The Emir of Ilorin and Chairman, Kwara State Council of Chiefs, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, CFR, has congratulated Oba Afolabi Laoye on his installation as the new Soun of Ogbomoso land.
The spokesman for the emir, Mallam Abdulazeez Arowona, while disclosing to our correspondent via phone call on Wednesday, urged the new king to make efforts to move Ogbomoso land in the forward direction.
Arowona said, “For the new King, the Emir sends his goodwill message, heartfelt congratulations and best wishes on the throne of his forefathers as the new Soun Ogbomoso.”
Laoye, a former pastor in the Redeemed Christian Church of God, stepped down and handed over to Pastor Olumide Ogunjuyigbe on the instruction of the RCCG General Overseer, Pastor Enoch Adeboye.
The Soun of Ogbomoso stool became vacant after the demise of Oba Jimoh Oyewumi on December 12, 2021.
Arowona stated that humans are put in leadership positions by God while urging the people of Ogbomoso to work peacefully with the new king for the betterment of the town.
“The Emir is of the belief that humans are always selected by God. Things are made by God and not by any other person. So, the whole community should rally around him in order to continue to sustain the peaceful coexistence of the ancient town of Ogbomoso land.”
“The Emir advises him to ensure that he adopts far-reaching consultation in order to bring the entire royal family together so that they’ll be able to close ranks and settle their differences in order to move Ogbomoso forward, within the context of peaceful coexistence in Western Nigeria,” Arowona added.
When asked if there was any form of disagreement between the Ilorin Emirate and Ogbomoso land, the emir’s spokesman said, “No. Ogbomoso has been a very good neighbour to Ilorin Emirate.”
He said that there are some indigenes of Ogbomoso who adopted Ilorin as their ‘”lifetime place of habitat.”
Arowona gave examples of such people as the late Oyo State Governor, Adebayo Alao-Akala, and a former Inspector-General of Police, Sunday Adewusi.
He noted that there are lots of Ogbomoso indigenes who are involved in commercial and social activities, and who have been living peacefully in the Ilorin.
While adding that Ilorin indigenes also live in Ogbomoso, Arowona noted that there has never been a period in modern times when people from both towns had any form of dispute in the form of harassment or intimidation.