YOU CANNOT BE KING IN AJAH: AJAH RULING HOUSES AND THE ENTIRE AJAH COMMUNITY BLAST BODUNRIN OLUMEGBON LAWAL AS AN INTERLOPER

Reacting to the news release that went viral on some social media platforms wherein Mr. Bodunrin Olumegbon Lawal is reported to have explained the reasons why he wishes to be the first king of Ajah and Okun Ajah in Eti-Osa Local Government Area of Lagos State, The Ajah Ruling Houses (Ogunsemo and Ojupon Ruling Houses) and the entire community have blasted Mr. Bodunrin Olumegbon as an interloper with tall dream that will never come to fruition.

The reaction of the Ogunsemo and Ojupon Ruling Houses and the entire Ajah community is contained in a press statement signed by a principal member and joint Secretary to the two Ruling Houses, Mr. Kabiru Yekinni, who berated Mr. Bodunrin Olumegbon for conceiving such a heinous ambition of becoming king in Ajah against the established rulership custom and tradition in Ajah land.

Mr. Yekinni stated that since the founding of Ajah and from time immemorial, no Chief Olumegbon of Lagos or any member of the Olumegbon chieftaincy family has ever ruled Ajah land as its traditional ruler because the rulership of the town has always rested on the Baale of Ajah otherwise known as the Olomodi Apekun joye of Ajah, which stool is strictly limited and exclusively rotated between the Ogunsemo and Ojupon Ruling Houses of Ajah from about 1734 till date.

The fact that Ajah’s Chief is the Olomodi Apekun joye was not lost to well meaning Lagosians including the ancestors of Mr. Bodunrin Olumegbon Lawal, particularly Chief Olumegbon Kalefo I, who testified to that effect in a court proceedings in 1896.

This fact was also corroborated by a number of other witnesses in the case, one of which was Chief Ojora of Lagos at the time.

The Secretary stated further that when Ajah was part of the Lagos Island Local Government before the creation of the Eti-Osa Local Government, the late Baale of Ajah, Chief Sulu Tijani Ojupon and late Olumegbon of Lagos, Chief Lamidi Yesufu Kalefo II were both members of the Council of Lagos Traditional Chiefs and it was Chief Sulu Tijani Ojupon that was representing Ajah as its traditional ruler and not the Olumegbon of Lagos.

The current Baale of Ajahland below - Chief Murisiku Alani Ojupon

He stated that this was the rulership custom met and recognized in Ajah by the Colonial Government and successive Governments till date as evinced in the 1957 Chieftaincy Declaration regulating succession to the stool of Baale of Ajah, which instrument neither recognized the Olumegbon family as a Ruling House nor a kingmaker or consenting authority in Ajah.


Mr. Yekinni recounted that Ogunsemo and Ojupon are the siblings who established Ajah in 1704 and that in fact, Ijeh was their working base then before the community eventually went into extinction.

He listed the names of the past rulers of Ajah land since inception till date as follows:
Ogunsemo 1734 – 1780
Olomodi Ojupon 1780 – 1823
Sholumade Ogunsemo 1823 – 1838
Dada Ojupon 1838 – 1860
Ogundairo Ogunsemo 1860 -1882
Hassani Oyewole Ogunsemo 1885 – 1892
Rabiu Ajayi Ojupon 1893 – 1940
Ali sholumade Ogunsemo 1941 – 1948
Sulu Tijani Ojupon 1949 – 1987
Kareem Adedeji Ogunsemo 1989 – 2006
Murisiku Alani Ojupon 2009 – till date.


Current Baale of Ajah - Chief Murisiku Alani Ojupon


He stated that between 2006-2007, a regent in person of Alhaji Ganiyu Lamina Ashagbe, the kingmaker from Babasale family was placed in charge of the traditional administration of Ajah.

The Secretary hinted that Ajah is aware of the clandestine moves by the Olumegbon family to usurp the rulership of Ajah by lobbying the Lagos State Government to make a member of the family the Oba of Ajah but the Ajah community has consistently alerted the Government on the sacrilegious effect of acceding to the heinous move.

He stated that as a matter of fact, there is a law suit pending in the High Court of Lagos State between Pa Adisa Oloriode Ojupon & 3 Ors V the Executive Governor of Lagos State & 4 Ors where the Ogunsemo and Ojupon Ruling Houses of Ajah are urging the court to declare that Ajah has never come under the rulership of Olumegbon of Lagos in the annals of history and that the Baale of Ajah as the Olomodi Ap’ekun Joye of Ajah is the chieftaincy stool entitled under custom to be upgraded to the position of Oba of Ajah with a request to the court to issue an order to compel the Lagos State Government to upgrade the stool of Baale of Ajah to Oba Olomodi of Ajah as opposed to imposing the Olumegbon of Lagos with extra territorial jurisdiction away from Ajah.

Mr. Yekinni noted that with the pendency of the above mentioned suit, it is illegal and contemptuous of Mr. Bodunrin Olumegbon Lawal to go to the press with a claim that is already subjudice before the court.


He finally urges members of the public to refuse the deception of Mr. Bodunrin Olumegbon Lawal and the Olumegbon family.


In a related development, the Secretary of the Ajah Community, Mr. Kazeem Odunlami (A.K.A Komajah) aligns wholeheartedly with the position rendered by Mr. Kabiru Yekini and added that the rulership history in Ajah was not hidden at all.

He insisted that everyone in and around Lagos knows that Ajah has always been under the rulership of the Baale of Ajah, otherwise known as the Olomodi Ap’ekun Joye and that marks the reason why the panegyrics of every free born of Ajah includes “Omo Olomodi ap'ekun joye” meaning “the child of Olomodi who kills tiger for coronation”

He concluded that by the grace of the Almighty Allah no amount of deception or treacherous inclinations will change the rulership custom of Ajah in favour of the Olumegbon family.

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