….Says earlier historians did injustice to Ido-Ekiti
From: WOLE BALOGUN, ADO-EKITI
The Olojudo of Ido-Ekiti, Oba Ayorinde Ilori-Faboro, has picked holes in the popular history recorded about the Kiriji War of the early 19th Century that pitched Ibadan and Ekiti peoples against each other for over nine year, resulting in the death of hundreds of their warriors.
Oba Faboro, who revealed that his great grand father and renowned war lord at the time, Faboro Ido, played a pivotal role in bringing the war to a stalemate, said it pained him and his subjects that earlier history has relegated that role to the background.
The monarch spoke, on Wednesday, in his palace at a news conference to commence activities to mark this year’s Ajodun Ido Oganganmodu Festival which comes to a climax on Saturday with the launch of N250 million Development Fund.
The first class traditional ruler explained that but for Faboro, his great grand father, and other Ekiti warriors who rallied round him, the Kiriji War would have consumed Ekiti people.
He, therefore, said a new play, entitled Kiriji War and written by one of his subjects, to be staged, on Friday, as part of the Ajodun Ido celebration, would set the records straight.
The monarch who said his community, reputed about two years ago to have been overwhelmed by criminal activities, now enjoys peace following the deployment of soldiers for the past one year to tackle armed robbery and other violent crimes.
The monarch said the community is building an Army camp to appreciate and encourage the soldiers whom he said had kept robbers and kidnappers at bay. He said the foundation of the Army camp has been laid and would be completed in six months. He said
the project would be funded with cash to be raised at Ajodun Ido.
Oba Ilori-Faboro said the soldiers have been working in collaboration with officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and local hunters and jointly conducting a “show of force” as a warning to potential criminals.
He urged indigenes of the town within and outside the country to come home and contribute their quota to the development of their community assuring them of their security during the festival.
Chairman of the Planning Committee, Mr. Sola Ogunsina, explained that the festival had assisted the community to execute many development projects without government support.
He disclosed that other activities lined up for Ajodun Ido include environmental sanitation, inter-school debate, free health services for indigenes, widows’ empowerment, marathon race, football competition, stage play on Kiriji War, homage to the Olojudo, cultural competition, among others.