The All Progressives Congress, Oyo State Chapter, has commended the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Saliu Adetunji for the court process he initiated, saying that the step is a more honourable one compared to the previous combative steps and provocative statements from the palace.
The party stated that most of the statements credited to the Media Director of Oba Adetunji, Mr. Adeola Oloko, are not complimentary of an imperial majesty stool, explaining that people should understand that it is the hand of Esau, voice of Jacob as the Olubadan is known to be a man of peace who respects his stool and accords same to his people.
The party in a statement by its Director of Media, Research and Strategy, Dr AbdulAzeez Olatunde, noted that it is commendable that the revered royal father has finally remembered that justice can only be gotten from the court of law and not through rude, insulting, provocative and inflammatory statements by media aides who ought to be chastised for their uncharitable utterances that do nothing else but further desecrate the respected stool of the Olubadan.
Dr Olatunde stated that contrary to the insinuation from the palace that the Olubadan’s allowances have not been paid in the last six months, the party is alarmed to discover that the allowances meant for the Olubadan and other members of the Local Government Traditional Council and the Oyo State Council of Traditional Rulers have been paid up to date by the 11 local governments on one hand and the state government on the other in line with the payment status of everyone on the payroll of both tiers of government.
The APC Chief, noted that the Olubadan’s allowance is not treated in isolation but alongside that of other traditional rulers in the state as well as everyone on the payroll.
He stressed that when salaries are delayed, it is not only the Olubadan that is affected, decrying the malicious attempt to portray the Oyo State Government as singling out the monarch for victimization.
He said “Our father, the Olubadan receives multiple tax free payments from all the eleven local governments in Ibadan land. For instance, he has collected up till August 2017 from Ibadan South East LG , Ido LG, Ibadan South West LG, Ibadan North L;G, Oluyole LG and Ibadan North East while Lagelu LG has paid up to July 2017. Egbeda and Ona Ara LGs have paid up to June 2017. Only Akinyele LG is behind in meeting its financial obligations and it is not peculiar to the Olubadan but to the generality of its payroll.
“Contrary to the six months outstanding being peddled, the state government has paid all the monarchs in the state up to June 2017 from the appropriated fund of the approved budget and that is the same month which workers in the state have been paid up to. Kabiyesi still collects his honorarium for any event he attends just like the recently held APC organised Public Sitting on True Federalism. These details were sourced from the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters through the Director in charge, Mr. Zaccheus Jaiyeola. We challenge Mr. Oloko to produce documentary evidence that the state governor has stopped payment of Olubadan’s allowance.
“We in the APC, hold and respect our royal fathers in the state. We accord them their due respect and we will continue to support them. We however appeal to them to separate politics from communal development as well as chieftaincy matters,” Dr Olatunde concluded.
