The crisis rocking the traditional council in Ibadanland may soon be over as the withheld local government allowances of the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Saliu Adetunji, Aje Ogungunniso 1, would be paid by the end of this month with the Ekerin Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Abiodun Kola-Daisi, taking the lead in the release of the withheld allowances.
Oba Kola-Daisi, who is the Chairman of Oluyole Local Government Traditional Council, in a letter to Oba Kola Adegbola, Ekarun Olubadan of Ibadanland, a copy of which was made available to journalists in Ibadan on Monday, said he had instructed the secretariat of his local government (Oluyole) to go ahead and release the withheld allowances due to Oba Adetunji.
It would be recalled that all the High Chiefs promoted to beaded-crown-wearing Obas by the governor of Oyo State, Sen. Abiola Ajimobi, last year, following a review of the Ibadan Traditional Council, that oversees the affairs of all the local government traditional councils in Ibadanland, decided last year to withhold the councils’ allowances to the Olubadan because of his opposition to their elevation.
In the letter, Oba Kola-Daisi recalled the resolution of the Obas in 2017, saying, “Please, recall that at one of our meetings during the month of September 17th at Mapo Hall, a resolution was passed to the effect that we should instruct our various Local Government Council Secretariats to henceforth suspend the monthly allowances and emoluments that were being paid to His Imperial Majesty, the Olubadan of Ibadanland.”
The Ekerin Olubadan further stated that in Oluyole Local Government Traditional Council where he “acts as the chairman on behalf of Olubadan of Ibadanland”, he had, based on the 2017 resolution, accumulated as much as N900,000.00 which the council must now pay to the Olubadan based on his (Oba Daisi’s) instruction.
According to him, “I have had a deep reflection and reasoning on this action ever since and I have come to the conclusion that in as much as the Olubadan is the authority by which I have the privilege to sit as the acting chairman at the traditional council meetings, it is not proper to undermine or jeopardise the authority and deny or withhold the entitlements that are due to His Imperial Majesty, The Olubadan of Ibadanland.”
Oba Kola-Daisi, in the letter, counselled his colleague Obas to toe his line, saying, “In addition, and with supreme humility, I suggest that a similar step should be taken by all other traditional councils on the basis that a delegate/trustee can never assume superior authority over his principal, especially when as, in our own case, we have no independent identity, except as individual members of the Olubadan-in-Council.”
The Ekerin Olubadan averred that the step being taken and advocated was ”the spirit and intent of the historic reforms of the visionary governor of Oyo State, Sen. Abiola Ajimobi, and a step in the direction of achieving an amicable settlement of the unwanted current dislocations.
“To continue in the present stance savours of nothing, but a conspiracy by his junior Kabiyesis against the highest traditional authority in Ibadanland bequeathed to us by our most noble ancestors,” Oba Kola-Daisi added.
