Osun State @33: A reminiscene

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Osun State, which was created on Thursday, 27th August,1991, celebrated its 33 years of creation with all find and pageantry.

I recall with history interest the creation history and unrelenting struggles and the persisted processes that started as far back as 1948 when Kabiyesi Alaiyeluwa Oba Samuel Adenle, the late Ataoja of Osogbo as the Chairman of the Osun Elites, with the late Chief Ladoke Akintola as the Secretary forwarded a Petition to the Colonial Governor-General in Lagos demanding for the creation of the Osun Division from the Ibadan Imperial rule under Olubadan-in-Council with the notorious Ajele draconian administration over Osogbo, Ogbomoso, Iwo, Ede, Ikirun, Ejigbo, Ikire, Odo-Otin, Iragbiji geographical and traditional areas, which ultimately culminated to the April 1, 1954, grant of automomy, the geographical areas mentioned above. The Osun Division with the headquarters at Osogbo.

This led to the cessation of the Ajele draconian administration. Ife, Ijesa and Ila Orangun District Council were in Oyo Provincial rule. No taste of Ajele draconian administration at all or Olubadan-in-Council, Ibadan Imperial rule at all

The struggle continued unabated within Chief Kolawole Balogun Osun State Creation Group pioneering the revival of the struggle. The Formation of the Council for the Creation of Osun State from Oyo State led by Oba William Ayeni, Orangun of Ila as the Chairman and Chief Tunji Abolade as the Secretary later emerge . Later the two groups merged.

In the Second Republic Nigeria, the legislature from the Osun Division known as the Osun Senatorial Districts One and Two presented a request for the Creation of Osun State from the the then Oyo State to the National Assembly. Senator Raji Stools Adeleke, Hon Tunji Abolade, Hon Kunle Odueyingbo, Hon Aiyelagbe Laogun, Hon Deji Dairo,and Hon. Fadeyi from Ila Orangun were among the signatories sign The Request for the Creation of Osun State in 1980 to the National Assembly. The Second Republic Nigeria could not create any state before the Military Takeover in December 1983.

As part of the Babangida’s Transition Programme, there was an election to the 1988/89 Constituent Assembly Abuja on Federal Constituency. I was democratically elected to represent Ifelodun Local Government Council area Federal Constituency in the 1988-89 Constituent Assembly in Abuja.

With glory to the Almighty God and the inputs and support of the Obas and the founding fathers including Kabiyesis Oba Okunade Sijuwade Olubuse, II, The Ooni of Ife, Oba William Ayeni, the Orangun of Ila , Oba Gabriel Aromolaran, the Owa- Obokun of Ijesaland, the Ataoja of Osogbo,Oba Oyewale Matanmi III, the Timi of Ede, Oba Tijani Oyewusi, the Akinrun of Ikirun, Oba Lawani Oyejola Adeyemi, the Ogiyan of Ejigbo,Oba Oyeyode Oyesosin II, the Aragiji of Iragbiji, Oba Timothy , the Olokuki of Okuku . Leaders like Chief Kolawole Balogun, Chief SMAfolabi, Chief Tunji Abolade, Chief Kunle Odetoyinbo, Alhaji Rahidi Igbalaye, Chief Aiyelagbe Laogun, Chief Deji Dairo, Chief Abiola Morakinyo, Chief Kunle Olodude, Chief Gunju Adesakin, Dr Yemi Farounbi, Chief Abiola Ijiwoye, and Prince Dapo Sijuwade among others, on the floor of the 1988/89, Constituent Assembly Abuja, I moved the Motion for the Creation of Osun State out of the then Oyo State.(see Federal Republic of Nigeria, No32 Official Report of the Proceedings of the 1988-89 Constituent Assembly of Wednesday,19th October, 1988, pp 1828-1831).

We members of 1988/89 Constituent Assembly from Osun Division, with the members from Ife, Ijesa and Ila Federal Constituency signed up the Request for the Creation of Osun State out of the then Oyo State and submitted same through the Chairman of the 1988/89 Constituent Assembly Abuja to President Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida in November 1988.

Also, it must be mentioned that the late Adesun Ogundoyin, who happened to be a Client but an intimate friend of the Military President General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida, whose father-law, Alhaji Muhammadu King, the father of Mrs Maryam Babangida was the Chairman of his Multibillion Engineering Company, Niko Engineering Company doing Multibillion Irrigation Projects in the North, and that he was the highest donor to the University of Osun State located in Ogbomoso (named Osun State University) and that if Osun State is created, Ogbomoso would be in the newly created Osun State the the Oyo State University would automatically be located in Eruwa, Ibarapa in Oyo State.

These were the assumptions Chief Adesun Ogundoyin had in mind when he wrote me a letter inviting the leadership of the Request for the Creation of Osun State out of Oyo State to come to his Niko Engineering Company office at the J. Allen Area of Dugbe Ibadan to assist us to influence General Babangida to actualise the creation of Osun State within the shortest time possible. I agreed. I willing took the letter.

I went and contacted me following leaders: Chief Kolawole Balogun Chief Tunji Abolade, Alhaji Rasheed Igbalaye, Chief Kunle Odetoyinbo, Chief Olatunji Adesakin, Chief Abiola Ijiwoye, Chief Kunle Olodude for the meeting and they all turned up at his office at Dugbe Ibadan. We agreed to another meeting at the Okefia Trans Motel of Alhaji Rasheed Igbalaye.
We met two times and Chief Ogundoyin directed us to rewrite the Creation of Osun State Request to omit all the names of politicians but include all the names of First Class. We did as instructed. The Ooni of Ife Oba Okunade Sijuwsde Olubuse II top the list of the signatories to the last Request for the Creation of Osun State and handed over to Chief Adesegun Ogundoyin at Trans Motel Okefia, Osogbo. We gave him 10 (ten) copies which he took to his friend, General Babangida. In less than two months that he took the Request for the Creation of Osun State from us at The Trans Motel of Alhaji Rasheed Igbalaye, Osun State was created.

The Armed Forces Ruling Council’s national address after the 9 O’clock NTA Network news of Thursday, 27th August,1991, by its Chairman, General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida GCFR President Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Federal Republic of Nigeria the creation of the following states:- Abia State with the capital in Umuahia, Enugu State with the capital in Enugu, Delta State with the capital in Asaba, Jigawa State with the capital in Dutse, Kebbi State with the capital in Borini Kebbi, Kogi State with the capital in Lokoja, Osun State with the capital in Osogbo, Taraba State with the capital in Jalingo, and Yobe with the capital in Damanturu.

This 27th August, 1991 broadcast with the accompanying simple and single continuous sentence pronounced culimated in the enactment of the Decree that raised the total number of states in Nigeria to thirty in 1991States Creation and Transitional Provisions Decree No 2. Osun State was created. Everyone was happy. Drums were rolled out. Our Kabiyesis from Ila , Ejigbo Osogbo, Ikirun, Iragbiji, Okuku, Igbajo, Inisa, Ikire Gbongan, Ode-omu danced, danced and danced rejoicing not only because of the Osogbo as the state capital among the contending towns of Ile-Ife, Ilesa, Iwo and Ede. Ogbomoso had either opted out of the Osun State Creation Struggle because their leaders sensed that it cannot be the capital of Osun State because its at the corner of the state wheres Osogbo is at the centre of the state and anodal town which none of the hitherto contending towns could not equal nor supercede .

Immediately after the creation various stories about the struggle for the Creation were being told with evidence. This prompted to publish a book entitled: “The Way Osun State Should Go”in 2001and in 2010, I published seven titles, entitled: “The History of Osun State from Zero to Hero “Since then researchers, administrators, post-graduate students, embassies, consultants, lecturers etc have approached me for permission to use some of my intellectual property works in the books I authored, which freely given
Therefore, when I get the invitation to be honoured, recognised and appreciated ,as a foremost Founding Father at a Ceremony of Osun@33, In 2021 , August 27, I easily recollect the His Excellency,Dr Yemi Farounbi (OFR), former Nigerian Ambassador to the Philippines, Comrade Lekan Adebayo, a Principal Lecturer at the Osun State Polytechnic, Iree and Mr Taiwo Akeju, a former, Commissioner for Inter-governmental Services and Integration in Osun State open annoyance with the Osun State Government organiser of The Osun State @ 30 for inadvertently leaving me out completely out of the Founding Fathers that fought for the Creation of Osun State. Many unknowns people to the Osun State Creation were wrongly honoured undeservedly but they were wealthy they chose them not at all because of their historical contributions, at all and all.

People Vision and Mission and with the Correct Infrastructure for Efficient and Effective Leadership of the Maning table of public offices should be appointed as the late sage Chief Obafemi Awolowo did in Old Western Region and got monumental unforgettable results in Education, infrastructure, Agriculture, Manufacturing industries, Health and Social Welfare, Social Integration, Value Orientation, Afenifere, wealth creation, Justice , Fairness, and, above all, Life More Abundant for all.

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