The Olugbon of Orile-Igbon Oba Francis Olushola Alao has assured Oyo State Governor Oluseyi Makinde that members of the Oyo State Council of Obas and Chiefs will give enough support to the new chairman, Oba Rashidi Ladoja.
The monarch gave the assurance while hosting the governor in his palace at Orile-Igbon on Friday. Some other traditional rulers in Surulere Local Government joined the Olugbon to welcome Makinde to the palace.
Oba Alao, who thanked the governor for the visit, assured that he, and other members of the council of obas were behind Makinde, assuring that Oba Ladoja will enjoy the support of members of the council across the five zones in the state. The zones are Ibadan, Oyo, Ogbomoso, Oke-Ogun and Ibarapa.
The monarch, who is the deputy chairman of the obas council, said: “Your Excellency, Engr. Seyi Makinde, we appreciate you for coming here. And I will like to take this opportunity to explain that the government has done what is needful on the Oyo State Council of Obas and Chiefs. We are in support of the decision.
“Oyo State Council of Obas and Chiefs has now been re-inaugurated. And we have a new chairman in the person of His Excellency Oba Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja, the Olubadan of Ibadan.
“I want to assure Your Excellency that we are all one in the council. We are united across the five zones – Ogbomoso, Ibadan, Oyo, Oke-Ogun and Ibarapa. People can say things but we are members of one united family.”
Responding, the governor said: “I came here over what happened in Oloka. I have visited there, and I assured them that their government will not fail them. The people own this government. I am also assuring the people of Surulere Local Government and everyone in Ogbomoso Zone that development projects will spread across all the five local governments in Ogbomoso Zone. I only ask for your cooperation.”
The traditional rulers that joined the Olugbon were the Aresapa of Iresa pupa, Oba Moses Ajiboye; Aranyin of Iranyin, Oba Lasisi Olagbemileke; Olujado of Ijado, Oba Hammed Adegbile and Iba Abogunde Tajudeen Aminullahi.
In an additional comment to Newspeakonline, the Olugbon stressed the need for the traditional system to embrace contemporary reality, saying empires have given way to new power structures globally.
His words: “The world is not static but dynamic in nature. In the past centuries, there were the Roman, French and British empires which ruled the world. But looking at today’s world order the United States, Russia and emerging China are the leading powerful nations.
The system we are operating in Nigeria is not monarchy. I implore all traditional rulers across the state to cooperate with the government of the day.
“There is no perfection in decisions of government. We just need deeper understanding of our collective will in entrenching good governance, promoting economic development, security and peaceful co existence in our dear state. Modernity has restructured the governance system in Nigeria.”
Makinde re-inaugurated the council of obas on Thursday with the Olubadan of Ibadan Oba Ladoja as its chairman. He will serve a tenure of two years.
Prior to Thursday inauguration, the council had been held down by litigation for 15 years.
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