From Lateef Dada, Osogbo
A controversy is brewing in Osogbo, the capital of Osun State. If not quickly nipped in the bud by the authorities, it might lead to a major crisis between the neighbouring communities of Osogbo and Ede.
Without mincing words, Osogbo is the capital of Osun State since its creation in August 1991 from the old 
Oyo State. At its creation, the state government secretariat was located at Ogo-Oluwa, Osogbo, with ministries scattered in their rented apartments. But the Bisi Akande administration, which came into office on May 29, 1999, changed the system when he built a secretariat that could accommodate all the ministries and saved the state from paying huge amounts every year for rented apartments. The state government secretariat was built at Abere, a town that Osogbo and Ede have been laying claim to.
Till today, the ownership of the land where the Osun government secretariat was built has not been resolved between Osogbo and Ede, and the persistence has caused tension and apprehension among the residents of the area who hardly sleep with their two eyes closed in apparent fear of being attacked.
The current governor of Osun State, Senator Jackson Nurudeen Ademola Adeleke hails from Osun State.
How video manipulation aggravated tension
Recently, a 29-second video was circulated on the social media, where a woman said to be the Iyalode of Abere said: We have not come for a fight, but any jingle they want to be doing, they should let it reflect that Abere, Ede is the owner of the land. It does not belong to Osogbo and we don’t want what can cause a fight. Our father Ojaja, (Ooni of Ife) did not take it as a fight because he knows that he built it on Ede land.”
Some indigenes of Osogbo thought that the woman was referring to the Government Secretariat because Ede had once claimed ownership of the land. The arguments forced the Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Olanipelun, and Timi of Ede, Oba Munirudeen Lawal to react to the controversy, appealing for the status quo to be maintained on the matter. Efforts to speak with the two monarchs about the community that actually owns the land on which the government secretariat was built proved abortive, as they refused to make further comments on it. Some chiefs contacted also did not want to talk on the matter.
We own the secretariat land – Ede indigenes
But the Amuludun of Abere, Chief Ibraheem Oyekola, explained that the video in circulation emanated as a result of a jingle made on the mall built by Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, on the land of Abere-Ede which some people claimed was on Osogboland.
The jingle made available to our correspondent showed an estate and a building with the inscription “Ojaja More.” The jingle says, “we have very good news for you, especially people living in Osogbo and its environment. Ojaja More is coming soon to Osogbo, the capital city of Osun State.”
Oyekola said the claim that the mall was built on Osogbo land infuriated indigenes of Ede who mobilized and went to meet the person in charge of the mall.
In a full video made available to our correspondent by Chief Oyekola, the aggrieved people from Ede said at the mall: “We have come to meet you because it is not good to give Ede to Osogbo or give Osogbo to Ede. Because we built a company here does not mean we should call this place Osogbo. We are not here for a fight. We don’t want to hear anything like that again. If you put Abere, it is Ede, if you put Ede, it is the same thing. That is what we came for.”
Commenting on the matter, Olagunju Abiodun, a community leader in Ede, explained that River Osun, which is close to the old secretariat, Gbodofon, Osogbo, has been the boundary before Ede conceded the place to Osogbo, positing that, even the old secretariat’s land also belongs to Ede.
His words: “River Osun is the original boundary between Ede and Osogbo on the Gbongan-Osogbo road axis, while the concessional boundary is the river Eleesin that runs beside the Ataoja School of Science and House of Assembly quarters.
“Note the word ‘concessional’ very well. It was conceded, but it was not the original boundary. Ẹde conceded that part of the land from after River Osun to River Eleesin out of pity for Osogbo because the capital city of Osun State is a landlocked town. In this context, Osogbo is a town surrounded by the land of another town. So after much pleading, Ede had to concede the parcel of land that stretches from after River Osun to River Eleesin after Ataoja School of Science to Oṣogbo.
“Even, the recent map brought by NPC for pre-census work considered that area as part of Ẹdẹ North Local Government but our elders in their wisdom not to cause crisis prevailed on the officials of NPC to stop at the High Court, Abeere since we have conceded those parts to Osogbo. Those officials too insisted that they wanted to go there, claiming they were doing their work. But our Babas, our fathers and elders convinced them that it might lead to a communal crisis and the officials finally succumbed.
“Osogbo expansion and annexation agenda has made them look elsewhere for their River Eleesin which they said is in Ọladunjoye town, another town in Ẹdẹ after Abeere town and before Owode town. They claimed that their River Eléèsìn is located inside Police Zone XI headquarters. “I am just trying to put the record straight for the public. The status quo that remains as directed by our Kábíyèsí, the Timi of Edeland, and Ataoja of Oṣogbo is the narrative I just gave above. That’s the status quo that should remain and nothing else.
“But, if our neighbours are proving too stubborn and don’t stop calling towns in Ẹdẹ theirs, we might be forced to reclaim the part of the land that our fathers had conceded to them in this axis out of their magnanimity”” he added.
Speaking further in a telephone conversation with our correspondent, Abiodun maintained that the Federal High Court, INEC office, House of Assembly, and NTA up till the Government Secretariat is still on Abeere land. He said all that land belongs to Ede, even as he insisted that the concession didn’t extend to those areas.
Not true, we’re real owners of secretariat – Osogbo natives
But the son of a famous man in Osogbo, the late Wole-Ola, Alhaji Akeem Wole-Ola, described the claim that Abere owns the land where the secretariat is located as ‘untrue and misleading,’ insisting that Ede had never for once conceded any land to Osogbo.
He challenged Ede to mention the name of the compound that owns the land and produce the document to back up their claim.
He said: “The people of Ede are smart. Ask them to mention the compound that owns the Gbodofon to Ataoja. I can tell you boldly that Osogbo sold all the land and none of it was sold by Ede (both left and right).
“There is a compound called Okanlawon compound in Osogbo. They are the owners of Ataoja Estate. There is a river we call Oloro. From there, the House of Assembly belongs to the Ori-Eru compound beside the Alajo compound in Osogbo. Where the Federal High court and the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) are located belongs to the Dalegan compound. They have a hut there. Where the House of Assembly and NTA are located belongs to the Alajo compound and they collected the compensation in 1959. I have all the documents. The document of Rabiu Opalana who is the uncle of my late father, in 1959 at Onigbago where they paid his compensation is also with me.
“Now, where they call Abere today is not Abere. We call it Alagbede farm. Pa Oguntolu of Alagbede compound collected the compensation for that place in 1959.
“Also, the mother of late Kareem, Alabere, hailed from the Alajo compound, Ile-Eru. They gave his mother the land where she built a house. It is the dualization of the road that affected the place. Kareem sold the small piece of land remaining. It is his mother’s house. We both grew up at Ori-Eeru at the Alajo compound.
“There is a compound called Abere in Ede. Their land is located behind the present AIG office. There is a river behind the AIG Zone XI that they call Elesi. That is where Abere is located.
“So, Ede did not concede land to Osogbo. The late Ajala in the 1870s fought Ede on the land called Onigbago which is the boundary of Osogbo and Ede. The Agric settlement took over the land.
“I was not told the history. I grew up in that area. I appeared before an inquiry and I told them about this history where I faced three lawyers,” he added.
And state government keeps mum
Meanwhile, the state government has kept mum over the matter. But a source close to the government said agreements have been made between the two towns before the governorship election on how to reach a compromise and end the feud. He said the government will soon make the agreement open.
“The two monarchs have agreed before the governorship election and the agreement will please the two towns. Governor Ademola Adeleke will make it known very soon because the monarchs have allowed him to disclose it whenever he is ready,” the source stated
Keep calm, Ataoja, Timi appeal to Osogbo, Ede indigenes
The letter jointly issued by the Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Olanipelun, and Timi of Ede, Oba Munirudeen Lawal reads: “Our attention has been drawn to rumours and wild insinuations about the status of Osun State Government Secretariat. As royal fathers of Osogboland and Edeland, we affirm there is no conflict or controversy over the status, location, and naming of the state government Secretariat.
“We want to reassure our people that the status quo remains as the state government has not acted in any way to deny any community of their rights and privileges. We blame political forces for attempting to politicize the issue to foment trouble and destabilize the state.
“We call on our people at home and abroad to continue to ensure peaceful co-existence across their communities. As royal fathers, we are convinced the administration of Governor Ademola Adeleke has a genuine intention to deepen inter-community peace and partnership for the development of our dear state,” it added.