Lagos: Osu-Apena royal family rejects newly installed Oba of Odi-Olowo

The Osu-Apena Royal Family in Odi-Olowo Ojuwoye LCDA of Lagos State has rejected the newly installed Oba of Odi-Olowo, Oba Sikiru Olamide Williams.

His Royal Majesty, Oba Sikiru Olamide Williams was installed on Monday as the new Oba of Odi-Olowo by the Lagos State government and the authorities of Odi-Olowo/Ojuwoye LCDA.

Reacting to the installation, Head of the Osu-Apena Royal family, Alhaji Rahman Rufai Apena, at a briefing on Thursday described the installation as a rape and bastardisation of cultural heritage, tradition and custom.

According to him, the installation was carried out without any recourse to lay down rules and regulations governing the selection of a candidate to the traditional stool.

Alhaji Rufai-Apena who is also the Balogun of Odi-Olowo therefore urged the Lagos State government to redress the anomaly and avoid kangaroo selection.

He said, “This is to address and make public our grievances and pains as regards the injustice meted to us by the Lagos State government and in connivance with the authorities of Odi-Olowo/Ojuwoye LCDA and some supposedly representatives of the masses by installing one Prince Sikiru Olamide Williams as the Oba of Odi-Olowo.

“The installation without recourse to the laid down rules and regulations governing the selection of a candidate to occupy the traditional stool as laid down by the official gazette came to us as a rude shock.

“Although Prince Sikiru Olamide Williams is related to us through maternal lineage, he was never the choice of the family. There was never a time the family sat or held a meeting to anoint him as a candidate for the coveted throne.

“The same Williams still has some criminal and civil matters pending against him in courts of law in Lagos state.

“However, the Lagos State government in connivance with the authorities of Odi-Olowo/Ojuwoye LCDA still found him worthy of occupying our traditional Royal stool and a custodian of our cherished heritage and customs.

“This, to us, is neither acceptable nor palatable. We therefore reject this rape and bastardisation of our heritage, tradition and custom.

“Lagos State Government however didn’t take a due cognizance of judicial precedence in carrying out this distasteful action.

“Similarly, there are matters against the same Olamide Williams before Hon. Justice Folami of the Ikeja High Court.

“Also, my humble self has also instituted a criminal action bordering on forgery of signatures against Williams before Chief Magistrate Court, Yaba.”

Secretary of the family, Abdul-Gaffar Abdul-Raheem-Apena appealed to the Lagos State government to reverse the kingship and allow the family to select its candidate for the stool.

He said, “Whatever the government wants to do should align with the laid down rules and regulations guiding the selection of Oba. This is not followed. Probably the Lagos State government acted in error.

“This came to us as a surprise because the installed Oba is not the candidate of the family and this means the rules and regulations for the selection of Oba in Odi-Olowo was not followed.  We want this error to be corrected and therefore we appealed to the state governor to reverse the kingship. The traditional Crown and the staff of office is here with the Olori Ebi, I don’t know where he got his crown from.”