ABEOKUTA — The Alake and Paramount ruler of
Egbaland, Oba Michael Adedotun Gbadebo, has
replied the Awujale and Paramount ruler of
Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona, over his comment on
the ranking of Yoruba Obas, describing the Awujale’s
comment as indecent and uncivil.
The Alake spoke through his Adviser on Media
Affairs, Chief Lai Labode, accompanied by Egba
Council of Chiefs at a conference at the paramount
ruler’s palace in Abeokuta, yesterday.
He said: “The Alake’s reply was predicated on the self-
indulgence of our respected monarch to churn out
outright historical falsehoods in the presence of
knowledgeable Nigerians.”
The Alake, whose speech, entitled Putting the record
straight: Egba’s response to Awujale’s allegations,
said he believed that Awujale’s audience would have
taken his attempt to rewrite contemporary history as
his personal views: “we feel compelled to state the
facts for record purposes,” he said.
Oba of Lagos
Meanwhile, Oba Rilwanu Akiolu of Lagos has
cautioned Yoruba traditional rulers against making
statements capable of causing disaffection among
the various traditional institutions in the country,
stating that emphasis should be on fostering peaceful
coexistence.
Akiolu, who said this yesterday in Lagos when the Olu
of Warri, Ogiame Ikenwoli, visited him at his palace,
said it was not in the place of traditional rulers to
make statements that could lead to disharmony.
He said: “By the grace of God, I pray for peace and
progress. Olu of Warri, this is your home. It shall be
well with you. God will grant you a peaceful and
prosperous reign. You were not poor before you
became the Olu, I have been blessed more than I was
before I became the Oba, and you will also be
blessed beyond measures.
“We, Yoruba Obas, are not supposed to be making
inflammatory statements. All the Yoruba Obas should
refrain from making statements capable of causing
disunity. God gave us one thing in this Lagos; all
those who make progress in this country started
from Lagos. There is nowhere in Lagos we
discriminate against anybody.”
Awujale had, last week, attacked the Alake over the
ranking of Yoruba Obas, describing the Alake as a
junior and inexperienced Oba in Yorubaland.
Awujale was reacting to the comment on the ranking
of Yoruba Obas where he was categorised as the last
Oba out of five prominent Obas in Yorubaland,
saying Alake had quoted wrongly from the 1903
government gazette.
The Alake, who received the new Ooni of Ife, Oba
Ogunwusi Adeyeye at his palace on February 7, had
said: “Ooni is one of the five principal Obas in
Yorubaland. The others are in order of the way they
are classified on a supremacy basis.
“After the Ooni is the Alaafin of Oyo; after the Alaafin
is the Oba of Benin; after the Oba of Benin, is the
Alake of Egbaland and the fifth, and by no means the
least, is the Awujale of Ijebuland.”
This statement did not go down well with the Awujale
as he replied the Alake, blasting him for categorising
him as the fifth prominent Yoruba Oba.
Lugard’s salary scale
However, in his reply to all the allegations raised by
Awujale against him, the Alake, in the speech which
was signed by the Balogun of Egbaland, Chief
Sikirulahi Atobatele, and read by his media aide, said
the intention of the Egbas was not to whip up any
controversy or demean anybody.
Rather, it is always to educate the public by stating
the fact of history and for record purposes.
In his defence, the Alake buttressed his ranking
above the Awujale, going to the archives to quote
Lord Lugard’s Grading and Salaries of Obas in the
Southern Province.
It revealed that the two First Class monarchs were on
different salary scales, which showed that the Alake
was receiving £2,250, while the Awujale was receiving
£1,700.
They gave the source of the information as Page 4,
paragraph 4, Government of the Federal Republic of
Nigeria, Federal Ministry of Information National
Archives, Files Nos. 33044, CSO 26, letter SP
11828120, Secretary’s Office, Southern Province,
Enugu, January 31, 1938.
On the allegation by the Awujale that the Alake
quoted wrongly from a 1903 government gazette,
which was a newspaper publication, the statement
said: “Alake quoted government Gazette, Colony of
Lagos, Saturday, February 20,1903, page 100,
paragraph 16. Gazette is a subsidiary legislation,
which has force of law and, therefore, a public
document available for verification.”
On the allegation that Awujale made several calls to
Alake to confirm if Alake actually made the statement
on Yoruba Obas ranking and that the Oba of Lagos,
Oba Rilwan Akiolu, contacted the Alake on same
issue and he denied, the statement said: “Both the
Awujale and Oba of Lagos actually called Alake on the
ranking of Yoruba Obas. Alake responded that his
ranking was supported by documentary evidence and
he, therefore, stands by his position.”
On the allegation of the authority that categorised the
Yoruba traditional rulers, the statement said: “The
then Ooni of Ife did at the Central Native Council
meeting, which was chaired by the Governor-
General, His Excellency, Sir William Macgregor, at
Governor House, Lagos in 1937.
“Those in attendance included the Ooni of Ife, Alaafin
of Oyo, Oba of Benin, Alake of Abeokuta and Awujale
of Ijebu-Ode.”
On Egba forest
On the allegation that the Alake was a junior Chief in
Egba forest and that he fled to Ibadan under the
territory of Alaafin, after which he was sacked by
Ijebu army and that the Alake fled to Abeokuta where
he met the Osile, the Olowu and the Agura and
Olubara who had previously settled in Abeokuta
before him, the statement said: “20 Alakes had
reigned in the Egba forest prior to the founding of
Abeokuta in 1830.
“There was no Alake that fled to or took refuge in
Ibadan. The Egbas arrived and settled in Abeokuta
mainly in 1830. The first Alake in Abeokuta was
installed in 1854 , followed by Olowu in 1855, the
Agura in 1870 and the Osile in 1897.”
Before independence
The Alake further explained that he had been ranked
above the Awujale long before independence.
He said: “By the Egba United Government
Proclamation of February 1, 1898, approved by the
then governor of Lagos, the Egba cabinet was as
follows: The Alake was President, the Osile was
Minister of Justice, the Agura was Minister of
Communication and Works and the Olowu was
Minister for Finance.”
On the allegation that Alake was a junior Oba like
those under the Awujale in Ijebuland and that the
Alake’s control since he arrived Abeokuta in 1830 was
restricted to Ake section of Abeokuta, the statement
read: “Just as there were the Awujale of Ijebu-Ode,
the Akarigbo of Sagamu, the Soun of Ogbomoso, the
Olowo of Owo, Oba of Lagos and so on, there was the
title Alake of Abeokuta.
“Alake is only comparable with the Awujale only now
that they are both paramount rulers and rotational
chairmen of Ogun State Traditional Council of Obas.
Historically speaking, Alake was higher by salary
differentials paid by colonial government.
“Lord Lugard’s grading and salaries of Obas in the
Southern provinces: First class (the two monarchs
were among First class Obas), Alake of Abeokuta
used to be paid £2,250 and Awujale of Ijebu-Ode
used to receive £1,700.”
Meeting with Obasanjo
On the allegation that Awujale and the immediate-
past Alake, Oba Oyebade Lipede, sat with former
President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, on the issue at
Aso Rock, the statement said: “Awujale did not state
the outcome of the meeting. We do not want to
insinuate that if it were to his advantage, he would
have mentioned it.”
On the Awujale’s advice to Alake, having referred to
him as a young and inexperienced traditional ruler
that needed to receive education from Chief
Obasanjo, the statement replied: “Although this
concluding part of Awujale’s speech is uncalled for, it
is neither civil nor decent.
“We do not intend to defile the sacred Yoruba
traditional institution. We, therefore, refrain from
trading insults with a highly regarded monarch of his
status.”
The statement, however, concluded that though the
Egbas were not unmindful of the agitation over the
Awujale’s speech by the people on social media, it
appreciated the favourable and sympathetic
reactions from social and conventional media.
Attempts to get reaction from the Awujale hit a brick
wall as his Personal Assistant, Chief Toyin, did not
pick several calls made to his phone line, while the
text message sent to him was not replied.

www.vanguardngr.com/2016/03/ranking-of-yoruba-obas-awujales-comment-indecent-uncivil-alake/

Thank God its yourselves you are bullying this time. More grease to your large basket smelly mouths.