The Otun Olubadan of Ibadan land, Oba Lekan Balogun, has said
that the 21-day ultimatum issued against the Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba
Saliu Adetunji was empty and an initiative for peace.
According to Balogun, in an interview with Sunday Tribune, ’the case of the 21 days ultimatum was like an initiative for peace. Who will give ultimatum to the Olubadan and the Ibadan elders will not run around to make peace from it and say don’t go beyond that?’
He went further: ’It was an initiative for peace. If the Kabiyesi had handled it very well, he would have reached out to us that my people what have I done to deserve this ultimatum. And the elders would say the grievances have been taken too far and then we repeat our grievances, they will resolve the issues. By that, Kabiyesi would also be more willing to listen to us at that time.’
On the reaction of the Mogaji’s giving them a counter seven days ultimatum to withdraw their 21 days ultimatum to Olubadan, Balogun noted that \’the reaction was not expected and not appropriate either. Giving us seven days to do what? (Heaves), it is a conservative reaction and can never lead us to peace. It’s not one that will make peace. It is contrary to the motive for the original ultimatum. It’s a reaction which if not properly handled will lead to more complications which are not good for the Olubadan. He is the head and has much more at stake than anybody. Even the initiative for peace is my thought and I felt we should all sue for peace, and expecting that we will all come round the table to make peace and not this thoughtless reaction.
‘We should all be careful not to set Ibadan on fire. I will plead with my colleagues to ignore the seven days ultimatum because it was not well-thought out. We will just ignore it. Unfortunately, some of the guys – Adanla, Ladoja and Abass Oloko, who came with up with the reaction are also our own children. The three people that are behind the reaction are very close to me personally. The two ultimatums are demonstration of our paper tigers, disposition. They won’t face me and say those things they said in the ultimatum. I have forgiven them; they are my children. That is the aspect we would use to resolve the situation. Some of us are close to ourselves, so the threats are empty.\’
Revealing why he and other elevated Ibadan Obas are angry with the Olubadan, Oba Saliu Adetunji, Balogun said that ’things are not normal under his leadership; relationships are not normal.’
He disclosed that ‘the irony of life is that I love this Olubadan, His Imperial Majesty, Oba Saliu Adetunji. I love him as a person. For instance, his family seems to have taken over the role of Olubadan-in-Council. They usurp some roles and he seems to have forgotten that his success is ours and ours is also his. He is the head of the Olubadan-in-Council and not the Olubadan-in-council. We were the kingmakers that elected him as the Olubadan when the council was the king-making body that elected Olubadan, and we elected him.
‘Surprisingly, the most unwanted person at the palace now is the Balogun of Ibadanland who was the actual person that nominated this Olubadan in particular. I may be next to him in terms of ranking but I also seconded the motion. And we pushed the motion through until he became the Olubadan. Is it now right for anybody who is related to that Olubadan to say we don’t matter to him? We were once referred to as third parties by the Olubadan himself and I asked him, are we third parties? We are an extension of you for God’s sake, Baba! And I swear once again, I love Baba as a person. Third parties in matters affecting Ibadan, no; we’re an extension of the Olubadan that’s why we’re called the Olubadan-in-Council together with him. He is just the head of the Olubadan-in-council and the Olubadan of Ibadanland, His Imperial Majesty as the head of the council.’
He accused the younger Olori of destabilising the Olubadan-in-Council. ‘Yes from the oloris, especially the younger olori played a major role in destabilising the Olubadan-in-Council. At the Olubadan-in-Council meeting, they will sit with us, get up and contribute ideas and insult chiefs. And you won’t believe this, they were running the council.
‘The fortnight meeting of Olubadan-in-Council became everyday meeting at the palace for the wives and the subordinates of the Kabiyesi who subordinate themselves further to the oloris who give directives on who should be Baales, Mogajis and so on and so forth. The role of Olubadan is such that he would choose his friends among the Olubadan-in-Council, choose his younger brothers, his confidants and they would be one family. But Oba Adetunji distanced himself from the Olubadan-in-Council and subsequently his children were also involved. But the more intelligent ones don’t interfere at all. I am very close to two of them; the sensible ones, they don’t interfere at all. One is a banker and the other one is a business person, perhaps a contractor or something. The two are nice people.
‘When these wives sit with us at the Olubadan-in-Council, especially the younger one, they insult High Chiefs in their contributions and discussions at the Olubadan-in-Council meetings. For a very long time we were taking it though as an unusual thing, thinking that as time goes on we would get over it, but it was getting worse. It was one High Chief after the other. The anti-climax was the reform that came recently. One of the wives was claimed to have told some people that “you mean any other woman would call herself olori in this town?”. And that’s why she is rejecting the reform,’ he explained.
He said it was not the monarch who rejected the reform. ’No. Kabiyesi is a nice person and gentleman I insist. He is a very nice person.That’s the contradiction in the whole thing. He is nice to a fault actually. The immediate Olubadan, Oba Samuel Odugade, his wife, though, she a civilised and cultured woman, she never got involved. But on one occasion, she just chipped in, the late Olubadan challenged her immediately that “are you a member of this council? I am the Olubadan for God’s sake and not you. What’s your business?” Civilised and cultured, the woman herself, it never happened again.
‘In this case, when the wife is insulting you, the present Olubadan will just make signal to you to take it easy. He will be making gesture to you as his brother not to bother. He would say nothing to the wives to checkmate them, at least to let them know that what they were doing was wrong. To that extent, however, he is nice to a fault, a very nice person. And I would never ever wish him ill. So, these are the remnants of the things that led to this clash. The anti-climax like I told you is the reform, and the reform itself is harmless. It doesn’t touch anything; the structure of chieftaincy hierarchy in Ibadan. Ekarun is till Ekarun, Balogun is Balogun; Otun is Otun and so on.
We have not even got to the extent of appointing Kabiyesi for Beere, Idi-Arere, Oja’ba, Gbenla, Ayeye and so on and so forth. We still remain one family of Olubadan of Ibadanland and your Otun, Osi, Ashipa, Balogun, Ekerin, Ekarun and others are still one unit,’ he added.
On whether the reform has changed the status quo by making some High Chiefs and Baales Obas as regards the statutory role of the Olubadan-in-Council, he said: ’the reform has not touched Ibadan chieftaincy in any form. It merely introduced fashion and nomenclature that we’re now called Oba. We are still Otun Olubadan, Balogun, Ekerin, Ashipa, Osi and all sorts as they were before. The structure remains intact. So, what are we quarrelling about? Nomenclature and fashion? Meanwhile the nomenclature merely puts us in line with the rest of Yorubaland. That is what obtains in other parts of Yorubaland: Ekiti, Ondo, Abeokuta /Egba , Ijebu, Osun, name it. They have imperial majesties who may have beaded crowns and others with smaller crowns as subordinates to them. So why are we quarrelling in Ibadan? A lot of people don’t even understand the reform; they were just quarrelling for the sake of it.
According to Balogun, in an interview with Sunday Tribune, ’the case of the 21 days ultimatum was like an initiative for peace. Who will give ultimatum to the Olubadan and the Ibadan elders will not run around to make peace from it and say don’t go beyond that?’
He went further: ’It was an initiative for peace. If the Kabiyesi had handled it very well, he would have reached out to us that my people what have I done to deserve this ultimatum. And the elders would say the grievances have been taken too far and then we repeat our grievances, they will resolve the issues. By that, Kabiyesi would also be more willing to listen to us at that time.’
On the reaction of the Mogaji’s giving them a counter seven days ultimatum to withdraw their 21 days ultimatum to Olubadan, Balogun noted that \’the reaction was not expected and not appropriate either. Giving us seven days to do what? (Heaves), it is a conservative reaction and can never lead us to peace. It’s not one that will make peace. It is contrary to the motive for the original ultimatum. It’s a reaction which if not properly handled will lead to more complications which are not good for the Olubadan. He is the head and has much more at stake than anybody. Even the initiative for peace is my thought and I felt we should all sue for peace, and expecting that we will all come round the table to make peace and not this thoughtless reaction.
‘We should all be careful not to set Ibadan on fire. I will plead with my colleagues to ignore the seven days ultimatum because it was not well-thought out. We will just ignore it. Unfortunately, some of the guys – Adanla, Ladoja and Abass Oloko, who came with up with the reaction are also our own children. The three people that are behind the reaction are very close to me personally. The two ultimatums are demonstration of our paper tigers, disposition. They won’t face me and say those things they said in the ultimatum. I have forgiven them; they are my children. That is the aspect we would use to resolve the situation. Some of us are close to ourselves, so the threats are empty.\’
Revealing why he and other elevated Ibadan Obas are angry with the Olubadan, Oba Saliu Adetunji, Balogun said that ’things are not normal under his leadership; relationships are not normal.’
He disclosed that ‘the irony of life is that I love this Olubadan, His Imperial Majesty, Oba Saliu Adetunji. I love him as a person. For instance, his family seems to have taken over the role of Olubadan-in-Council. They usurp some roles and he seems to have forgotten that his success is ours and ours is also his. He is the head of the Olubadan-in-Council and not the Olubadan-in-council. We were the kingmakers that elected him as the Olubadan when the council was the king-making body that elected Olubadan, and we elected him.
‘Surprisingly, the most unwanted person at the palace now is the Balogun of Ibadanland who was the actual person that nominated this Olubadan in particular. I may be next to him in terms of ranking but I also seconded the motion. And we pushed the motion through until he became the Olubadan. Is it now right for anybody who is related to that Olubadan to say we don’t matter to him? We were once referred to as third parties by the Olubadan himself and I asked him, are we third parties? We are an extension of you for God’s sake, Baba! And I swear once again, I love Baba as a person. Third parties in matters affecting Ibadan, no; we’re an extension of the Olubadan that’s why we’re called the Olubadan-in-Council together with him. He is just the head of the Olubadan-in-council and the Olubadan of Ibadanland, His Imperial Majesty as the head of the council.’
He accused the younger Olori of destabilising the Olubadan-in-Council. ‘Yes from the oloris, especially the younger olori played a major role in destabilising the Olubadan-in-Council. At the Olubadan-in-Council meeting, they will sit with us, get up and contribute ideas and insult chiefs. And you won’t believe this, they were running the council.
‘The fortnight meeting of Olubadan-in-Council became everyday meeting at the palace for the wives and the subordinates of the Kabiyesi who subordinate themselves further to the oloris who give directives on who should be Baales, Mogajis and so on and so forth. The role of Olubadan is such that he would choose his friends among the Olubadan-in-Council, choose his younger brothers, his confidants and they would be one family. But Oba Adetunji distanced himself from the Olubadan-in-Council and subsequently his children were also involved. But the more intelligent ones don’t interfere at all. I am very close to two of them; the sensible ones, they don’t interfere at all. One is a banker and the other one is a business person, perhaps a contractor or something. The two are nice people.
‘When these wives sit with us at the Olubadan-in-Council, especially the younger one, they insult High Chiefs in their contributions and discussions at the Olubadan-in-Council meetings. For a very long time we were taking it though as an unusual thing, thinking that as time goes on we would get over it, but it was getting worse. It was one High Chief after the other. The anti-climax was the reform that came recently. One of the wives was claimed to have told some people that “you mean any other woman would call herself olori in this town?”. And that’s why she is rejecting the reform,’ he explained.
He said it was not the monarch who rejected the reform. ’No. Kabiyesi is a nice person and gentleman I insist. He is a very nice person.That’s the contradiction in the whole thing. He is nice to a fault actually. The immediate Olubadan, Oba Samuel Odugade, his wife, though, she a civilised and cultured woman, she never got involved. But on one occasion, she just chipped in, the late Olubadan challenged her immediately that “are you a member of this council? I am the Olubadan for God’s sake and not you. What’s your business?” Civilised and cultured, the woman herself, it never happened again.
‘In this case, when the wife is insulting you, the present Olubadan will just make signal to you to take it easy. He will be making gesture to you as his brother not to bother. He would say nothing to the wives to checkmate them, at least to let them know that what they were doing was wrong. To that extent, however, he is nice to a fault, a very nice person. And I would never ever wish him ill. So, these are the remnants of the things that led to this clash. The anti-climax like I told you is the reform, and the reform itself is harmless. It doesn’t touch anything; the structure of chieftaincy hierarchy in Ibadan. Ekarun is till Ekarun, Balogun is Balogun; Otun is Otun and so on.
We have not even got to the extent of appointing Kabiyesi for Beere, Idi-Arere, Oja’ba, Gbenla, Ayeye and so on and so forth. We still remain one family of Olubadan of Ibadanland and your Otun, Osi, Ashipa, Balogun, Ekerin, Ekarun and others are still one unit,’ he added.
On whether the reform has changed the status quo by making some High Chiefs and Baales Obas as regards the statutory role of the Olubadan-in-Council, he said: ’the reform has not touched Ibadan chieftaincy in any form. It merely introduced fashion and nomenclature that we’re now called Oba. We are still Otun Olubadan, Balogun, Ekerin, Ashipa, Osi and all sorts as they were before. The structure remains intact. So, what are we quarrelling about? Nomenclature and fashion? Meanwhile the nomenclature merely puts us in line with the rest of Yorubaland. That is what obtains in other parts of Yorubaland: Ekiti, Ondo, Abeokuta /Egba , Ijebu, Osun, name it. They have imperial majesties who may have beaded crowns and others with smaller crowns as subordinates to them. So why are we quarrelling in Ibadan? A lot of people don’t even understand the reform; they were just quarrelling for the sake of it.
No comments:
Post a Comment