Aragbiji Rejects Osun Govt’s Recognition Of New Ruling House

The Aragbiji of Iragbiji, Oba Abdulrasheed Olabomi, has rejected the Osun State government’s decision to recognise another family as part of the ruling houses in the town.

Addressing a press conference at his palace on Friday, Oba Olabomi urged the state governor, Ademola Adeleke to reconsider the move, warning that it could incite unrest in the community.

Oba Olabomi stated that the decision was unsolicited and alleged that it was politically motivated.

He noted that no panel of inquiry had recommended such an action since the inception of Governor Adeleke’s administration.

The traditional ruler expressed concerns that the move could destabilise Iragbiji, which he said had remained peaceful for nearly six centuries.

He insisted that Iragbiji has only four recognised ruling houses and that the newly proposed family was not among them.

The monarch described the decision as a threat to the town’s stability and urged the state government to halt the process.

He appealed to Governor Adeleke to prioritise peace and avoid actions that could divide the indigenes or trigger conflicts in the community.

The text of the address reads, “It is important to clarify that the only-one man Judicial Panel of Inquiry conducted on the Aragbiji Chieftaincy had submitted its reports and the Government had made her position known, first with the Osun State Government’s letter Ref No CD.4/1/Vol.IX837 of 25** April, 2013, as well as the osun State Gazette No 7, Vol. 23 of 4th April, 2013.

“Since then, Iragbiji citizens have accepted the FACT as decided by Government and there has been absolute peace.

“The present step taken by Governor Ademola Adeleke is a suspect. It is like the Governor is interested in destroying the peace in Iragbiji, or there is an orchestrated plan to make Iragbiji another crisis-ridden community in the State, God forbid!

“It is rather unfortunate that the Government could approbate and at the same time reprobate. We know, as a matter of fact, that a decision taken by former Governor Rauf Aregbesola-led Executive Council, after due diligence of the Justice Ministry’s advice, cannot be upturned by the same Osun State Government after twelve years. After all, Government is a continuum”.

The text reads further “With the benefits of our introspection, we tend to suspect that there are mischief-makers, who decided to make this Governor run against Iragbiji and her people in order to settle political scores. After all, the Government has all the while been showing unfriendly attitude to Iragbiji.

“It is important to reiterate that the Four Ruling Houses of Ajibode, Osungbemi, Arowodoye and Ogunmolu, who are all sons of Sunkungbade, our progenitor, have reigned in Iragbiji in an unbroken succession for the past 600 years, since when Iragbiji has been, and no clandestine or mischievous efforts can smuggle any other family unknown to our history and tradition into the royal family. We therefore, reject the decision on its entirety.”

Oba Olabomi described as laughable that Barrister Kolapo Alimi, who was the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affair during ex-governor Aregbesola-led administration, when the State Executive Council considered and rejected the ‘failed’ report, is the same individual issuing a release as a member of the present State Executive Council reprobating what was approbated twelve years ago.

He however appealed to well meaning Nigerians to prevail on Governor Adeleke led administration to halt the dangerous process in the interest of peaceful coexistence.

Osun State Government had through a statement signed by the Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi on Wednesday announced that it has approved the White Paper on the Report of a Judicial Panel of Inquiry into the Aragbiji of Iragbiji Chieftaincy Declaration.