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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.
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.
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.
According to monarch, “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”.
“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.”
Meanwhile, the Osun state government posited that the decision of the State Executive Council only reversed a previous state action which apparently denied a ruling house the due rights to be included in the chieftaincy declaration.
In a statement signed by Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Hon Dosu Babatunde reassured the public that the government decision on the Iragbiji Chieftaincy Declaration is not targeted at anybody and is not meant to disrupt public peace.
He stated that the intention is to enforce equity and fairness.
He said “The administration of Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola in 2010 set up a One Man Judicial Panel of Inquiry into the Aragbiji of Iragbiji Chieftaincy Declaration to include Lagbua Family as a Ruling House. The Panel was headed by a serving Judge of the Osun State High Court of Justice, Osogbo; Hon Justice Dr A.A Aderibigbe and its setting up was as a result of sustained agitation by the Lagbua Family of Iragbiji to the Government.
“The Panel sat between March 8 and 31, 2010 at the High Court Hall, Osogbo and all relevant stakeholders in the Aragbiji of Iragbiji Chieftaincy testified before the Panel. It submitted its report to the Government on 28th July, 2010 but the report was not considered by the State Executive Council until April 3, 2013 when in its wisdom, the then Executive Council rejected the Panel’s recommendation on the basis that the request of the Lagbua Family was in the remote past. The decision was then published in the Government Official Gazette.
“It should be noted that as at the time when the State Executive Council met in 2013, an Iragbiji son was the Chief of Staff to former Governor Aregbesola. Reports then indicated that the Council was largely influenced to ignore the merit of the panel’s report by simply throwing it out.
“However, the Lagbua Family continued its agitation and appealed to the present administration for redress. His Excellency, the Executive Governor later approved the constitution of a Committee to come up with a White Paper on the Report of the One Man Judicial Panel composed of senior technocrats in Government.
“The new Committee recommended that the Government should set aside the decision of the then State Executive Council which rejected the recommendation of the One Man Judicial Panel of Inquiry and implement its recommendations on the basis that:
“The reason for the rejection of the Panel’s recommendation had ab initio been addressed and resolved by the Panel of Inquiry which took judicial evidence from all the parties. The Panel of Inquiry in one of its findings agreed that the claim of the Lagbua Family is not remote because they have consistently been agitating for their inclusion in the Chieftaincy Declaration of Aragbiji of Iragbiji, having written series of letters and petitions to the Governments of Western Region, Western State, Oyo State and Osun State.
“The Panel found that Lagbua Family was included in the draft Aragbiji Chieftaincy Declarations of 1951 and 1956 but was excluded when the Declaration was to be registered in 1958.”
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