Aggrieved monarchs divided over chairmanship litigation against Fayemi

Olugbo urges wealthy Nigerians to support education
The fight over the chairmanship seat of the Ekiti State Council of Traditional Rulers has assumed a different dimension, as the 17 Pelupelu Obas are divided over the rejection of Alawe of Ilawe-Ekiti, Oba Adebanji Alabi, as the new head of the council.

The Pelupelu monarchs, who thought they had the exclusive rights to the chairmanship among the 22 members in line with tradition and the state’s chieftaincy laws, had gone to court to challenge Governor Kayode Fayemi’s appointment of Alabi as the new council chairman.

However, the sign that the Obas and litigants seem to have been divided manifested on Tuesday as two prominent traditional rulers among the 17 Pelupelu Obas; the Attah of Ayede-Ekiti, Oba Abdulmumin Orisagbemi and Onisan of Isan-Ekiti, Oba Gabriel Ayodele Adejuwon, attended the council meeting presided over by Alawe in Ado-Ekiti.

It was also learnt that more would attend subsequent meeting of the council slated for December 10, 2019 and that the two only came to test the waters and see how the reaction would look like.

Meanwhile, the state’s Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Prof. Adio Folayan, however, refused to confirm whether the two Obas had actually backed out of the fray against Fayemi and Alawe over the controversial issue.

But while Orisagbemi confirmed that he attended the meeting on the premise that peace initiative had been brokered by stakeholders to settle the rift that emanated by Alawe’s appointment, Alabi expressed surprised on how the development got to public space, saying the 22 officially-designated Pelupelu Obas in the state are already in a peace talk to resolve the differences.

In another development, the Olugbo of Ugbo Kingdom, Oba Frederick Obateru Akinruntan, yesterday urged well-meaning Nigerians to support education in Nigeria, saying that government alone cannot fund quality education.

He said most universities in the world survive through endowments and donations from philanthropists and charity organisations.

The oil magnate, who is also the Chairman, Ondo State Traditional Council of Obas and Chiefs, spoke at Oduduwa University, Ile Ife, Osun State, where he was conferred with Doctor of Degree in Public Administration during the seventh convocation ceremony of the university.

The monarch said he was particularly happy coming back to Ile-Ife some decades after his ancestors left the ancient town for Ilaje in Ondo State.

He said: “I am glad to be honoured on Ife soil on this day because this is my town. I am equally happy with the quality of facility I see on this campus. But I am pleading with all well-meaning Nigerians to support education because that’s is the surest way of having a better society.

Meanwhile, the founder and chancellor of the university, Dr Ramon Adegoke Adedoyin, who said he disagreed with those clamouring for TETFUND to include private universities in their scheme, urged government to improve funding of public universities to become role models for private institutions.