You Can’t Claim Our Communities, Ondo Tells Ogun Govt

Fidelis David in Akure

The Ondo State Government, yesterday, told the Ogun State government it could not claim its communities, clarifying that Irokun, Obinehin, Idigbengben and Araromi seaside communities in the Ilaje Local Government Area of the state were not part of Ogun State.

Ogun State government, Wednesday, through a press statement titled, ‘Purported chieftaincies in Irokun , Obinehin, Idigbengbe and Araromi seaside’, raised the alarm over the action by the Ondo State government, over the installation of traditional rulers in the communities, saying it has reported Ondo State Government to the National Boundary Commission.

Both Ondo and Ogun States share borders in the communities.
But the Ondo State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mrs Bamidele Ademola-Olateju, in a statement, faulted the claims of Ogun government, saying all the communities had a long history of traditional institutions within the state.

Ademola-Olateju, while clarifying that the coastal communities were not subject to dispute before the National Boundary Commission, stressed that the recognition of traditional institutions in the communities were in order as they remained an integral part of traditional institutions.
According to her, all the four communities had always been recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) while they always conducted elections in the communities as part of Ondo State.

The statement read: “The press statement issued by Ogun State Government, based on the recent white paper issued by Ondo State, recognising the traditional institutions of IROKUN, OBINEHIN, IDIGBENGBEN and ARAROMI seaside, has been brought to the attention of the Ondo State Government. The Government has decided to respond as follows in order to set the records straight.

“That Irokun, Obinehin, Idigbengben and Araromi seaside are communities within Ilaje Local Government area of Ondo state. These communities have a long history of traditional institutions within the state. These communities are not in dispute between Ondo State and Ogun State as the people living therein are indigenes of Ondo State. In addition, the landmass occupied by these communities falls within the territory of the Ondo State of Nigeria.

“The claim that these communities are in dispute before the National Boundary commission is untrue, as the communities are within Ilaje Local Government of Ondo state. Federal institutions like Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) regularly conduct elections in these communities and votes cast are recorded for the Ilaje Local Government of Ondo State”, she stressed.