CRIED THE BELOVED HOMETOWN: UTE IN THE EYES OF HISTORY  

 JACOB K. OLUPONA argues for a peaceful and fair selection of the next traditional ruler of Ute

Ute, my hometown, is an ancient community in Ose Local Government Area of Ondo State. It has produced well-known and successful sons and daughters scattered across Nigeria and around the world. Like several towns in southwestern Nigeria, Ute is proud of her accomplished children: medical doctors, professors, engineers, farmers, lawyers, including a recently appointed Senior Advocate of Nigeria, commissioners, accountants and even famous photographers, such as the well-known Billy Rose of Lagos. 

  Yet, despite this endowment in human capital, the town is plagued with the disease often associated with many ancient communities across the country where their best and brightest children live abroad and very few venture to come home to participate in the development of their home place. The development of Ute has also suffered from decades of neglect by successive administrations. Today, the tussle over its Obaship adds another troubling chapter to its history as migrants make claim to power and authority in our ancestral home. And I write this with all sense of responsibility as a son of Ute and the Chair of Ute Development Association while appealing for attention of the authorities to the conditions of our town and for a peaceful and fair selection of the next traditional ruler, the Olute. 

 Ute’s oral traditions trace its origins to Ile-Ife, through Imeri, and recount the migration led by its primogenitor, Akensi to its present home. These traditions preserve memories of journeys, covenants and encounters with neighbouring peoples. They speak to a community with a history, an identity and institutions through which generations have organised their lives. The town’s men and women have shared responsibility for community work, service and responsibility to one another. That spirit must be brought to bear on the challenges confronting the town today.  

  Between 1983 and 1990, while I was a lecturer at the Obafemi Awolowo University, I made numerous appeals to the Ondo State Government to develop and tar the roads linking Ute to the state capital, Akure, and neighbouring towns such as Owo. My concern was that a town capable of becoming the state’s food basket was being neglected. Decades later, access remains a major concern. 

Meanwhile, Ute has long accommodated people from different parts of Southwest Nigeria who live and work within the town and its surrounding settlements. There is nothing wrong with people claiming a place where they were born, grew up and have thrived. We live in a free country. What is wrong is when claims to power and authority are pursued through violence, stifle development and take advantage of the people’s live-and-let-live disposition. Ute witnessed a disturbing example a few years ago when the Oba of the town, HRH Oba Oluwole transitioned to the other world. We received reports that certain people had recruited thugs into the town in an attempt to prevent the burial of the king in the palace. Men and women of goodwill called on those of us in different parts of the world to help save our town. Not only was this conduct an abomination in Yoruba and Ute culture, but the boldness and resolve of those involved were unprecedented. It took the intervention of a few of us, including my very self, who called on our contacts to help stop this desecration of tradition before sanity could prevail. 

I remain grateful to the Olowo of Owo, His Imperial Majesty Ọba (Dr.) Ajibade Gbadegesin Ogunoye III, who assured me that he was following developments in Ute and would take appropriate steps to help restore peace and normalcy. He followed through on that assurance. Appalled by what had happened, I spoke with a member of the deceased Oba’s family, who told me that those responsible claimed that the throne belonged exclusively to their family. At that point, I decided to withdraw from the conversation. I objected to the claim that the throne belonged to one family alone as the Ute’s kingship belongs to the people and there is more than one ruling house.  

  The present tussle over the Obaship requires the urgent attention of the Ondo State Government and the goodwill of all who believe that Ute deserves a peaceful succession. We must not allow a repetition of the disruption that accompanied the burial of the late Oba. As the people of Ondo State rejoice over the peaceful transition of the Obaship in Idanre, I share in their joy. Idanre is a town I know well, where my late father once served as an Anglican priest during the reign of Oba Aroloye, the Owa of Idanre and where I also did some research. I also rejoice at the recent graduation of the His Royal Majesty Oba Oloyede Adekoya Akinghare 11, the Arujale-Ojima of Okeluse Kingdom. I wish the same peace and progress for my hometown.

A cardinal issue in the Ute succession is the alleged influence and involvement of government in the selection process. The throne belongs to the people, and they should be allowed to make their choice, in accordance with the town’s traditions and the prescribed process, without prejudice or undue interference. During my visit to Ute in July 2026, I spoke with the town’s elders and made my position clear: their choice for the Olute would be my choice, provided the selection process was free and fair. No family should seek to impose its claim through intimidation or violence. The government should not fold its arms and claim neutrality, or simply assure us that there is peace. The handwriting is clear on the wall. The warning signs must be taken seriously. 

Ute’s ruler is a first-class Oba, on a par with other first-class traditional rulers in Ondo State. The Olute must therefore be educated and equipped for the responsibilities of the office. I have privately expressed concern about what I understand to be the influence of a particular traditional chief from Owo in the affairs of Ute. I have appealed to those who know him to plead with him to leave Ute alone. This is not the time for the state to play politics with the lives and destiny of Ute people, or to allow outsiders to exercise undue influence over the town’s affairs. Questions concerning entitlement to the throne must be resolved through the proper process, with respect for the town’s traditions and the rights of its people. No claim should be pursued through violence and anarchy. 

My intervention through this medium is an appeal to our youth, elders, men and women of goodwill, and the Ondo State Government to allow peace and justice to reign in Ute land. The government must address the town’s urgent needs and ensure that the succession process proceeds fairly. Those of us living elsewhere must also renew our commitment to the community that gave us our beginnings. Ute deserves roads that connect its farmers to markets, a school that prepares its children for the future, and basic services that make life more secure for its people. It deserves traditional leadership that can help bring the community together in pursuit of these goals. Ute should not be treated as a no man’s land. It belongs to the people of Ute. 

  Olupona FNAL, NNOM, is a Professor at Harvard University and Chair of Ute Development Association