Chiemelie Ezeobi
The Oniru Royal Family, comprising the children, traditional chiefs, Baales, women and youth groups, wednesday unanimously declared that there was no rivalry over the throne.
At a press conference held at Oniru Palace in Victoria Island, Lagos, the family also stressed that their sole candidate for the throne remains Aremo Adesegun Oniru.
Addressing the community, the Odofin of Iruland, Chief Saliu Abisogun, who echoed the minds of others, said it has become imperative to voice out the position of the upright sons and daughters of Iruland on the succession process to the much-respected stool of Oniru of Iruland currently being discussed in the media.
Going down memory lane, he said the stool of Oniru as a First Class monarch came into statutory recognition in 1994 after a history of more than 200 years as a chieftaincy family.
According to him, “The first Oniru of Iruland, our recently-translated Oba Abiodun Idowu Oniru, ascended the throne and spent 25 years on it.
“Now that it is time to nominate a replacement to the vacant stool of lru, it is important to have in mind the need for continued progress and unhindered development in entrusting the leadership of our city to any prince.
“It is in connection with this that we, the chiefs and Baales of Iruland, have resolved to back the nomination of Aremo Adesegun Oniru as the next Oniru of Iruland. We cannot afford, at this stage of our development, to allow some elements, who have no contribution to the development of Iruland, to take over the leadership of the city and reduce it to the vassal of some foreign interests.
“We cannot afford the stifling of our development in the hands of individuals who have no knowledge of how we got here.”
On their choice of Aremo, he said it was under him that they recorded tremendous achievements in Iruland during the reign of the deceased monarch, adding that: “It was Aremo Adesegun Oniru that assisted in ensuring unprecedented infrastructural development in Iruland.
“He brought the whole family of Oniru together as a united force in the absence of which it would have been near impossible to make the landmark progress we have witnessed in recent times.
“The Oniru family, within the last 75 years, has transformed our collective existence to the pride of all indigenes. The best favour we can do ourselves is to ensure continuity of this spate of progress and development.
”That the late Oba was the father of Aremo Adesegun Oniru is not a sound argument to prevent the ascension of this noble son of the land. Aremo Oniru can legitimately succeed his father if the development of our land is of any meaning to all.
”The charade that some individuals carried out some few days ago in the name of nomination of Oniru of Iruland of someone who has no connection with our historical progress is nothing but an unnecessary provocation which is better ignored to pave way for our continued peace and harmony.
“We, the principal members of Oniru family, have met with all relevant Baales in lruland and have resolved to prevent it from being reduced to the vassal of some foreign interests.”
On that hand, he urged all true sons of Iruland to sheathe their swords and join hands with Aremo for further development of the kingdom, adding that the statutory process for nomination has not been ignited in line with the established legal procedure.
While appreciating the continuous leadership of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his Deputy, Obafemi Hamzat, the family urged all to remain calm while the relevant institutions perform their roles under the law.
