Ogba Zoo: Obaseki Moves to Reclaim Encroached Property

Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has moved to reclaim encroached property of Ogba Zoological Garden and Natural Park, which housed rare species of plants and animals.

The governor in order to achieve this goal, set up a five-man committee led by the Solicitor General of Edo State, Mr. Wole Iyamu.

Obaseki stated that his administration would protect the Zoo from encroachers, no matter how highly placed such people were in the society.

He said: “Because of our new trust in making Edo State and Benin City an attractive hub for business and tourism we will do everything possible to preserve this unique heritage of ours. I am setting up a committee with a two-week mandate to come up with an action plan to recover every land due to Ogba Zoo.
“The outcome of your report should get to me on the 3rd of July 2017. The report should be more of action steps to be taken, and if possible, document, in specific terms, violators, so that persecution can also follow if need be. We will preserve the Zoo and Natural Park; it is our heritage. I want to assure you that we will take actions to preserve it,” he reaffirmed.

Ekiti Monarchs in Verbal War over Rotation of Council Chair


Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti

Two prominent traditional rulers in Ekiti State, the Alawe of Ilawe
Ekiti, Oba Adebanji Alabi and the Arajaka of Igbara Odo , Oba Edward
Jayeola, have called on the Ologotun of Ogotun of Ogontun Ekiti, Oba
Samuel Oyebade to relinquish the chairmanship position of the Council
of Traditional Rulers in Ekiti South West Local Government area of the
state.

They accused Ologotun of arrogating the chairmanship of the
traditional council in the local government to himself since 1997,
contrary to rotation that was contained in the statute book.

The local government comprise Ilawe, Igbara Odo and Ogotun Ekiti,
which had co-existed peacefully since the creation of the council in
1976 until the battle over rotational chairmanship of the traditional
council tore them apart .

This action led to serious protest at the council headquarters in
Ilawe Ekiti , on Wednesday by selected chiefs from Ilawe and Igbara
Odo, accusing Oba Oyebade of perpetuating himself as the permanent
chairman of traditional council in the local government against the
extant rules .

The protest letter delivered to the Council Chairman, Mr Lanre Omolase
was jointly read by Chief Gbenga Agbona , the Elemo of Oke Emo, Ilawe
Ekiti and Chief Banji Olowofela, the Asamo of Igbara Odo.

Reacting to the allegation, Oba Oyebade said he remains the
authentic Chairman of the Council in Ekiti South West Local Government
 as guaranteed by law and the State Chieftaincy Declaration.

He said the protest held on Thursday by Chiefs in Igbara Odo and Ilawe
Ekiti at the behest of Alawe and Arajaka was unfortunate , describing
this as an insult to Governor Ayodele Fayose, who had set up a
5-member panel to look into the crisis.

He refuted the allegation of sit-tight syndrome leveled against him
by the two communities, Oba Oyebade , said he remains the only member
of the highest traditional council named ‘Pelupelu’ in the council as
contained in the Chieftaincy Law 3 of 2000 enacted under Otunba Niyi
Adebayo’s administration.

He urged the two monarchs to get themselves acquainted with the
report of the Ekiti State Council of Traditional Rulers Committee
Resolution of 19th June, 2001 when similar case reared its ugly head
and stop making infantile demands.

“In the year 2001 under Adebayo’s government, the Ilawe Improvement
Union wrote a petition to the government raising similar protest.

“But the resolution was that The Ologotun is a frontline Oba in Yoruba
land and in Ekiti State and by the simple fact that historical
document does not record his royal majesty, the Ologotun got
independence from any government.

“Ologotun, being a pelupelu Oba should be the permanent Chairman of
Ekiti Southwest Traditional Council as it is the case in Moba, Ijero ,
Ikole and Ido/Osi”, the report stated .

He said he assumed the throne in 1985 after there was vacancy since
1976 when his predecessor died , challenging the feuding monarchs to
tender any document to confirm the existence of traditional council
at the local government before 1997 when he assumed the position.

“Before 1997, sole administrators were being used at the local
government level and the local government’s traditional council came
into being as a result of the controversy over 5% allocation to
traditional rulers.

“Part of the resolution at that time was that , the chieftaincy edict
allowed only the 16 pelupelu Obas to rotate the traditional Council at
the State level and at the local government level and that is what is
in operation in all the 16 local government areas of the State”, he
added.

Oba Oyebade flaunted a document dated 20th July, 2004 and signed by
one Wole Faleye of the Ministry of Chieftaincy affairs on behalf of
the Permanent Secretary where the issue of elevation of some monarchs
was approved.

He added further: “Another letter signed by Chief Aderemi Ajayi,
Special Adviser to Governor Kayode Fayemi on 17th September, 2014
upgraded Olosi, Alawe, Arajaka and Olojudo of Ido Ile to be part of
pelupelu and I protested the inclusion of Alawe and walked out of the
meeting.