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Oyo State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has commended Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Saliu Adetunji for the court process he initiated, against Governor Abiola Ajimobi’s crowning of 21 coronte kings in Ibadan.
The party said the step is honourable, compared previous combative steps and provocative statements from the palace.
The party added that statements credited to the Media Director of Oba Adetunji, Adeola Oloko, were not complimentary of an imperial majesty stool and explained that “people should understand that it is the hand of Esau, voice of Jacob as the Olubadan is known to be a man of peace, who respects his stool and accords same to his people.”
The party, in a statement by its Director of Media, Research and Strategy, Dr. AbdulAzeez Olatunde, noted that it was commendable that the monarch “has finally remembered that justice can only be gotten from the court of law and not through rude, insulting, provocative and inflammatory statements by media aides, who ought to be chastised for their uncharitable utterances, who do nothing else but further desecrate the respected stool of the Olubadan.”
Olatunde stated that contrary to insinuations from the palace that the Olubadan’s allowances had not been paid in the last six months, the party “was alarmed to discover that the allowances meant for the Olubadan and other members of the Local Government Traditional Council and the Oyo State Council of Traditional Rulers have been paid, up to date, by the 11 local governments, on one hand, and the state government, on the other, in line with the payment status of everyone on the payroll of both tiers of government.”
Olatunde also added that the “Olubadan’s allowance is not treated in isolation but alongside that of other traditional rulers, as well as everyone on the payroll.”
He stressed that “when salaries are delayed, it is not only the Olubadan that is affected,” and decried a “malicious attempt to portray Oyo State Government as singling out the monarch for victimisation. Our father, the Olubadan receives multiple tax-free payments from all the 11 councils in Ibadan land. For instance, he has collected up till August 2017 from Ibadan South East, Ido, Ibadan South West, Ibadan North, Oluyole and Ibadan North East councils…”
while Lagelu council has paid up to July 2017.
Egbeda and Ona Ara councils have paid up to June 2017. Only Akinyele council is behind in meeting its financial obligations and it is not peculiar to the Olubadan but to the generality of its payroll.
“Contrary to the six months outstanding being peddled, the state government has paid all the monarchs in the state up to June 2017 from the appropriated fund of the approved budget and that is the same month which workers in the state have been paid up to.
“Kabiyesi still collects his honorarium for any event he attends just like the recently held APC organised public sitting on true federalism. These details were sourced from the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters through the director in charge, Mr. Zaccheus Jaiyeola.
“We challenge Mr. Oloko to produce documentary evidence that the state governor has stopped payment of Olubadan’s allowance.
“We, in the APC, hold and respect our royal fathers in the state. We accord them their due respect and we will continue to support them. We however appeal to them to separate politics from communal development as well as chieftaincy matters.”
