The members of the
Olubadan-in-council have accused Saliu Adetunji, Olubadan of Ibadan, of
commercialising chieftaincy titles in the town.
The crisis between
the monarch and the chiefs, who are members of the Olubadan-in-council, started
when Abiola Ajumobi, former governor of the state, reviewed the Ibadan
chieftaincy declaration and crowned 21 chiefs as obas in 2017.
In a letter made
available to journalists on Sunday, the chiefs alleged that people now pay as
much as N30m to be installed as a traditional chief in Ibadan, saying the
action has led to the installation of people with questionable characters.
“The other issue
which drew our ire and which was a reflection of the denial of our patriotic
contributions at the Olubadan-in-Council meetings was the criminal
commercialisation of Ibadan traditional titles the moment Your Imperial Majesty
ascended the throne of Olubadan, which was a sharp departure from what we all
agreed to and practised during the reign of your predecessor,” the statement
said.
‘’It sounds odd,
unthinkable and unimaginable that people now pay as much as N30m to be
installed as a traditional chief in Ibadanland. This is against one’s
antecedents and family contributions to the development of Ibadanland, which
are the traditional yardsticks to measure qualification for installation.
“The implication of
this ‘cash and carry’ approach is the installation of some people with
questionable moral background at the expense of decent and genuine people with
proven track record and whose genuine and verifiable source of income could not
meet the demand of the palace.”
The chiefs added
that they reserve the right to demand the removal of the king, and that those
calling for their banishment from Ibadan are “enemies of progress”.
They also accused
the Olubadan of relegating them to “mere onlookers” while his wives and some
other members of his family have become the decision-makers in the town.
They said: “If they
are not shallow in thought or shortsighted, they would appreciate our role as
the kingmakers who ensured your Imperial Majesty’s installation in the first
place and reserved the right to call for your Imperial Majesty’s abdication of the
throne if we are not comfortable with the administrative style of the palace.
“We are not aware of
any of the Olubadans in the history of Ibadanland whose wives and family
members were made members of Olubadan-in-Council. Our attempt to check this
anomaly, through protest, was rebuffed and our personalities verbally attacked
and recriminated by the Oloris in the presence of your Imperial Majesty without
a word of caution.”
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