If an executive bill, a draft amendment of which was approved on Friday by the Oyo State Executive Council, sails through, whoever occupies the thrones of Alaafin, Olubadan and Soun are in soup.
This is coming at a time the vacant stools of Alaafin, Soun and others are yet to be filled.
According to OYOINSIGHT.COM the move was a legal way to do what Governor Seyi Makinde’s predecessors failed to achieve.
Among others, the bills which would grant autonomy to the governor on section 28, sub section 1 of the Oyo State Chiefs Law, will be read for the first time at the plenary of the state assembly, said a top government source who did not want name mentioned.
To be granted expeditious consideration by the lawmakers, the amendment would enable the governor to present beaded crowns and coroners without recourse to the Oyo State Council of Obas and Chiefs.
Added one of the sources: “Before the G”governorship election, the Ibadan high chiefs requested for crowns. Only former governor Rashis Ladoja, who is the Otun Olubadan didn’t sign the letter.”
“Not only that,” another source who is in the known of Obaship issues, explained, “this bill, if passed into law, empowers the Governor as the sole appointing authority for Obas and Chiefs without any recourse to the Council of Obas – thereby removing all checks and balances.
“It means that the Governor can decide to appoint anybody He deems fit as an Oba without any regards for the history and customs guiding ascension to the stool.”
The Attorney General of Oyo state and Commissioner for Justice, Professor Oyelowo Oyewo who was said to have corroborated this today spoke at a press briefing on Friday May 5, shortly after the 4th state excos meeting.
Oyewo was quoted as saying that many of the requests to the state governor by traditional leaders known as Baales to wear beaded crowns at different domains across the state have remained pending for so long because of the inability of the council of Chiefs to meet.
He noted that the absence of the state Council of Chiefs which ought to interface with the governor before granting approvals for such requests have not also been able to sit for necessary deliberation over a long period of time.
The Attorney General added that these factors necessitated the proposal by the state executive council headed by governor Makinde to amend section 28 of Oyo state Chiefs Law in order to further improve the process.
He said, the proposed amendment, when fully effective, will empower the state Governor as the sole authority without consultations with the Chiefs to grant approvals for wearing of beaded crowns.
The Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Barrister Olasunkanmi Olaleye, while shedding more light on the proposed amendment bill said, “the state executive council deliberated on section 28 sub section 1 of the Chiefs Laws of Oyo state.
“The law as it is today is that the Governor can only approve application for beaded crown after consultations with Oyo state Council of Obas and Chiefs but we all know that Council has not met for a very long time now and we have a lot of applications for approval of beaded crowns.
“So, that section 28 of the law has now been amended to give the governor sole authority to approve application for beaded crown in Oyo state without consultations.”
