Connect with us

Politics

A scene of ‘unusual beauty’: The Alaafin Administration.

Published

on

ACCORDING to a Swiss Theologian, Hans Kung, he said “that means that every human being- without distinction of sex, age, race, skin colour, language, religion, political view, or national or social origin- possesses an inalienable and untouchable dignity”.

It is not a gainsaying that the Alaafin of Oyo enjoyed the same degree of respect and honour with the Queen of England-Queen Elizabeth and other highly placed Kingdoms in the universe following Oyo Empire’s uniqueness and exceptional in its system of government.

In the sixteenth century, Oyo was one of the rare Empires that had an inherent checks and balances, and, this contributed to its stability for centuries. The Alaafin was the head of the Oyo Empire and was resident in the capital. He was also regarded as “Lord of many lands”.

In his administration, the Alaafin was assisted by a retinue of officials made up of priests, officials, eunuchs and a well organized court as well.

Theoretically, the Alaafin was the fountain of authority and therefore regarded as the “companion of the gods”. Though, he sometimes display an autocratic tendency, but, however, in practice, his powers were often subdued and regulated by the “Oyomesi”, a council of seven members headed by Bashorun who acted in the capacity of Prime Minister. Members of the Oyomesi were king makers as well.

ALSO READ  Ibadan: EFCC Secures Conviction of Fraudsters, Arraigns Three

At the demise of the Alaafin, they were the ones to select his successor. Equally, the Oyomesis had the power to impeach any Alaafin especially when he appeared dictatorial or transgressed the laws of the land. Usually, the deposed Alaafin was expected to commit suicide.

Stressing further, apart from the Alaafin cabinet, members of the Oyomesi cult constituted another arm of government known as the “Ogboni”. It was a very powerful cult. It was assembled of free and prominent members of the society as well as members of the Oyomesi.

The Ogboni cult had a crucial position in Yoruba society. It played a mediatory role in any conflict between the Oyomesi and the Alaafin, it was a kind of counter power to the Oyomesi as well.

There is no doubt; the Oyo Empire was well organized. The Army was another arm of government. Its head was conferred with the coveted title of “Are-Ona-Kankanfo”. It was made up of infantry and Calvary. The Are-Ona-Kankanfo was expected to live outside the capital.

In the same vein, the Army was credited with performing important functions which included stability of the Empire, expansion, as well as keeping dissident territories in check. Oyo Empire also had provincial governments which were modeled after the central government.

ALSO READ  Oyo APC Sets to Boil Over Newly Sworn-in Caretaker Chairman.

They were administered by Princes, minor Kings and Baales and all of them were subject to the over lordship of the Alaafin. These provincial governments enjoyed considerable autonomy, but the Alaafin had personal agents, “Ilari”, all over the provinces. The Alaafin used the “BERE annual festival periods to acknowledge the renewal of allegiance of the provincial governors to him.

This in-built system of government has helped the Oyo Empire in sustaining its stability, legacy and dynasty till date.

 

By Idowu Ayodele.

 

Advertisement
Comments

Politics

Oyo: Rep Oseni Inaugurates N120m Earthmoving Equipment for Grassroots Development

Published

on

Engr. Aderemi Oseni, the House of Representatives member representing Ibarapa East/Ido Federal Constituency in Oyo State, on Monday, inaugurated N120 million worth of earth-moving equipment, aimed at enhancing grassroots development and ensuring food security within the federal constituency.

Oseni noted that the dire state of road networks in his constituency compelled him to procure the equipment, which includes a grader and payloader, to facilitate the seamless movement of people, goods, and services.

The lawmaker, who spoke shortly after the inauguration of the equipment in Ibadan said: “We are currently starting the rehabilitation of 80 roads in phase one of this project. Once completed, we will proceed to phase two. Additionally, we have selected certain roads in both Ido and Ibarapa East local governments for asphalt tarring.

He added, “Hiring equipment for road rehabilitation is no longer fashionable nor economical. That’s why we’ve invested in our own. In addition to ongoing health and education projects, we’ve finalised plans to dig 50 boreholes in polling units to enhance water supply. Currently, we’ve finished three boreholes, in addition to several others commissioned prior to the elections.”

While also distributing bags of rice to numerous communities as part of the measures to cushion current hardship, the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) lauded President Bola Tinubu for the release of N100 million each to lawmakers through the Federal Government Ministry of Agriculture to address the plight of the masses.

ALSO READ  Oyo APC group appeals to gladiators to shun divisive politics

The legislator tasked Nigerians to be actively involved in the intervention of the Federal Government on road projects across the nation by reporting any contractor that indulges in the poor handling of projects to the agency’s offices.

“I have been telling our committee members in the House of Representatives that fixing our roads is our major challenge. But as community leaders and members of society wherever we find ourselves, we should be involved in monitoring these contractors. A lot of money has been appropriated for road projects.

“When you see contractors saddled with the responsibility of fixing the roads in your area and you see that the job is not being done properly, you don’t need to be a qualified engineer before you know when something is not being done very well or the way it should be done. Raise your voice and go to our offices in various states to report such incidents and we will be able to take it up from there”, Oseni posited.

Earlier in his remark, the Senior Legislative Aide (SLA) to the lawmaker, Alhaji Abdul-Hakeem Okedina urged the people to support him (Oseni) in his drive to improve infrastructural facilities in the constituency, assuring that more dividends of democracy will be available to all irrespective of political, religious and ethnic affiliations.

ALSO READ  Festus Adedayo, Ajimobi's sycophant or government's dissident?

Continue Reading

Politics

Economic Hardship: Rep Oseni Lauds FG’s N100m Palliative for Each Constituency

Published

on

By

 

Hon. Aderemi Oseni, the lawmaker representing Ibarapa East/Ido Federal Constituency in Oyo State, has commended the proactive stance of the President Bola Tinubu-led administration towards addressing the welfare needs of Nigerians.

The lawmaker applauded the government’s commitment to ameliorating the prevailing hardships faced by citizens, particularly through the significant intervention of One Hundred Million Naira (N100,000,000) allocated to each federal constituency via the Ministry of Agriculture.

Oseni, in a statement on Thursday by his media aide, Idowu Ayodele, in Ibadan, emphasised the importance of such interventions in providing essential support to communities and constituents grappling with economic challenges, notably in the distribution of grains to cushion the impacts of the hardship in Nigeria.

The Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA), said the allocation, aimed at cushioning the adverse effects of hardship, signifies a crucial step towards fostering sustainable development and resilience across the nation.

He informed that the palliative has no bias for partisan politics as it is meant for all vulnerable members of the public in the Ibarapa East/Ido Federal constituency, irrespective of political affiliations, adding that the contractor had supplied the rice in the amount of the money approved.

ALSO READ  Oyo APC Sets to Boil Over Newly Sworn-in Caretaker Chairman.

“I want to commend President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the several initiatives and interventions of the federal government to bring ease to the people. I also want to reassure all the constituents in Ibarapa East/Ido federal constituency of my commitment to their welfare at this time and always,” the lawmaker assured.

The APC chieftain appealed to members of the public to remain patient and calm as lawmakers are making frantic efforts to ensure the effective implementation and equitable distribution of democratic dividends for the benefit of constituents in their various constituencies.

Renewing his commitment and promising more dividends of democracy for his constituency, Oseni also hinted that in line with his campaign promises, he would be commissioning road construction equipment for the rehabilitation of rural roads this Saturday.

Continue Reading

Politics

APC criticises Makinde for alleged education decline in Oyo

Published

on

APC criticises Makinde for alleged education decline in Oyo

 

Oyo state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has expressed deep concern over the deteriorating state of education in the region, accusing Governor Seyi Makinde’s administration of negligence and insincerity in addressing the challenges faced by the sector.

In a statement issued by the party’s Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, and made available to Mega Icon Magazine,  APC highlighted issues such as scarcity of teachers, deplorable infrastructure, lack of teaching aids and equipment, poor monitoring and supervision, erosion of competent administrators, and outdated policy and curriculum implementation as contributing factors to the decline in education standards.

Oyo APC emphasized the need for urgent intervention, stating, “It is time well-meaning citizens and residents of the state began to ask questions on why a key sector like that of education has had to be handled with levity in the last five years.”

The party disputed the state government’s claims of improvement, citing examples of severely understaffed schools and inadequate resources.

The statement pointed out specific cases like St. Joseph Primary School in Ibadan North West LGA, SDA Primary School in Egbeda LGA, Baptist Basic School in Tede, AUD Primary School in Igboora, Muslim Community Primary School in Itesiwaju LGA, and Christ Church School in Ona-Ara LGA, where an alarming shortage of teachers was evident.

ALSO READ  CONGRESS: Oyo APC group proposes zoning of state chairmanship position to Oke-Ogun 1

The APC also drew attention to the critical situation in public secondary schools, highlighting the lack of staff to teach core subjects.

“Examples included Baptist Secondary Grammar School in Atisbo LGA and Methodist High School in Ibarapa North LGA, where the Old Student Association and a mere four teachers, respectively, struggled to meet the educational needs of hundreds of students”.

The party urged residents to question the Seyi Makinde-led administration’s commitment to education, stressing the need for immediate action to prevent further deterioration.

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Tweets by ‎@megaiconmagg

Subscribe to our Newsletter

* indicates required

MegaIcon Magazine Facebook Page

Advertisement

MEGAICON TV

Trending