The Iresa-Adu community of Surulere LGA, Oyo State, have sidelined Governor Seyi Makinde, as they have taken matters into their own hands after about 8years of government failed promises to install the Oba Aresa of Iresa-Adu, who is a first class Monarch and paramount ruler in Oyo State.
Iresa-Adu, where the Surulere LGA secretariat of Oyo State is located, is a prominent ancient town where Governor Seyi Makinde and his entourage went in both 2019 and his 2023 re-election bid, for his political governorship campaign.
The ancient town of Iresa-Adu have taken matters into their own hands to install prominent vacant Obas and Baale’s on border towns with Osun state and Kwara State, and other exposed communities under Iresa lands, in order to relief the tensions of insecurity, land grabbing, and overzealous alien interests, that have gripped the communities in recent weeks as reported and published in major newspaper outlets all over Nigeria.
There have been numerous unsuccessful appeals to Governor Seyi Makinde to approve the process to install the Oba Aresa-Adu of Iresa-Adu who is the paramount ruler of all these many border towns and many villages. Governor Seyi Makinde is widely quoted to say, “I would do the needful”, whenever he is approached by people in an attempt to appeal to him to resolve this matter. However, nothing has been done for almost 8years now.
The appeals ranges from letters and personal conversations from highly placed and prominent Nigerians, politicians and Obas, to Governor Seyi Makinde. Also numerous letters and newspaper publications from the kingmakers and royal families of Iresa-Adu chieftaincy. That is in addition to scheduled and unscheduled visits and appearances by elders of the next ruling house to produce the Aresa along with Kingmakers from Iresa-Adu at Oyo State secretariat at Ibadan to ask for Oyo Government’s help. All of these actions have gained no result from the Governor.
Having experienced such level of wasted efforts on the Oyo Government to correct this wrong for about 8years, now, the Iresa-Adu community have taken matters upon themselves with the recent installation of the new Oba Adeleke Isaiah Olayiwola Oninuola1, the Aregba of Iregba land, a key town on Iresa-Adu land. Iregba town have experienced multiple decades of disputes and aggression from other towns attempting to encroach into Aresa territory.
In a brief interview with some members of Iresa-Adu township, Elder Prince Olaleye said, “We have had to take action because we are losing the lives of our people to insecurity and disputes, and we are losing our lands to people who have unsuccessfully attempted to steal from Aresa possessions for years, all because Governor Makinde have failed to help us act on the Aresa of Iresa-Adu throne despite our numerous appeals to him. We have used our old age to ridicule ourselves in front of people younger than us, just to get this matter resolved”.
It is of worthy reminder that many news outlets have covered the issue on the Aresa-Adu of Iresa-Adu throne. Another elder in the town who asked for anonymity said, “We acted out of neglect and frustration by the Governor Makinde led administration, we are hoping a new Governor in 2027 will come to our aid on the Aresa-Adu matter, but we cannot ignore the fact that so many damage can be done between now and May 2027. Therefore we cannot just sit back to witness further loss of lives, properties, lands and livelihoods in our community, due to the absence of Aresa-Adu. Our Local Government Chairman, Hon. Isaiah Adegbite is exhausted over the matter, and he has publicly admitted to us that there is nothing further he can do without the Governor’s intervention. We have exhausted court processes and exhausted direct media plea to the Governor for nearly 8years to no effect”.
The town’s people have said Governor Seyi Makinde has the power to fix things if he so pleases as he has done in other parts of Oyo State in the past. Prince Oyerinde said, “in the nearly 8years of waiting, the Iyalode of Aresa-Adu have died, the Balogun of Aresa-Adu have recently died too in the process of waiting. Governor Makinde used executive power to resolve Soun of Ogbomoso, Aseyin, Alaafin, even Olubadan crisis. Almost all of them had cases in court, but the Governor helped them and neglected us. Even though Aresa-Adu passed away years before Aseyin, Soun, and Alaafin passed on. We are dealing with a lot in this community and every old and young in the community have come accept the glaring fact that Governor Makinde has no regard for us here in Iresa-Adu throughout his tenure”.
Recently, many national news outlets covered the news of the Fulani cow rustlers that were apprehended by the Oyo State Police Command in Iresa-Adu. That has proved already that the ancient town of Iresa-Adu is a security danger to the remainder of Oyo State if left neglected by the Oyo Government without it’s first class Monarch to coordinate security efforts amongst the numerous towns and villages in that area.