Jebba Kingship Crises: Why Kwara Goverment Flouts Court Order’, -‘It’s so sad for the Commissioner to be saying that the Emir of Ilorin will kill him, or his child will be killed, if he carry out the order’. -Dr. Rueben Akano
Dr. Reuben Kehinde Akano, a lecturer in the Kwara State University and also the Secretary of the Moro Redemption Movement explains the deadly intrigues over the politics of Oba’s grading in the State, in this interview with Oluwasegun Abifarin and Olawale Abideen
What is it about the Moro Redemption Movement, MRM?
MRM is an organization that is championing the cause of freedom of the Moro people, especially the aspect that has to do with the restoration of the grading of the grading of our traditional rulers, the formation of their separate Traditional Council as obtained in the remaining 12 Local Government Councils in Kwara State.
And the process whereby the five per cent deduction from the monthly allocation of local government is made available to them, and for their use as against the present arrangement where the five percent deduction from Moro Local Government goes to the pulse of the Emir of Ilorin.
How long have you been canvassing this position?
The organization was formed purposely for this cause. I recalled that in 1997, the people of Moro got a court judgement, and by the court judgement, the order excised Moro from Ilorin Emirate system, but successive Kwara State governments have refused to implement the court order.
Also in 2014, the Oba of Jebba, His Highness, Oba Abdukadir Alabi Adebara got a court judgement which established that Moro is predominantly Yoruba people, and as such, the Yoruba of Moro ca not, and should not have anything to do with the Ilorin Emirate system.
With this two court orders, it is quite unfortunate that the regimes of ex-governor Bukola Saraki and Fatah Ahmed failed to implement the judgement. That of 1997 was not appealed by the Emirate. Even that of 2014, which was appealed outside the normal period, they also failed. Sadly, the regimes in power then flatly refused to implement the orders.
What has your group done in respect of this since then?
Since we got these judgement favouring us, we have done virtually all we should do as a people to ensure that our monarchs are accorded their traditional rights and are put in their rightful places.
Now we have a new government in place, the government of Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq. When he was going about soliciting for votes, the issue of our traditional rulers came up. Since after the election, when it comes to writing, our elders, the likes of Chief Wole Oke, Bolaji Afolabi, Isa Malete and others, have written. But we now felt should step up and go digital and to the radio because of the wide reach and mass audience.
We went air through a programme called “Agogo Ominira Moro”, which started on June 12, 2020. We have done almost two quarters and it has received wide acceptance
What has been the feedback?
Amazingly, the feedback is that the people of Ilorin listen to the programme more, because they somewhere afraid to confront the Emir directly on their own. In fact the Ilorin Emirate Development Association has severally drummed into the ears of the Emir that traditional rulers in not only Moro, but in Asa and other areas should be graded like their counterparts in Kwara South and Kwara North.
For instance in Kwara South, we have about nine First Class Obas today and several second class and third class Obas. In Kwara North where we have the Barubas and Nupes, we also have about eight or nine Fist Class Obas. Now we have Ilorin Emirate comprising five Local Councils and the largest in terms of population, with only one First Class traditional rulers.
We have gone to court and the court has declared the system null and void, but successive administrations in the State will not implement the order. That is why we took to the radio and see the extent we can go to prick the conscience of the incumbent governor and even the Emir himself.
How effective is this strategy?
I can say that the programme has done wonders because the reports and the feedback we get is something that is giving us enormous encouragement. But I must say if I understand the position of the incumbent governor on the restoration of the grading of traditional rulers in Moro, especially the Oba of Jebba and Ohoro of Shao, and the constitution of Traditional Council for the monarchs, I will be lying.
How do you mean?
The body language of the governor has not suggested that there is an end in sight, because as far as I am concerned, a governor that came into power through democratic means and took an oath of office and swore to uphold the rule of law, is now reluctant to give effect to a subsisting court judgement, two years to his administration.
Can you shed more light on this?
Let me give you an example. There is memo that emanated from the office of the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs asking the State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice to clarify the status of the Oba of Jebba. And the memo passed through the State Traditional Council, where they are still referring to the Oba of Jebba as Mogaji.
But unfortunately for the Commissioner, when the memo got to the Attorney General, the office of the Commissioner for Justice clarified that one, there is more case against this monarch and that two, the monarch is now a recognized Oba in the State.
And when the State Attorney General would say something like that in black and white, and even went ahead to add that all the outstanding arrears and emoluments of the Oba should be paid, it is so sad for the Commissioner to be saying that the Emir of Ilorin will kill him, or his child will be killed, if he carry out the order.
Which of the Commissioners?
I mean the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs. Now what we are saying is that what is the position of the State governor in all these? If the governor aligns with the position of the Attorney General, who is that Commission for Local Government or even the Emir? Who is actually in charge in Kwara State? Who is in power?
And several times we have heard from credible sources that the governor is waiting for his second term for him to turn the issue into a campaign stuff. He therefore will neither be here or there until he wins the second term. But who is prophesying that he will win the second term?
If those of us who were oppressed by a particular system could go all out to vote for him, and now he has refused to assuage our feels, how will he expect us to vote for him again the second time before he will listen to us? Where do you think that will happen?
So what we are saying is that the governor should live up to expectation as he is often portray himself. If that is the only thing he can do, it will remain a legacy that will last till eternity.
Culled from Kwara Chronicle
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