The Ile-Ife community has called on the Osun State Government to intervene in renewed tension between Ile-Ife and Modakeke over the purported installation of a monarch for Okuu-Omoni, a disputed area.
The appeal was made by the Great Ife Movement, GIM, which also urged the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs to suspend processes relating to the purported appointment of Aderoju Adewale Onisaka as the Oba of Okuu-Omoni.
President of the Great Ife Movement, Femi Oyeyinka, made the call on Wednesday during a press conference held at the Oba Okunade Sijuwade Memorial Hall, Enuwa, Ile-Ife.
The conference, titled ‘Peace and Justice Must Go Pari Passu in Ifeland’, was organised in conjunction with Ife intellectuals and other stakeholders.
Oyeyinka alleged that the process leading to the purported appointment of Onisaka did not comply with laid-down procedures under Ife native law and custom.
He expressed concern over leaflets allegedly circulated from Modakeke in August, which purportedly claimed ancestral ownership of some lands in the area.
Speaking on the Okuu-Omoni traditional stool, Oyeyinka alleged that the purported crowning of Onisaka first took place at the Civic Centre in Modakeke and later at the Palace in Enuwa.
He said the 16 Ife kingmakers did not participate in the process, alleging that this was contrary to the procedure for selecting and approving traditional rulers in Ifeland.
“Onisaka did not subject himself to the Screening Committee on Obaship in Ifeland. Some recently approved traditional rulers had undergone the screening process before their appointments were approved by the Ooni,” he said.
The GIM president described the purported approval of Onisaka as Oba of Okuu-Omoni as unacceptable to the community and called for its immediate reversal.
He alleged that the Ogunsua of Modakeke, Oba Joseph Olubiyi Toriola, and the Modakeke Progressive Union, MPU, assisted in securing the purported approval.
According to Oyeyinka, “the traditional institution involved did not have the authority to recommend a monarch for an area he said falls within Ife North Local Government Area.”
He said the development had heightened concerns among Ife stakeholders because of its potential implications for the relationship between Ile-Ife and Modakeke.
Oyeyinka urged the state government and relevant authorities to intervene before the situation escalated, stressing the need for peace and justice in resolving the longstanding issues.
He also alleged that recommendations from previous efforts to resolve aspects of the Ife-Modakeke dispute had not been fully implemented since 2000, citing the Olabode George recommendations.
The GIM president also accused some Modakeke residents of restricting access to their domains, farms and villages by Ooni-crowned traditional rulers and some Ife indigenous landowners, particularly in Ife North Local Government Area.
Oyeyinka appealed to the Osun State Government and relevant agencies to prioritise peace and justice while addressing the renewed disagreement over land ownership and the Okuu-Omoni traditional stool.