Sola Adeyemo The Committee of Elders in Oyo Town, Oyo state, has said that the Oyo Town indigenes that visited the Speaker of the State House of Assembly (Hon. Debo Ogundoyin) on Thursday had good intention and purposely went to appreciate the House for retaining the permanent chairmanship status of the Alaafin in the ongoing Council of Obas and Chief’s Law Amendment, as against the extant rotational system.
The Committee of Elders in a release made available to the Sunday Telegraph, signed by its Secretary,
Atanda, R., made the clarification against the viral condemnation of the visit, which was interpreted to be against the approval of the monarch, Oba Akeem Abimbola Owoade 1, the Alaafin of Oyo.
The amendment proposal replaced the word “Chairman” with “Chairmen”, and stated that the permanent Chairmanship will be “concurrent” among the Alaafin, the Olubadan, and the Soun. If the Alaafin is not available to preside at the meeting of the Council, Olubadan will preside as Chairman. And that if the Alaafin and the Olubadan are not available, the Soun will preside as Chairman.
Against the criticism that the word ‘concurrent’ inserted into the Law meant that, outside the meeting venue where the Alaafin might have presided, the trio are seen as equal in status, the Committee of Elders said the delegation appreciated the fact that the extant rotational chairmanship of the trio has been removed.
According to Atanda, the Committee of Elders met on Friday to assess the entire situation and submitted as follows: “That the visitation was undertaken at the instance of well-meaning Elders of Oyo Community. That the committee was represented by: (a). Hon. Chief E. O. Olaoye, (b). Alhaji Ibrahim Ayeriyina, (c) ObalOluwa Osuolale (Revd), and (d) Mr. Edward Sangodare.
“That the meeting was facilitated by the two honorable members representing Oyo Zone in the Oyo State House Assembly: Hon. Gbenga Oyekola, and Hon Olorunpoto Rahaman. The meeting was necessitated by the concerns of other well-meaning people of Oyo Community regarding the Bill before the Oyo State House of Assembly.
“At the meeting, the elders appreciated the Bill in its present form regarding the position of Alaafin of Oyo as the permanent Chairman and Presiding Officer of the Oyo State Council of Obas and Chiefs, as against the extant law of the Rotational Chairmanship among the Alaafin of Oyo, Olubadan of Ibadan and Soun of Ogbomoso.
“Also at the meeting, the following suggestions were made: 1. That the word “concurrency” in the bill be expunged or amended for clarity’s sake. 2. That the membership of the Council in question from Oyo Zone be increased from the present three (3) to five (5).
“The two additional members should come from Oyo East and West local Governments, which are not included in the present list; and (3). That the noise and insinuations making rounds against the Bill do not represent the position of the Oyo people as a community; they are just personal opinions”, the Elders said.
