Dear Sir,
UNLAWFUL WITHHOLDING OF RECOGNITION, ENTITLEMENTS OF ARESAADU OF IRESAADU AND SINISTER PLAN TO NOMINATE ANOTHER CANDIDATE TO BE APPOINTED AS A PARALLEL ARESAADU BY OYO STATE MINISTRY OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND CHIEFTAINCY MATTERS.
Your Excellency Sir, I consider it imperative and urgent to again call your attention to my several previous letters of appeal written by myself and/or my Solicitors in respect of the outstanding entitlements due to me. I have exhausted means of appealing to you by letters since you assumed office in 2019 but unfortunately, it came to my knowledge that some officials within the government who have inordinate personal interest blocked the correspondence from getting your attention.
The two most recent letters of appeal were dated 22nd May, 2024 and 25th February 2025 which were received by your office and copied Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters.
My previous letters speak volume about my legitimate appointment by the immediate past governor, the efforts of some individuals in the government to subvert the course of justice by blocking the release of my entitlements, the court judgement which ordered the release of my entitlements and paraphernalia of office but not obeyed, as well as the three separate legal advices from Ministry of Justice recommending my recognition and the payment of my entitlements.
Sir, you would recall that I was appointed by your predecessor via my Letter of Appointment and Instrument of Office both dated 24th May 2019 (Annexure A and Annexure B). The process of my appointment went through a transparent and fair process of nomination duly monitored by the officials of Surulere Local Government where all Contestants signed the accord to abide by the final result after voting. Surulere Local Government’ observation report is documented in the file at the Ministry of Local Government where I obtained a Certified True Copy from.
Due to the exit of the Administration of Governor Abiola Ajimobi in less than a month after my appointment the payment of allowances was not due then, but was later perfected by your administration for other Obas who were appointed alongside myself at same time, but I was left out. After much waiting and appeals without response, I approached the Court for reliefs. The High court of Oyo State sitting at Orile-Igbon on 2nd February 2021 in Suit No. HOI/19/2020 affirmed my appointment as Aresaadu of Iresaadu and ordered the immediate recognition and payment of my entitlements.
The attempts by some individuals within and outside the government to set aside the judgement failed. Hon. Justice O. M. Fadeyi finally dismissed the Application on 17th February 2025.
The Ministry of Justice on 11th January, 2024 (including previous legal advices) advised the Ministry of Local Government to release the entitlements including all the arrears and explicitly stated that: having a civil case in court cannot delay or serve as a bar to the payment of allowances and benefits due to a serving Oba. The Court in the Judgment delivered on 2nd February 2021 (Annexure C), which was transmitted to you and the relevant Ministries, had ordered the payment of all my entitlements from 24th May 2019 till date, but the judgment has not been complied with. The Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Hon. Ademola Ojo earlier in 2024 heeded the legal advice from Ministry of Justice, having been satisfied with documentary evidence in the Ministry’s file, approved the entitlements and same forwarded to your Excellency for final approval of the accumulated sum. The Senior State Counsel from the Ministry of Justice who is defending the State in the cases instituted by the aggrieved parties over my appointment also confirmed in the open court, when the Judge asked him about the status, that the file had been sent to the Governor for approval of the entitlements which have accumulated for nearly seven years now.
Your Excellency Sir, it came with grave surprise to report the current sinister U-turn by the officials at the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters directing the Surulere Local Government to initiate and set in motion an administrative process to nominate another candidate to be appointed as parallel Aresaadu of Iresaadu in an attempt to cause chaos and upheavals in the community. Similar move was made in May 2024 which made me to cry to you through the press and subsequently the former Commissioner, Hon. Segun Olayiwola who was at the helm of affairs then was redeployed from the Ministry.
In a similar fashion, I earlier in May 4, 2020 called your Excellency’s attention to the forgery of documents by officials of Surulere Local Government and Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters which painted a picture that your Excellency had ordered the stoppage of my installation. In response to my complaint letter of May 4, 2020, Your Excellency graciously directed that the matter be investigated of which I got assurance to that effect in a letter written to me by the then Hon. Commissioner of Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters dated 2nd July 2020 (Annexure D). Unfortunately, till date your directive was ignored. Instead, Surulere Local Government continues to budget and collect allowances meant for me from the Ministry for years even after my installation without disbursing same to me, as well as withholding the assigned vehicle and Police Orderly from me.
In conclusion, going by Your Excellency’s disposition to justice, fairness, rule of law, I pray that you intervene timeously to approve and release the long overdue entitlements and paraphernalia of office, including directing investigation into the matter to bring the culprits to justice.
MY PRAYERS:
1. That Your Excellency intervene timeously to approve and release my long overdue entitlements and paraphernalia of office.
2. That Your Excellency use your highly revered office to ensure that such travesty of Justice in the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters is investigated in order to bring the culprits to book and prevent future similar occurrence.
Once again, I thank your Excellency.
Yours Sincerely,
Signed: A.A.Oyerinde
Oba Abraham Adeyeye Oyerinde (HRM)
Aresaadu of Iresaadu
