Eyewitness account online

Omoba Adebami Adefukuyo In the well-documented traditions of Ijebuland, the conferment of the Otunba title has historically served a specific and respected purpose. Awujales traditionally bestow the Otunba chieftaincy on individuals drawn from female lineages or on royal descendants who, by custom and law, are ineligible to ascend the Awujale stool. It is an honourable recognition of service and proximity to the throne, but it has never conferred succession rights. Recorded history is unequivocal: no Otunba has ever been installed as Awujale. This unbroken custom, acknowledged by the Ijebu Royal Houses and repeatedly affirmed during the reign of the late Awujale, reflects a settled principle that Otunbas are not selected from the male Abidagba lines eligible for the throne. The tradition is neither ambiguous nor discretionary. Further reinforcing this position is the performance of the Ilete rites. These rites, once administered, cannot be repeated. Otunbas undergo Ilete ri...

The Awujale of Ijebu Land is not merely a crown; it is a sacred trust rooted in centuries of custom, lineage, and collective consent. It is deeply alarming that, right before the beginning of the nomination process for the open stool, a single name, Abimbola Onabanjo, has been relentlessly amplified across blogs, social media, and online news platforms as the “new Awujale,” raising serious questions not just about the individual involved, but about the motivations behind such premature narratives. More disturbing is the scale and coordination of the publicity. Media observers and social media monitors estimate that no fewer than 70 bloggers and content promoters, operating across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter (X), including several obscure and anonymously run platforms, have circulated the same unverified reports presenting Abimbola Onabanjo as the Awujale-in-waiting, or worse, as the crowned monarch himself. The repetition of identical language, imagery, and cel...

  By Gbenga Odugbesan The Awujale of Ijebu Land is not merely a crown; it is a sacred trust rooted in centuries of custom, lineage, and collective consent. It is deeply alarming that, right before the beginning of the nomination process for the open stool, a single name, Abimbola Onabanjo, has been relentlessly amplified across blogs, social media, and online news platforms as the “new Awujale,” raising serious questions not just about the individual involved, but about the motivations behind such premature narratives. More disturbing is the scale and coordination of the publicity. Media observers and social media monitors estimate that no fewer than 70 bloggers and content promoters, operating across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter (X), including several obscure and anonymously run platforms, have circulated the same unverified reports presenting Abimbola Onabanjo as the Awujale-in-waiting, or worse, as the crowned monarch himself. The repetition of identical ...