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Kingmakers In Battle Royal With Osun Commissioner Over Stool

Published

3 years ago

October 23, 2022

The Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs in Osun State, Adebayo Adeleke has been issued with a warning by Kingmakers in Iree against the appointment of a warrant chief.

The Kingmakers who alleged that the decision of Adeleke to appoint a warrant chief was to favour his preferred candidate for the stool of Aree of Iree also posited that the appointment would hinder the selection process of the best candidate to fill the vacant stool of the traditional ruler of the town in Boripe local government area of the state.

The stool became vacant following the demise of Oba Jimoh Olayonu about four years ago and all efforts to appoint a new king for the town have not yielded any positive results.

While condemning the alleged decision, the kingmakers also vowed that they would prevent moves by the commissioner to appoint the Iyalode of Iree, Serifat Adebayo as a member of the town’s kingmakers.

The kingmakers had convened a meeting to decide on the selection of a new monarch when they received a letter from the commissioner announcing the appointment of Adebayo as one of the Kingmakers.

They vowed that they would reject the move as it was a bad precedent, DAILY POST reports.

The Kingmakers led by the Aogun of Iree, Saliu Atoyebi, maintained that it was alien to the tradition and culture of the town for a woman to be appointed as a member of the Kingmakers.

“It has never been in the history of Iree that a woman will be selected to be among the kingmakers. Such will not be entertained in their lifetime.

“When they brought the letter from the State government that Iyalode has been appointed to join the kingmakers, we rejected it. Anything that is capable of causing disunity or uproar in Iree over the selection of our monarch will not be allowed.

“If the government said they want to force on us another chief to join the kingmakers, they should choose another person, not a woman. It has never been in the history of Aree in Council that women are included in the selection of a new monarch. They should not do anything that will tamper with our culture and tradition.

“If government should be allowed to do whatever they wish, and we allowed it, history will not be kind to us after we might have left, because it is our names that people will be mentioning, nobody will talk about those who were in government when it was done,” the Kingmakers lamented.

The Iree Kingmakers are also alleging that the Commissioner who is an indigene of the town is sponsoring a candidate for the Aree stool.

In his reaction, Adebayo Adeleke, the Osun Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs said the appointment of a warrant chief is the sole responsibility of the government.

Adeleke maintained that such appointment was always done through the local government authority and any person of repute in the affected community can be so appointed.

“The chiefs or anybody does not have the right or power to reject anybody appointed by the government as warrant chief.”

While noting that there was a need for Kingmakers to be enlightened on what the law permitted, he revealed that several warrant chiefs had been appointed in such situations.

Regarding the appointment of Chief Serifat Adebayo, the Iyalode of Iree as a kingmaker, the Commissioner noted that the appointment was carried out as a replacement for the Eesa of Iree who died a while ago.
DAILY POST

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NiMet Predicts Three-day Rain, Thunderstorms From Monday

Published

14 hours ago

September 21, 2025

Editor

News

JUST IN: Ooni Visits Olubadan-designate Ladoja In Ibadan

Published

19 hours ago

September 21, 2025

Editor

The Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, on Sunday, paid a visit to the Olubadan designate, Rashidi Ladoja, at his Bodija private residence in Ibadan, Oyo State.

The PUNCH reports that Oba Ladoja will be installed as the 44th Olubadan on Friday, September 26, 2025, following the demise of the 43rd Olubadan, Oba Owolabi Olakulehin, who joined his ancestors on Monday, July 7, 2025, at the age of 90 years.

The two paramount rulers are currently exchanging pleasantries.

Details later…

News

JUST IN: FG Revokes 1,263 Mineral Licenses Over Unpaid Fees

Published

19 hours ago

September 21, 2025

Editor

The Federal Government through the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development has announced a fresh revocation of not less than 1,263 mineral licenses.

These licenses, which will now be deleted from the Electronic Mining Cadastral System portal of the Nigerian Mining Cadastral Office, include 584 exploration licenses, 65 mining leases, 144 quarry licenses, and 470 small-scale mining leases.

The minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, gave the revocation announcement in a statement issued by his special assistant on Media, Segun Tomori, on Sunday in Abuja.

The minister explained that the directive was issued due to the companies’ failure to comply with the requirement of paying their annual service fees.

The latest revocation brings the total mineral titles revoked under the current administration to 3, 794 including,619 mineral titles revoked for defaulting in paying annual service fees and 912 for dormancy last year.

By opening up the areas formerly covered by these licenses, the revocation is expected to spur fresh applications by investors looking for fresh opportunities.

The statement read, “Not less than 1,263 mineral licenses will be deleted from the portal of the Electronic Mining Cadastral system of the Nigerian Mining Cadastral Office, MCO, following their revocation by the Federal Government.

“These include 584 exploration licenses, 65 mining leases, 144 quarry licenses, and 470 small-scale mining leases.”

Approving the revocation following the recommendation of the MCO, the Minister said applying the law to keep speculators and unserious investors away from the mining sector would make way for diligent investors and grow the sector.

“The era of obtaining licences and keeping them in drawers for the highest bidder, while financially capable and industrious businessmen are complaining of access to good sites, is over.

“The annual service fee is the minimum evidence that you are interested in mining. You don’t have to wait for us to revoke the license because the law allows you to return the license if you change your mind,” the minister said.

He warned that the revocation does not mean the Federal Government has pardoned the annual service debt owed by licensees, adding that the list will be forwarded to the Economic & Financial Crimes Commission to ensure that debtors pay or face the wrath of the law.

“This is to encourage due diligence and emphasise the consequences of inundating the license application processes with speculative activities.”

In the recommendation to the minister, the Director-General of the MCO, Simon Nkom, disclosed that there were 1,957 initial defaulters when the MCO published the intention to revoke licences in the Federal Government Gazette on June 19, 2025.

He informed the minister that the gazette was distributed to MCO offices nationwide to sensitise licencees and encourage them to comply within 30 days in compliance with the Minerals and Mining Act 2007 and relevant regulations.

He observed that the delay in the final recommendation was due to complaints of several licensees who claimed to have paid to the Federal Government through Remita and had to be reconciled.

Earlier this month, the DG MCO had hinted that more mining licences would be revoked as part of ongoing efforts to sanitise the solid minerals sector and protect investors from fraudsters.

According to Nkom, the clean-up exercise, which covers expired, speculative, and inactive titles, is necessary to make room for genuine investors and ensure compliance with the law.

This is part of ongoing efforts at sanitising the sector since the inception of the Tinubu administration, and the salutary effects of the reforms are massive and manifest despite the attempts to push back by defaulters and their agents.