The ancient rustic city of Ilesa which has not known war since pre-colonial times seems set to gearing for one, events unfolding in the town if not nipped in the bud could result is major skirmishes reminiscent of the Ife-Modakeke crisis of the late 20th century.
Although, the present case which people are speculating can snowball into an outright war is not that of a communal land tussle, but that of an hierarchy clash.
According to sources within the town, Oba Adekunle Aromolaran who became the paramount ruler in the town is at loggerheads with some of his High Chiefs.
The chiefs , the Obanla of Ilesa, Chief Oyekanmi Ogedengbe, Lejofi of Ilesa, Chief Abiola Ojo and the Oba Odo, Chief Babajide Oduwale, are said to have questions the way the Oba is spending the 15% allocation it gets from government.
Another feeler emerging from the palace at Ereja Square is that two of the aforementioned chiefs refused to swear an oath allegiance ordered by the king.
The decision not to take the oath as led to the suspension of the chiefs from the Oba’s court.
In a letter signed and addressed to the two chiefs dated 8th May 2012, the monarch directed them to resign their appointments as his chiefs without further delay if they failed to observe the blood oath. He also directed them to withdraw from all palace and traditional activities with effect from the date of the letter and return only when they might have completed the blood oath in question.
The letter reads in part: “As you are quite aware that other senior chiefs like the Obanla, Ogboni, Odole, Loro of Ilesa and others have individually taken their own oaths, you have no other option than to take your own oath of office and allegiance or resign your appointment as my Chief without further delay.
“In view of the foregoing facts, you are hereby directed to withdraw from all palace and traditional activities with effect from the date of this letter and return only when you have completed your installation rites as specified above.
“For the avoidance of doubts, the final stage of any senior chiefs’ installation is the swearing of the oath of office and oath of allegiance to me as the Owa-Obokun Adimula and Paramount Ruler of Ijesaland, just as local government councilors, chairmen, state governors and their executive councils members and the President of a country and members of his executive council take oath of office and oath of allegiance respectively.”
The aggrieved chiefs on their own part have sought an order of the court directing the state government to set up a panel of inquiry to investigate the schedule of salary payment of Ilesa traditional chiefs from 2006 till date.
While, those chiefs involved in the oath-taking imbroglio are refusing to take any oath because they have taken such before the Oba ascended the throne.
His reaction the Oba is quoted as saying: “There is nothing unusual about taking oath of allegiance. It is not a blood oath, and even if it is a blood oath it was not forced on anybody. Public functionaries take oath of office. There is nothing unusual about it, even husband and wife before getting married take oath of allegiance. In the palace here, initiation is part of our culture and it is not in any way against God’s will.
“When I asked all my chiefs to take oath of allegiance, every one of them complied except two, one who gave excuse that he was already a communicant while the other who is an 86-year-old man gave old age as reason for his refusal. In our palace here, we don’t have a place for altar. No church and there is no mosque, all what we have here are shrines.”
One obvious thing is that supporters of all sides are rearing to go all out, but peace efforts from concerned citizens such as the governor of the State who incidentally is a native of Ilesa seems to be simmering things down, hope they can find a lasting solution.