Monarch backs Ogun Assembly on 76 ‘controversial obas’

A monarch, Oba Ebenezer Akinyemi, has supported the nullification of the appointment of 76 monarchs across the state by ex-Governor Ibikunle Amosun.

The affected monarchs were appointed between February and May 28.

The Ogun State House of Assembly, led by its Speaker, Suraju Ishola Adekunbi has passed a bill and resolutions nullifying all appointments and promotion of traditional rulers by the immediate past administration.

Oba Akinyemi, who is the Eselu of Iselu in Yewa North Local Government said the sacking of the ‘controversial monarchs’ was in the best interests of traditional institution in the state.

He, however, observed that the assembly should have consulted the prescribed traditional authority on the procedure to be adopted on the matter.

“The power to recommend promotion as coronet monarch or oba reside with the traditional council and paramount rulers. The requirement is that a letter of request would have been written to the council that a community headed by a Baale (village head) is in need of an oba (monarch). The council in turn would consider and recommend the request to the appropriate ministry for approval and installation.

“For example, in my own area, there was no letter of request to the traditional council; or prescribed traditional authority, yet the immediate past state government upgraded the baales to monarchs; that’s an embarrassment to the obaship institution.

“The power to recommend upgrade of stool has been delegated to the traditional council and that means that the state government, which delegated the power, should not have exercised it without first withdrawing the delegated power from the prescribed traditional leadership in the affected communities.’’

Oba Akinyemi described as untrue accusation of betrayal being peddled against Speaker Adekunbi for leading other lawmakers to sack the controversial monarchs.

“Speaker Adekunbi is not a betrayer. He is a good son of Yewaland and patriotic indigene of the state. Whoever calls him a betrayer is not a good person. Adekunbi has served the state diligently as Speaker of House of Assembly for eight years without any blemish. For the first time in recent times, his eight unbroken eight years tenure as Speaker recorded no chaos, even at the detriment of the interests of Ogun West, which recorded no significant development,” the monarch said.