From Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan
The Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Lekan Balogun, Alli Okunmade II, has directed family heads (Mogajis) in Ibadan metropolis and heads of villages (Baales) in the kingdom to be sensitive, vigilant, be prepared, and be proactive in handling security matters in their respective jurisdictions.
The monarch advocated enlistment of local and traditional hunters in the task of improving the security architecture of Ibadanland, towards securing his people across the 11 local government area of Ibadan in view of rising insecurity in different parts of Nigeria.
He told the Mogajis and Baales to coordinate the the local and traditional hunters with a view to ensuring that they have regular interface with established security agencies, especially the Nigeria Police, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSDC) and the Amotekun Corps
The monarch, who made this known via a statement made available to journalists in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, on Tuesday by his Personal Assistant (Media), Mr. Oladele Ogunsola, noted: “We are presently enjoying relative peace, compared with some other places, to the glory of God. But that’s not to take things for granted.
“Our forebears were not daft when they observed that crab uses its eyes to watch over its head (Ojú ni alákàn fi n sọ́ orí) and perhaps, it was for a time like this that they equally said when there’s a rumour that something is coming, it is net that is used to set trap for that something, which is coming (ó n bọ̀, ó n bọ̀, àwọ̀n là n dẹ ẹ́ dè é)”.
Olubadan equally called on the Ibadan elite to address the abandonment of family house syndrome, a situation where the traditional houses in the indigenous parts of the ancient city are left unoccupied, while the Government Reserved Areas (GRAs) and other eyebrow areas are daily being flocked.
Oba Balogun observed that the abandoned houses in the metroplitan hinterland are now den of people of shady characters and where they engage in illicit drugs in the broad daylight and their rendezvous after criminal activities like burgling, robbery among others at night, stressing that there must be a way out of the problem.
According to the monarch, “It is the joy of every parent to see their children making it in life and no parent would pray not to have children that would live better than him or her, but, as the children make it, they should not forget their roots.
“The saying that from the black pot comes out white pap is very apt in this instance; that proverbial ‘black pot’ is what we are talking about now that it should not be allowed to waste away and become source of problem to the society
“I urge all of us that God has been merciful to, to look back at those dilapidated buildings in the hinterland, where we had our days as children and think of what to do about them, not only to make them useful to our oldies around but to also prevent them from being converted to security threat to other residents.”