Lift embargo on Awujale’s selection process, religious leaders urge Gov Abiodun

A passionate appeal has been made by religious leaders in Ijebuland to Governor Dapo Abiodun to lift embargo on the selection process to fill the vacant stool of the Awujale of Ijebuland.

The trio of the Bishop of Ijebu Diocese, Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) , Rt Revd Dr Peter Oludipe; the Chief Imam of Ijebuland, Sheikh Muftaudeen Ayanbadejo and the head of Osugbo in Ijebu Ode, Chief Bolanle Bakare, made the plea on Sunday at the commissioning of 52 borehole projects, donated by Omooba Abimbola and his wife, Abayomi Onabanjo, in Ijebu-Ode.

Recall that the State Government had stopped the selection process last January.

The religious leaders noted that the delay in the process had continued to raise concerns among the people

The Bishop described the kingmakers as people of high integrity who should be given chance to perform their duties without any interference.

He said, “All of us are aware that the delay is caused by the state government. It’s the governor that has put a kind of a stop to the arrangement of those who are supposed to be in charge of selecting the Awujale.

“So, we are looking forward to the governor lifting that ban very soon, so that the process can come to a conclusion that will be acceptable to all.

“Our own appeal to the governor is that this ban should be lifted at the earliest possible time, and let’s allow the process to run to conclusion, by the grace of God.We don’t want any delay. There should not really be a vacuum, particularly when you think of Ijebuland.

“Ijebu is so popular among several communities within the country, Nigeria. So many people are interested. So many people are asking us, ‘What is happening? Why is the Awujale not being installed?’”

He appreciated the donor and his wife for the intervention in making life more meaningful to the people, saying access to water was essential to the wellbeing of the people.

The bishop urged residents to ensure proper maintenance of the facilities so that they could serve the communities for many years

In his remarks, Imam Ayanbadejo expressed confidence that the next Awujale of Ijebuland will emerge soon than expected.

The Chief Imam urged Abiodun to ensure that the monarch emerged during his tenure, while recalling that he had previously appealed to Muslim clerics to join him in urging the governor to facilitate the installation of the monarch.

“Time belongs to Allah. When the time comes, it will happen. But that does not mean that something concrete should not be done on time. We all believe that one day, one day, that prayer will come to pass. It will come to fruition.

“My advice to the government is that they should follow the voice of our people. Because by the opinion of the people, they are behind the kingmakers. These are men of integrity. All of them—Awujale chose them because they are kingmakers and persons with pedigree. Whatever they say in Ijebuland, nobody can go against them.

“We are still imploring our governor. The time is still there. We want our governor to be the governor that will sign the certificate. We want the governor to be the governor that will present the staff of office. This is his chance,” he said.

The Chief Imam also expressed gratitude to the couple, saying the provision of 52 boreholes was a major intervention for the people.

“Let’s first thank Allah for the work they have done so far. This is big for somebody to just be able to provide 52 boreholes for the use of the people of Ijebuland. It is first of its kind and We are happy for this kind gesture that would definitely have great impact on the wellbeing of the residents of Ijebu Ode”, Ayanbadejo said.

The head of the Osugbo in Ijebu-Ode, Bakare, said his community, Idewon, was among the beneficiaries of the project and the community remains eternal grateful to the couple for helping to solve the challenge of lack of potable water in their community praying that the Almighty God would also grant the couple their heart desires.

He also appealed to the state government to remove what he described as the stoppage of the Awujale installation process.

Bakare said that “We are all waiting for the installation of the new Awujale, we are therefore using this medium to beg the state government to allow the process of selecting the new Awujale to be concluded on time without further delays.

“We are all want a new Awujale. We are sincerely hoping and praying that the government will lift the embargo and allow the new Awujale to emerge on time, we have waited enough”.

Speaking on the borehole initiative, the project coordinator, Mrs Funmi Ayanwusi, said the intervention was designed to provide potable water to communities across Ijebu-Ode.

Ayanwusi said the boreholes were intended to alleviate the water shortage confronting residents, adding that the organisers had also provided generators to support pumping and paid for one year of electricity subscriptions for communities with prepaid meters.

According to her, the arrangement was designed to ensure that the boreholes remained functional.

Ayanwusi said the initiative was only one aspect of the couple’s interventions in the community, adding that other empowerment programmes had also been undertaken.

She said 20 tailors had benefited from the programme, while makeup artists had also received training and empowerment through masterclasses.

She added that the organisers remained committed to supporting development in Ijebu-Ode.

Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).