IROKO is a sleepy community situated about 21 kilometres from Ibadan, the Oyo State capital and less than 15 kilometres to the ancient city of Oyo. According to history, its existence predates some of the prominent towns in the present-day Oyo and Osun states and its first king wore the traditional and original crown in 1906. However, the community experienced a grueling period of arrested and stunted development as it was without a traditional ruler for more than three decades. Due to a long period of legal tussle over the traditional stool of the town, its people, like sheep without a shepherd, groped in the dark with no leader to champion their cause.However, the leaderless crisis was brought to an end on 4 February, 2011 when a former public school teacher, Olasunkanmi Abioye, Kurunloju I of the Opeola Ruling House, mounted the throne of his forefathers and was installed as the fifth Oniroko of Iroko by the Oyo State government.Taking Nigerian Tribune down the memory lane, the traditional ruler spoke on why it took the community more than 30 years before it could eventually install him as the Oniroko, even as he revealed steps being taken to fast-track the socio-economic and infrastructural development of the town.'There was a legal tussle over the throne engineered by one man called Adetunji Kolapo who I can describe as a tenant as our forefathers did not know his source or family background. He wrote a petition to the then Oyo State governor, General Oladayo Popoola, that he had a right to the Oniroko throne. The governor then set up a panel of enquiry to investigate the matter. The outcome of the enquiry was that there should be three ruling houses-Opeola, Falade and the Adetunji families. But we went straight to the court to challenge the enquiry where we lost the battle at the High Court. We then headed to the Appeal Court where it was ruled that the only ruling house is people, judging by the 1958 declaration which the appellate court said stood valid. The man did not accept the verdict but rather than proceeding to the Supreme Court, he went back to the lower court.'The then state government asked the local government to set the machinery in motion to choose the next Oniroko. He ran quickly to the High Court to challenge the appellate court judgment but the government said that it could not violate the court's decision. He was in the court for about another five years without even appearing before the court and the case was then in the court for the that five years. It was his failure to appear in court that made Justice Olaifa to strike out the case. Immediately, we now set the machinery in motion to select the next Oniroko but Adetunji went back to court again to stop the process. We had to spend another seven years because of the fresh legal tussle before the court finally gave its ruling on 31 January, 2011. Before he could go back to court, we were able to tender all evidence that a new Oniroko had been installed, in accordance with the directives of the state government', he said.Comparing his experience as a former teacher with being a traditional ruler, he said that there were some similarities in the two roles, noting that strict adherence to professionalism and skills acquired as a teacher would make an oba to relate with his subjects the same way a good teacher would relate with his pupils/students.Noting that he sew his people as his students, he said that he had been coping well with his people because, 'If as a good teacher who had imbibed all the trainning at the teachers' institute, with good relationship with the various parents, you will not be embarrassed or found wanting if any visitor should come to you. You will know how to relate with and address your people as a traditional ruler. This approach has indeed been very helpful in directing the affairs of my domain and there has been peaceful co-existence among everybody in this community since I ascended the throne one year ago.'As he marks the first anniversary of his coronation on Friday and not unaware of the limitations of his ability and his council of chiefs, the Oniroko appeared to be in haste in facilitating an improved standard of living for his people and evolving the rapid socio-economic and infrastructural development of his community. While he lamented the apparent neglect of the town and its people by successive administrations in the state, he praised the present state government, particularly the present caretaker chairman of Akinyele Local Government Area, Mukaila Abiola, for their efforts to give the community a sense of belonging.'As this town is, we don't have a single borehole but the present local government chairman has promised to give us some. But we are not relying on the government alone. On our own part, I and my chiefs have been working assiduously to ensure the progress of this town as we cannot continue to suffer in silence. An example of the concerted effort we are making in this regard is that an individual, an indigene of this town, has decided to establish a private polytechnic here. The man who, by name, is Chief (Dr) Fola Akinosun, the Agbaakin of Iroko, has promised to start the project by June and we have given him a large expanse of land to start building the institution which would be named Akinosun Polytechnic.'Emulating the Oyo monarch, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III, the Oniroko saw nothing wrong in the traditional ruler being involved in partisan politics. He told Nigerian Tribune that traditional rulers are in a position to engender an effective and efficient public administration and they could also help in putting a check on the excesses of elected public office holders.'Though the way it is being practised in the country is bad, our traditional rulers should still be involved in the political process because they know their people very well. If they allowed the traditional rulers to choose for them, I am very sure that we would have good and responsive government because this people we are picking as councilors, honourables and senators live among the people and we know them; we know their character because we know their background. But if the political parties are the sole deciders in picking their candidates, the traditional ruler would have no locus standi to tell the party leaders about the character of these people and their behaviour in their various communities and in their houses. If you go into the details of where some of these people come from, you will discover that they are nothing to write home about; they are useless in their houses', he said.He also dismissed the insinuation that allowing traditional rulers to participate in politics would tarnish their image as the father of all, declaring; 'We are all human beings; even in our various homes, we tend to love and support one child more than the other but we will not allow the other children to know this. An example is our father, the Alaafin of Oyo. He initially supported a particular candidate in a previous election, but when he perceived the way the traditional institution was being treated, he shifted his support base to another party. What he wanted is a government that would respect the traditional ruler.
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