lagos |
| 16 | Obong of Calabar | Calabar |
| 17 | Etsu Nupe | Nupe |
| 18 | Shehu of Borno | Borno |
| 19 | Lamido of Adamawa | Adamawa |
| 20 | Olubadan of Ibadan | Ibadan |
