October 12, 2023 made it a year since Oba Jacob Adelowo ascended the throne as the Alahun of Ahun-Ekiti, Efon Local Government Area, Ekiti State. Before ascending the throne, he had worked with the Broadcasting Service of Ekiti State. In this interview with RASAQ IBRAHIM, he speaks about his journey to the throne and sundry issues.
It is almost one year since you were officially recognised as the Alahun of Ahun-Ekiti. How would you describe your journey to the throne?
Well, I can only thank God, because it is a 16-year battle. I also thank the Ekiti State Government which granted full autonomy to Ahun-Ekiti and recognised me as the paramount ruler of Ahun-Ekiti. The people of Efon Alaaye wanted to turn the issue to something like Ife and Modekeke. I almost lost my life to the struggle because it was a fierce one. There was a time I had eight cases in court, which were instituted by some ungodly and wicked people, who believed they had all in their hands to frustrate Ahun-Ekiti people’s agitations for autonomy.
But it would seem that the leadership of Efon local Government Area has not been giving Ahun-Ekiti due recognition in spite of the autonomy granted to the town by the state government…
I can boldly say the Alahun of Ahun-Ekiti has been attending the meeting of the majority Obas in Ekiti State without any obstruction, and I have been getting my salary promptly. My chiefs’ salaries have also been implemented even though the authorities of the local government still do not believe that there are two Obas in Efon local government area, because the money that is being given to a high chief in Efon Alaaye, which is 4%, is being given to all the Ahun chiefs; both the high chiefs and the kingmakers.
As I rightly said, you can see that the Chairman of Efon Local Government Council is not here despite the fact that a letter was written to him and an invitation was sent to him. The Chairman is still dealing with only the Alaaye in council and not the Obas in council, because for the past one year, no statutory meeting of Obas in council was held as it supposed to be and as it is done in other local governments.
They prevent me from even knowing the allocation accruing to the council, not to talk of the 7% being appropriated for the Obas in council. So, I am only sent whatever they like. The local government authority has also been excluding me from attending government activities. They openly told me that the Kabiyesi Alaaye of Efon said they should not invite me to any occasion; that if such a thing happened, he would not attend. Since then, the chairman of the local government prefers inviting the Alaaye rather than me.
In view of your alleged exclusion and non-recognition by the authorities of the Efon local government, what do you want the state government to do?
I want the Ekiti State Government to please come to our rescue. Ahun community is being cheated and deprived of its rights. Despite the government pronouncement granting Ahun-Ekiti autonomy, it is quite disheartening that the authority of Efon Local Government Area has refused to give due recognition to me as a king in that local government. That is just my appeal to the government.
What other areas do you want the Ekiti State Government to intervene?
I want the local government to come to our aid in terms of amenities. There is no water despite the fact that the reservoir feeding Efon Alaaye is erected on Ahun land. Up until now, you cannot see tap water on our land. We only rely on stream water because there is nothing like pipe borne water and this usually causes diseases in the community.
The situation usually gets worse during dry the season because the stream water we rely on would dry up and there would be nothing for us to drink. We also need a functional health centre. There was a clinic at Ogbake, but immediately Ahun-Ekiti was pronounced autonomous community, the people of Efon Alaaye, through the instrumentality of people in government, relocated the health centre to one of the quarters in Efon for reasons best known to them.
The people of Efon have kicked against the recognition of Ahun as autonomous town and your appointment as the king of the community, claiming that the matter is still pending at the Supreme Court. What is your take?
It is a fallacy. Before you leave my palace, I will give you a letter that discharged me of the High Court matter. The issue of Supreme Court, only the government and the Obalu people were served; the Ahun-Ekiti was not served. I am supposed to drag them to court and institute a legal action for going public that I was involved. The parties to the case were five in number, and you cannot find the Ahun-Ekiti there.
How true is the argument by Efon people that Ahun is a single family community and did not deserve the autonomy granted it by any measure?
It is very wrong to say that Ahun did not deserve the autonomous status granted by the Ekiti State Government. Without any equivocation, we merited the recognition by all standards. We are the original owners of Efon Kingdom. I only accommodated the Efon Alaaye people. The Oloja Ahun was the first settler in Efon Kingdom, who came with royal insignia from Ile-Ife. The land at that time was virgin but full of animals, mainly buffalos. So, Alahun Mokamoye, been the first settler in Efon, had to contend with animals. It was later the Ogboni Aganji, who is now known as Obaloja, and several other traditional rulers came to Efon.
The threat of the wild animals prompted the duo of Oluji Oba and Oisinkin Aaye to meet with Mokamoye to find a lasting solution to the animals’ threats. Mokamoye, a very powerful native leader, gathered the buffalos and marched them to Oke Ahun. So, many years after, people from Ipole Iraye, Ile-Ife came to the community, which was already in existence. When they arrived, Ijiemigun, a prince from Ile-Ife who stole a crown and ran to Ekiti land, sent one of his followers to trace the smoke he saw in the low land and to know the people living there. On his arrival, the person he saw was Oluji, who took him to Ogboni Aganju at his court yard and they later went to Oke Ahun to meet the Alahun Apakorowonuado, who reigned in the place of Mokamoye, who had joined his ancestors.
In principle, Alahun Apakorowonuado refused Ijiemigun’s request because Alahun had foreseen what is happening today. But after several contacts and appeals, Ijiemigun promised to make covenant with Alahun and all items to be used were listed for Ijiemigun. They are my visitors, but it is pity that today a tenant wants to be a landlord.
As at 1931, the Alaaye of Efon was not on the Obas list. It was the late Oba Adesoji Aderemi that made appeal that they should allow the Alaaye of Efon Alaaye to wear his crown as a descendant of the Oodua. But today, it’s pity he calls himself the Obalufon Alayemore, which is not founded in Ekiti.
Ask them who named the place Itamesi and why the place is called Itamesi; why the Alaaye of Efon should not see Ahun masquerade and why Ahunn children shouldn’t off their caps and kneel down to talk when they get to Alaaye palace. At the demise of the first Alaaye, they appealed to Alahun to be coming for their burial. It was our masquerade who buried Kabiyesi Alaaye Aladegbemi. As at today, Alaaye has no palace. The owner of that place that they stay is Ogboni. The palace was the burial ground of Ogboni people. Somebody who says he came and formed Efon Alaaye. Is Efon Alaaye a company? Up till now, they have no palace.
What are the historical ties between Ile-Ife and Ahun-Ekiti?
Ahun-Ekiti people immigrated around 1050AD from the Ogboru Adimula Ooni Ilare Ruling House in Ile-Ife where the late Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuade, was born. To prove that there are existing strong ties between Ahun-Ekiti and Ile-Ife, three traditional rulers came from Ife and the Ogboru Ruling House sent a 39-member representative to attend my one year coronation anniversary.
