Resident seeks national honour for Nigeria’s longest-reigning monarch, Onigede of Igede-Ekiti

A concerned resident of Igede-Ekiti in the Irepodun/Ifelodun Local Government Area of Ekiti State, Adekunle Oke, has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to confer a national honour on the Onigede of Igede-Ekiti, Oba James Adelusi Aladesuru II, who has spent 66 years on the throne.

Oba Adelusi, aged 92, is currently Nigeria’s longest-reigning traditional ruler, having ascended the throne in 1959 at the age of 26.

Oke, a native of Ẹlẹgbẹpa’s compound in the Odo-Uri quarters of the community, stated in a release made available to the *Nigerian Tribune* that the monarch deserves recognition by the Federal Government for his decades of service.

According to him, Oba Adelusi has shown unwavering commitment to the development of the community and the state, consistently working to promote unity among the people over the past 66 years.

The resident, who is a staff member at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido-Ekiti, also urged Ekiti State Governor Biodun Oyebanji, Senate Leader Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, members of the National Assembly, and other stakeholders to support the call for a national honour for the nonagenarian monarch.

He argued that celebrating distinguished leaders such as Oba Adelusi would send a strong signal about the government’s respect for traditional institutions in the country.

The statement reads: “The Onigede of Igede-Ekiti, His Royal Majesty, Oba James Adelusi Aladesuru II, JP, Petu-Bi-Owuro, is the longest-reigning monarch in Nigeria — 66 years on the throne and still counting.

“At 92 years of age and still alive and active, he deserves one of the Federal Republic of Nigeria’s national honours — be it MON, OFR, CON, OON, or MFR.

ALSO READ FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE: Tinubu, Akpabio, Abbas, others celebrate Buhari at expanded FEC meeting

“His reign and longevity are unprecedented, and he deserves to be honoured while still alive.

“I beseech the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, all well-meaning Nigerians, the Government of Ekiti State under the capable leadership of His Excellency Governor Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji, the three distinguished senators and six honourable members of the Federal House of Representatives representing Ekiti at the National Assembly, as well as other key national stakeholders, to consider this appeal as a matter of national importance.

“Let us remember that when we recognise and celebrate our leaders, we are also honouring ourselves. Posterity will judge our actions and inactions.”