Though his inauguration was three months behind schedule, Oba Micheal Adeniyi Sonariwo, the Akarigbo of Remoland, who mounted the saddle last week as Chairman of Ogun State Council of Obas and Chiefs, has hit the ground running. ERNEST NWOKOLO reports
After much delay and tactical postponements, the Akarigbo of Remoland, Oba Michael Adeniyi Sonarinwo, finally becomes the new chairman of Ogun State Council of Obas.
Oba Sonarinwo, a professional accountant from Sagamu, was formally inaugurated last July 1 into his new office by Governor Ibikunle Amosun to pilot the affairs of the state’s traditional rulers for the next one year.
He succeeds the Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona. The rotation of the Office of the Chairman of the state’s Council of Obas followed an extant Obas law (2004) that ensures it revolves around the four Paramount Rulers of Egba, Ijebu, Remo and Yewa.
According the Commissioner for Local government and chieftaincy affairs, Basorun Muyiwa Oladipo, the inauguration should have come earlier in March but the medical trip abroad undertaken within the same period by the monarch, compelled the government to differ the exercise.
The postponement, Oladipo said, soon became a huge “political issue” as fifth columnists and political gladiators desirous of making political gains out of the situation seized it as a veritable tool to wage “campaign of calumny” against the person and office of the Governor.
According to Oladipo, the Council of Obas, which the Akarigbo now leads, has continued to play a major role as custodians of the people’s culture and tradition while their mediation role has equally offered a veritable Alternative Dispute Resolution Mechanism (ADRM) to their subjects which consequently reduces significantly the number of court cases on chieftaincy issues.
Akarigbo’s tenure is coming at a challenging time in the state where there appears to be an emerging paradigm shift in what constitutes governance and development and even more challenging as the general elections approach.
The Royal fathers are not supposed to engage in partisan politics, as they are fathers to all, but expected to caution their subjects, particularly the youth population, against offering themselves to be used by politicians to carry out subversive activities during elections period.
Today, the thinking also in some quarters is that government’s effort that addresses the immediate needs of the citizens seemed to gain more popularity than one that is targeted at achieving clean environment, safety of lives and properties as well as infrastructural development.
Since the traditional rulers are closer to the people in their respective domains, they interface between the government and their subjects, helping to maintain peace as well as rallying the people to support government’s programmes and policies.
There are equally issues of coronet Obas in the state and over a dozen of them were installed between 2006 and 2008 but the then administration of Gbenga Daniel declared them “illegal,” yet some of the affected persons kept carrying on till date as Obas; creating challenges in their respective localities.
The Akarigbo in conjunction with other traditional rulers are expected to assist the government in finding amicable solutions to the crisis arising from such chieftaincy matters as the Council meets quarterly to deliberate on affairs concerning the state, rally the people’s support towards peace, growth and development of the state while also ensuring that the dividends of governance get to the rural folks.
However, Oba Sikiru Adetona who in his valedictory speech, noted that the Obas Council during his tenure was unrelenting in promoting Amosun’s ‘Mission to Rebuild Ogun State,’ appealed to the Governor to review their salaries and allowances given the increasing cost of living in the country.
And while inaugurating Sonariwo at the Obas Complex, Oke – Mosan, Amosun admitted that the monarchs are not to be involved in partisan politics but said they remained the best “advertisers” of government and its policy meant to benefit the people.
The Governor urged him and the rest of the Obas to prevail on their subjects, especially the youth, to steer clear of thuggery and other vices with the approach of 2015 general elections, adding his administration would soon address issues pertaining to their welfare.
He explained that he is committed to pursuing programmes that would continue to deliver dividends of democracy to residents and people of the state but not to reduce governance to sharing of rice or gari.
He urged them to help their subjects re-examine themselves and ask how come previous inducements with money, rice and gari by some politicians had not taken hunger away from many, reckoning that the problem persists because the “substance” of it has remained largely unaddressed.
In his estimation, the people of Ogun state should guard against being deceived into travelling the easy path of ephemeral gains at the expense of long term benefits by not allowing ”Amala politics” to influence their choice of leaders.
He said: “Government will come, government will go and our people will begin to get poorer. We must create a system; a system that will make people that are poor today to begin to now create that wealth for themselves, to make them get out of that poverty tomorrow. That must be the way to go
“Let me use this opportunity to call the attention of our Kabiyesis to the need to pursue peace and rapid development of our state particularly as the year 2015 general elections is fast approaching.
“It has become necessary for our royal fathers to admonish their subjects and the youth to avoid thuggery, before, during and after the elections. Our people should see the electoral exercise as a peaceful process that will be used to throw up leaders in government who will in turn, provide good governance in all ramifications.
“On our part as government, we shall try our best to ensure that peace, law and order are always maintained throughout the period of the general elections and at all times. I want to place on record once again and acknowledge the huge and tremendous supports we have received from our Kabiyesis.
“And let me say once again, that we will continue to hold them in very high esteem and we will not take your support for granted. On your welfare, it is of paramount importance to us as well. That is why we plan to start the distribution of the cars in batches of 20 to the first class Obas beginning with the Paramount rulers.
“The issues of your official cars and indeed, the review of your salaries and allowances, you will have course to be happy with us. Very soon, you will see our hands. But let me say here that there is no way we can solve all of our people’s welfare at a time.
“All issues pertaining to the welfare and other matters of our royal fathers and the good people of Ogun State, it is going to be a continuous exercise. As time goes on, you will realise and understand that all that we promised, we will continue to address them one after the other.
“Yes, we have commended you, but we still need more of your support. I am sure so many of our Kabiyesis, at one point or the other, had reasons to ask us certain specific things which they said they need in their various places.
“There is none of these your requests that we have not of course, recorded and we have planned on how we will attend to those requests.
“I remember the last time we met. One of our Kabiyesis raised a point and said big cocks do not allow the smaller ones to crow. Let me assure you that in all that we do, we plan. But now is the time for us to go into all the nooks and crannies of our state to begin to let you have more of our Ogun standard infrastructure.
“Don’t forget that we are just entering our fourth year in office. But let me assure you that very soon now, we will be moving round. In all our 20 local governments and all our 236 wards and indeed, in all the over 4, 000 villages that abound within the length and breadth of the state we will be going from one place to another.
“And I can assure you that by the time we get to your place, you will discover that those things that we said we are going to do are already completed.”
And responding, the Akarigbo also assured that through the instrumentality of the state’s Council of Obas, he and other paramount rulers would not only discharge their duties in traditional governance, but also perform advisory role to the government in order to sustain the state’s pervasive peace and development in the last three years.
Oba Sonariwo said:”I want to re – assure you of our unalloyed support in implementing the five cardinal programmes. Your administration stands out among your contemporaries in Nigeria.
“All the monumental projects which have been and are being put in place since you assumed office are people oriented and they are highly commendable.
“ Your Excellency should note that all the traditional rulers in Ogun State are solidly behind you because of your determination to make Ogun State a force to reckon with in terms of infrastructural development, improved qualitative education system, good and affordable healthcare services among others.”
