••• Oracle To Determine Next Olowu
•Adenike Lawal(Iyalode Owu),
Rotimi Olasode - Martins(Jagunmolu - Owu) and Isola Adesinpo (Akogun - Owu)
| The Daily Crucible | Thursday, January 20, 2022
By Ayobami Ife, Abeokuta
Who becomes the next Olowu of Owu Kingdom in Abeokuta North Local Government Area of Ogun State ? When will the person emerge ? These are some of the questions agitating the mind of sons and daughters of Owuland and their friends as they lined up series of activities beginning from tomorrow (Friday) with Night of Tributes to accord late Oba Adegboyega Dosunmu a befitting rite of passage.
Oba Dosunmu who hailed from Amororo ruling family joined his ancestors on December 12, 2021 at the age of 89 after 16 years reign.
Owu is traditionally ruled by Princes carefully selected from six ruling houses - Amororo, Otileta, Ayoloye, Akinjobi, Akinoso and Lagbedu.
Already, moves have since begun, albeit veiled, towards selecting a successor to Oba Dosunmu and many of the Princes from the ruling families are jostling to occupy the vacant stool with some of them consulting and waiting for auspicious time to indicate interest in the exalted stool of their forebears.
The Daily Crucible gathered that the Otileta ruling house is the one to produce next Olowu of Owu kingdom and the search for successor - Olowu within the Otileta Royal House has commenced in earnest quietly.
Aside the Oracle and Owu kingmakers, other critical stateholders whose inputs in form of advisory may be required in arriving at the choice of who becomes the next Olowu are the Owu High Chiefs, including former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who is the Balogun Owu.
The head of kingmakers for Olowu stool, Chief Isola Akinsipo, on Thursday disclosed that after the 'Celebration of Life' of the demised monarch, a process of selecting the next Olowu may commence.
Akinsipo who is the Akogun - Owu, however, expressed the confidence that Oba Dosunmu's successor will emerge this year.
He made this known while fielding questions from reporters at the palace of Olowu in Abeokuta during press briefing to announce the activities marking the rite of passage of late Oba Adegboyega Dosunmu.
In attendance during the press conference were Owu chiefs - Jagunmolu of Owu, Chief Rotimi Martins, Seriki Owu, Prof. Mujaid Ajao Adenekan, Oganla of Owu and former member of the Ogun State House of Assembly; Hon. (Chief) Johnson Olu Fatoki; the Iyalode of Owu Kingdom, Chief Adenike Lawal, Oluroko of Owu, Chief Waheed Ayoade and Chief Olusola Adeoye.
Others who also graced the press briefing were Balogun Erunmu; Chief Ekundayo Kayode Opaleye, Osupori of Owu; Chief Niyi Olaonipekun, the Olosi of Owu and the Oyega-elect of Owu, Chief Kehinde Adeyanju, Omotobase of Owu; Prince Akinpelu Browne, Lukosi of Owu, Chief Adebayo Atobatele, Seriki Iyalode of Owu and Alhaja Kudirat Sunmonu.
Speaking further, Akinsipo hinted that Oracle would be consulted as part of procedure to follow in selecting the next Olowu, saying that the Owu culture and tradition have no issue with the new Oba and chiefs law recently signed by governor Dapo Abiodun.
The new law provides for an approved method for the selection, appointment and recognition of Obas and Chiefs in Ogun State and also provides for how monarch should be buried upon demise.
The law promoted largely by the Awujale and paramount ruler of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona, also seeks to redefine the traditional institution to reflect current realities.
However, the Akogun - Owu said that Owu tradition does not allow any mutilation of body of a demised Oba as such despicable practice, if condoned, could bring embarrassment to the kingdom afterwards.
Adesinpo said: "It's one step after the other, after the celebration of life we would proceed to the process of selection. Everybody knows the ruling house, and the next ruling house is already in motion. Immediately we finished our celebration of the of life of (Kabieyesi) they will ask us to proceed. Everything is in shape. We pray that the end of the year a new (traditional) ruler will emerge.
"The Oracle is always there,you consult with the Almighty through many channels, and one of the channels through which you consult is the Oracle. Even in modern day times today, it is the wisdom of the elders.
"I have not seen any new normal in the law, the law summaries the traditions and there is no controversy at all.The person wants to become. The law is just to guide. What our fathers have been doing has been great.
"There is no controversy about the law in the Owu Kingdom. All these things are to protect our dead people, people take people's part to do ritual, imagine if you take that of an Oba it will work well, and that is why we protect the body of our (demised) from mutilation to save us from embarrassment."
Speaking earlier, the Jagunmolu - Owu, Rotimi Olasode - Martins, said Chief Olusegun Obasanjo had approved all the activities lined up to mark the rite of passage for Oba Dosunmu.
The activities, Olasode - Martins said, include night of tributes on January 21st and interdenominational and interfaith service the following day, Saturday January 22 same venue at Oba Adisa Odeleye Park, Oke - Sokori, Abeokuta beginning 4.00p.m.
A thanksgiving church service to celebrate the life and times of the late Olowu will also hold on Sunday January 23 at a church in Oke Ago Owu, Abeokuta.
However, former state lawmaker, Chief Johnson Olu Fatoki, has extolled the virtues of the late Olowu of Owu, Abeokuta, Oba Olusanya Adegboyega Dosunmu, Amororo II, describing his reign as one that brought unity and revolutionalisation of the kingship system in Owu in particular and Egbaland in general.
‘’Before the ascension of the late Kaiyesi, we had just 9 Obas in the Egba Traditional council, namely the Alake, the Osile, the Agura, the Olowu, Olu of Ifo, Olu of Itori, Olubara, Olota and Oniro of Iro
‘But when Baba came in, on a single day, Kabiyesi Oba Dosunmu installed 19 coronet Obas.
"The installation brought a lot of controversies, but at the end of the day, the whole world saw it as emancipation, not only to the Owu people, but the entire people of Egbaland," he said.
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