Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan
Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Saliu Adetunji, Aje Ogungunniso I, has told members of Olubadan-in-Council that they lack royal etiquette based on the way they have been going around to allegedly insult the paramount ruler of Ibadanland.
This was contained in a letter, dated, February 5, 2020, by the Olubadan and addressed to his chiefs that include the Otun Olubadan, Lekan Balogun; Balogun of Ibadanland, Owolabi Olakulehin, that the Oyo State High Court has nullified their installations as kings.
The letter was written in response to an earlier one written to Oba Adetunji by the chiefs on January 27, 2020.
“We read extracts from your letter of January 27, 2020 on newspaper pages before receiving it at 2.45pm on Monday, February 3, from Kamoru Liasu, secretary, Olubadan-in-Council. If you have teachable spirit, putting a letter meant for Olubadan in the public domain before it eventually gets to him is indicative of your tacit lack of royal etiquette.
“As if this were not enough, you had the impudence of writing this same letter on Ibadan Oba-in-Council letter head. The so-called Ibadan Oba-in-Council is not known to law, how much or less our custom and tradition. Even in the content of your letter, you referred to yourselves as members of Olubadan-in-Council. This shows absurdity unbecoming of ‘High Chiefs’ of Ibadanland.
“We should not have dignified you with a reply if not for your fruitless but desperate effort to absolve yourselves from the damage you collaborated with the immediate past administration of governor Abiola Ajimobi to inflict on our traditional patrimony. What you did in the name of chieftaincy review along with that administration was equivalent of coup calculated to disrupt the smooth flow of Ibadan chieftaincy system.
“Unfortunately for you, the coup failed. As a matter of fact, Ibadan people were demanding your banishment from the city. This is a recent history which no one can twist, bend or manipulate as you have shamelessly sought in your four-page letter. Thankfully, our people have expressed their reservations and today we are savouring the joy and victory of a new dawn in our traditional institution’s history.
“When we said the other time that our battle is over, some of you who were so obsessed with unlawful use of Obaship title and illegal wearing of crowns and coronets could not read between the lines. By the stroke of pen, somebody created a crisis situation in our chieftaincy system, by the same token, somebody created sanity and normalcy has returned.
“As the Olubadan of Ibadanland, I do not carry out the statutory duties of high chiefs, nor obstruct anybody from performing his duties, but when we send out invitations for meetings, it is you who choose which ones to attend or not. As nature does not abhor vacuum, life continues. But it is the same invitation that we extend to you that we also extend to other high chiefs such as Osi Olubadan, Ekerin Olubadan, Ekerin Balogun, Ekarun Balogun and Iyalode who did not sign your letter of grievances. Thankfully, more and more people are beginning to repent.
“Our style of administration in the palace which you complained about is not in any way different from the style elsewhere. If you are invited to a council meeting at 11.00am and arrive at 1.30pm when the Olubadan is already seated without prior notice of your late coming, this is indiscipline and is punishable. It does not matter whether the offence is committed by one, two or more high chiefs. It becomes suspect when three or four of you are coming at the same time to the council meeting,” the Olubadan said.