The Olukere of Ikere Ekiti, Oba Ganiyu Obasoyin, has urged the state government to do ‘the right thing’ by according recognition to the Olukere as a monarch in the ancient community.
The Olukere said that the constitution of the Ekiti State Government confirmed that “there are two monarchs in Ikere Ekiti – the Olukere and the Ogoga”.
Obasoyin, who spoke in Ikere Ekiti during the commencement of the yearly Olosunta Festivities, said not according recognition to one of the two monarchs by the state government showed that something went wrong along the line.
The Olosunta Festival, which will climax on Saturday, marks the beginning of the community’s new year with eating of the new yam and time to pray for peace and prosperity of the town and its people.
The Olukere said: “So, our appeal to the state government is to give recognition to the Olukere and give us the staff and all other right attachments to the office.
“When I got to this throne, what I read on the website of the state government is that there are two obas in Ikere and that both of them are on payroll of government.
“If there is nothing wrong somewhere, why is one denied recognition and not being paid? I wrote to the governor on the strength of this with the expectation that he would actualise it.
“I later wrote petitions to the state House of Assembly and the Council of Traditional Rulers that this should not be so. The Council of Traditional Rulers have taken up the matter to look into the whole issue.
“Hopefully, my expectation of government is to do the right thing by not making the landlord the tenant, by making the landlord the landlord and giving all due entitlements of an oba to the Olukere.
“Our efforts are to ensure the state government rights the wrong. The Olukere is the landlord of Ikere Ekiti. We accommodated the Ogoga. It is strange that the state government now recognises the tenant over and above the landlord. This is the situation we want the state government to redress.
“The State Council of Traditional Rulers is at present looking into the matter. We have put the facts before the Council and we are expecting the traditional rulers comprising the council to do justice to the matter. We should be given our rightful place,” the Olukere said.
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