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Osun Obaship Crisis : Ogedengbe family lays claim to Alatorin stool, accuses politicians of complicity
The popular Ogedengbe family of Ijesa land has laid claim to the throne of Alatorin, saying its dynasty is the heir apparent of Atorin-Ijesa.
The family also maintained that the late legendary warlord, Ogedengbe Agbogungboro’s parents founded and single handedly named the village Atorin, adding that he’s a royal founder and his lineage is automatically the rightful occupant of the stool of Atorin
Atorin village is housed by Atakumosa East Local Government Area of Osun State (now Atakumosa East Central LCDA).
The throne was left vacant following the demise of Barrister (OBA) Olufisayo Ogedengbe about two years ago.
Supreme Head of Ogedengbe Agbogungboro worldwide, HRH Mathew Oyekanmi Ogedengbe, the Obanla of Ijesaland, in a statement made available to Mega Icon Magazine recently, alleged that some politicians were threatening the peace of the land by subverting the process.
He added that certain misinformation about the right of succession to the stool of Alatorin were being peddled over in the public space by certain persons to satisfy their own selfish agendas.
Obanla, who described as unfortunate the alleged forceful installation of one Mr Omololu Afilaka on Saturday, 6th March 2021 as the Alatorin by Chief Sanya Omirin, also added that to “the entire Atorin community and the Ogedengbe dynasty, this kangaroo self- installation is not only laughable , embarrassing but ridiculous as Afilaka is never an indigine of Atorin”.
Going down memory lane, Obanla Ogedengbe narrated, “Many of the Yoruba history books in primary, secondary and tertiary institution always reserve the interesting part of their writings to describe that warlord, that Generalissimo , that liberator who came from Atorin -Ijesa and settled down at Anaye Ilesa. All these writings, records and historical facts caption, Ogedengbe Agbogungboro came from ATORIN-IJESA in Atakumosa East Local Government of Osun state . The fact that Ogedengbe’s parent were the first settlers in Atorin Ijesa speaks more volume. The Ogedengbe parent single handedly named the village Atorin ( Cane ) .
“The couple used to quarel and at times the husband do make attempt to beat the wife, the husband now took her to where Atori tree is located and said, whenever we are arguing and you have no one to run to, since we are the only one here, run and embrace this Atori tree and I will forgive you instantly. This Atori tree will be our mediator in this wilderness. Hence the spot became Atorin till date.
“Both their adulterated story and genuine story revealed that Ogedengbe grew up and even made it in Atorin before he joined Ibadan warrior. Hence he is a royal founder and his lineage is automatically the rightful occupant of the stool of Atorin Community”, he declared.
He further explained , “Just about 2 years ago when the late Alatorin, Barrister (OBA) Olufisayo Ogedengbe joined his ancestors, there have been lots of manipulation, permutations from Hon. Ajibola Famurewa and Sanya Omirin to sideline Ogedengbe Family from their right as the occupant of the stool by re-writing the history suddenly , with their power , they are now chiefs , now they are from Royal Family , even in their adulterated history, Ogedengbe is a visitor. Another version said he is from woman lineage of Atorin . What a slap to Ijesa entirety.
“The historical right has been trampled upon because of their weight politically. “Simultaneously, Hon. Ajibola Famurewa is also presenting his own brother, one Mr. Femi Famurewa as the choice of the people . People that came to farm on our land suddenly became the hier apparent to the throne.
“These two Politician from APC and PDP are seriously working to eradicate the history of Ogedengbe to satisfy their own wishes as it is known that Atorin Community is sitting on vast raw gold.
“As at now, the two warring politicians and their candidates have been causing civil unrest in the peaceful community of Atorin , wrestling the leadership among themselves with Cutlass and weapons. Even after their several years in governance, the road to Atorin-Ijesa Community is extremely bad. The only Primary School there is an eye sore.
“The installations or coronation of two Political elements from both quarters is causing unrest in Atorin-Ijesa Community while the choice of the community is neglected and both are trying to pocket the history.
“The entire Ogedengbe Family will never sit and watch this happen, we shall not take law into our hands. But we shall fight to stop this illegality. The History of Ogedengbe is indelible”, the statement concluded.
The family, however urged Governor Gboyega Oyetola, the paramount ruler of Ijesaland , Oba Gabriel Adekunle Aromolaran, the Chairman of Atakumosa East Central LCDA; among others to urgently wade into the crisis.
The headquarters of Heritage Bank at Victoria Island, Lagos, was besieged on Thursday by members of the labour union, protesting the recent dismissal of 1,000 support workers.
The National President of the National Union of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions Employees, Comrade Anthony Abakpa, led the demonstration, condemning the bank’s management for what he deemed a lack of adherence to due process in the termination of employment contracts.
Speaking during the protest, Comrade Abakpa asserted that the leadership of Heritage Bank failed to follow established protocols before executing the mass layoffs.
He emphasised the union’s commitment to pursuing justice for the affected workers, vowing to escalate their demands until the bank’s management rectifies the situation.
“We will intensify our demands for justice,” declared Comrade Abakpa, urging the bank’s management to take corrective action to address the grievances of the dismissed workers.
The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Olayemi Cardoso, clarified that Nigeria is not utilising its foreign reserves to bolster the naira, despite recent fluctuations in reserve levels.
Speaking from Washington DC, where he is attending the International Monetary Fund-World Bank Spring Meetings, Cardoso highlighted the influx of $600 million into Nigeria’s reserves account within the past two days.
While the naira has experienced a notable appreciation against the dollar in recent weeks, climbing over 40% from approximately N1,900/$ to about N1,000/$1, Nigeria’s foreign reserves have been dwindling. As of April 15, reserves dropped to approximately $32.29 billion, marking the lowest level in over six years.
Cardoso emphasised that the shifts in reserves are typical for any country, where various financial obligations, such as debt repayments, necessitate withdrawals.
He stated, “What you’ve seen with respect to the shift in our reserves is normal in any country’s reserves where, for example, debts are due and certain payments need to be made. They are made because that is also part of keeping your credibility.”
Continuing, Cardoso underscored the dynamic nature of the market, advocating for a system driven by willing buyers, willing sellers, and price discovery.
He emphasised, “The shift in our reserves has really little or nothing to do with defending the naira, and that is certainly not our objective.”
Dangote Petroleum Refinery has made headlines by announcing a further reduction in the price of diesel, dropping it from ₦1200 to ₦1000 naira per litre.
The refinery’s decision comes on the heels of its recent supply at a significantly reduced price of ₦1200 per litre, which was introduced three weeks ago, signifying a remarkable 30 per cent decrease from the previous market price of approximately ₦1600 per litre.
This substantial reduction in diesel prices at Dangote Petroleum Refinery is expected to reiterate positively throughout various sectors of the economy, potentially serving as a catalyst in alleviating the persistently high inflation rate in the country.
In a statement last week, Aliko Dangote, Africa’s wealthiest individual and the owner of the refinery, expressed his optimism regarding the potential impact of the price reduction on inflation in Nigeria.
“I believe that we are on the right track. I believe Nigerians have been patient, and I also believe that a lot of goodies will now come through. There’s quite a lot of improvement because if you look at it, one of the major issues that we’ve had was the naira devaluation that has gone very aggressively up to about ₦1900,” he remarked.
As anticipation builds around the implications of this move by Dangote Petroleum Refinery, stakeholders and consumers alike remain hopeful for the positive effects it could bring to the Nigerian economy in the coming months.
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