Former President of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo, has called for a review of any law in Ogun State that purports to limit the jurisdiction of Olowu of Owu in Abeokuta to Abeokuta North Local Government in Ogun State.
Obasanjo, who is also the Balogun of Owu, said from time immemorial, Olowu of Owu in Abeokuta has been and remains the premier traditional head of all Owu people settled in all villages and towns outside Abeokuta, particularly on the Abeokuta-Lagos axial road.
He expressed disgust at any political action that would scuttle the natural cohesion and unity of Owu people as inherent in the law under reference.
Addressing a collection of Obas from Owu townships outside Abeokuta at the Owu Palace Abeokuta on Monday, Obasanjo warned the Ogun State government for creating an unfathomable lacuna in the State’s Chieftaincy Law by the contents of its gazette No. 32, vol. 30 of August 11, 2005 limiting Olowu of Owu’s traditional jurisdiction to Abeokuta North Local Government.
“This law, to say the least,” he said, “is an aberration to the natural law and rights of all the Owu people outside Abeokuta who look unto Olowu for traditional culture and heritage guidance.”
Balogun Obasanjo told the Obas that their appointment to administer their domains was intended to draw their people nearer to the seat of traditional governance and to fasten social, economic and cultural developments of their people, explaining that it would remain anathematic to misconstrue this laudable paradigm as a licence to isolate them from their origin where they all remain the subjects of Olowu.
“All the Owu Obas, irrespective of their grades, are subjected to the administrative control of Olowu from Abeokuta, as a sub-set of all inhabitants of Abeokuta and in the Egba administration,” Obasanjo added.
He admonished the Obas in the districts to eschew egocentric or class distinction, among them, which could hamper their cohesiveness and obliterate the objective of their creation.
Earlier, the Obas had commiserated with the Balogun of Owu, the chiefs and the entire Owu nation on the transition of Olowu Kangunere, Oba Olusanya Adegboyega Dosunmu, who has joined his ancestors, recently.
Speaking on their behalf, Oba Olufemi Ogunleye, Towulade Akinale paid glowing tributes to Olowu Dosunmu who, he said, introduced a new paradigm of traditional jurisprudence into Owu kingdom, Abeokuta, by the appointment of monarchs into Owu towns outside Abeokuta, among other developmental activities.
Oba Ogunleye further extolled the Owu authority to relieve their subjects in areas known as Gbaalefa Peninsula from intermittent harassment by their neighbours who want to dislodge them from their inherited land.
