Suspension: Residents of Owo beg Olowo to forgive council chairman

—- Olowo should be magnanimous to forgive him – Ojomo oluda

—-Says interest of Owo is greater than any individual

By Dayo Johnson Akure

Residents of Owo town in Ondo state, have held a peaceful protest appealing to the paramount traditional ruler, the Olowo of Owo, Oba Ajibade Ogunoye, to forgive the suspended council chairman, Hon Temitope Omolayo.

Recall that despite the apology of the council chairman, the Olowo-in- Council has declared him a persona-non-grata in the ancient town by over his recent alleged public insult and disrespect of the paramount traditional ruler, Oba Ajibade Ogunoye.

They stormed the ancient Mapo Hall, in front of the palace of the Olowo of Owo, displaying placards with various inscriptions, pleaded with the Olowo to “temper justice with mercy,”

Their spokesperson, Comrade Lawrence Temidayo, said that the suspension of the chairman had created a security vacuum in the community.

Temidayo, who led the peaceful protest said the protesters were on the streets “in solidarity with the suspended chairman,” whom he described as “a son of the soil and a supporter of local development.”

While admitting that the chairman erred but insisted that forgiveness was necessary for peace, the spokesperson said that “Truly, he has committed a grievous offence by abusing the throne of our land,” he said. “We know he has no prerogative to insult Kabiyesi, but he has apologised publicly, and we are only here to plead. We are not fighting. We are begging Kabiyesi to embrace his son.”

According to him “the suspension had exposed students and residents to rising insecurity.

“When he was there, day and night, he helped us with security. Since he was disallowed from work, we have witnessed robberies and unrest in the student community. At this critical time, Hon. Tokunbo is needed. He is our voice.

Another protester, Suleiman Alaba, who said that the rally was peaceful, pointed out that “We are not here to complicate issues. We only want to appeal to all Kabiyesis. The chairman has already apologised officially. We are begging again for mercy.

Reacting to the development, the Ojomo oluda of Ijebu-Owo, Oba Kofoworola Oladoyinbo Ojomo, described the situation as “a storm in a teacup”, insisting the matter could be resolved easily if all parties acted with sincerity.

Oba Ojomo Oluda, said that although the chairman was said to have been rude to the Olowo, forgiveness remained the best option.

“As a father, if your son offends you and apologises, you should be magnanimous enough to forgive,” he said.

The monarch said that he was not present at the meeting where the Obas reportedly supported the suspension.

According to him “I cannot disown whatever the secretary of the Oba-in-Council said, but I was not at the meeting. What I’m saying is strictly my own view.

He urged stakeholders to prioritise collective progress noting that “The interest of the local government is more important than that of any individual. We should think of how the local government advances, not how it will retrogress because of personal issues.

The monarch said that he was not in a position to advise the Olowo directly but maintained his stance on reconciliation.

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