The Royal Traditional Council of Ife, on Thursday, met Governor
Rauf Aregbesola briefly behind closed-doors at the Government House.
The delegates first told the governor in the presence of some
journalists that the Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade, was alive
contrary to the news in the media.
The details of the brief meeting held behind closed-doors were
not made available to journalists. The chiefs, led by the Lowa of Ife,
Oba Joseph Ijaodola, had earlier said it was regrettable that the Ooni
was always a target of negative publicity in the media.
Some prominent indigenes of Ife, who are members of the ruling All
Progressives Congress, were present at the meeting. They are: Senator
Babajide Omoworare; immediate past Commissioner for Culture and Tourism,
Mr. Sikiru Ayedun; a former member of Osun State House of Assembly,
Mr. Adetilewa Sijuade and a former Special Adviser to the Governor on
Youth and Sports, Mr. Biyi Odunlade.
The Lowa of Ife said, “We were all shocked when we heard the rumour
of baba’s death. If at all such an incident had occurred, the
Traditional Council would be the first to know and equally break the
news to the entire public.
“Sixteen of us are his chiefs and when he was travelling out, he
didn’t look like he was going to die and should that have happened to
him, we would have been informed even before anyone would hear about it.
We pray that Ooni Sijuade will live long in good health.”
Aregbesola thanked the chiefs for holding forth the monarch’s
domain while he was away and he prayed God to give the monarch long
life in good health.
Meanwhile, the palace of the Ooni looked deserted on Thursday when our corespondent visited the place.
There was no crowd nor the hordes of okada riders who had gathered
at the entrance of the palace on Wednesday when newspapers broke the
news of the Ooni’s death.
While visitors to the palace including journalists were not
allowed to go beyond the first court which houses the press centre, the
Emese’s court and the police station, some chiefs who visited the
palace were seen going inside the inner part of the palace.
A palace source, who spoke to our correspondent, said the rebuttal of the news of the Ooni’s death by the RTC was in order.
The source said although the monarch had passed away, the procedure for breaking such big news must be followed.
He said, ” The Traditional Council did a good job. They tried as
much as they can to ensure that things are done the way they should be
done.
“Although they may not be able to do all those things the same way
they were done about 100 years ago, there must be a semblance of it. He
was not just an ordinary person, so the announcement of his death must
follow the due process.
” The news quickly filtered out because it happened outside the
country. Nobody would have known except some very few persons if he had
died right inside the palace.
” You know that the same thing happened to one of the foremost
Obas in the country ( name withheld) , it is almost two months now and
they have not announced it officially. But the Ooni passed away
outside the country, so it is difficult to manage the situation, but
the chiefs did what is expected of them.”
Asked when the corpse of the departed monarch is expected to be brought back in the country, the source declined comment.
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