Frontline politician and Lawyer ,Oba Mekunu, Owolabi Salis, has commiserated with Osun State governor,Ademola Adeleke and the people of Ijeshaland over the demise of the paramount ruler of Ijeshaland,the Owa Obokun,Oba Adekunle Aromolaran.
Salis, who is the Olori Eyo Alagere of Lagos, Jagun Bashorun of Ibadanland, and the Akinyegun of Owu,described the glorious passing of the illustrious Oba as the end of an era.
“Allow me to express at this juncture that by his passing, I felt a great sense of loss, not only as a traditional High Chief, a Yoruba son and ardent lover of tradition and culture,and staunch supporter of the African traditional Royalty,but also because of quite a lot of distinguished Ijesha sons,whom I am privileged to have as friends,and associates.
Especially outstanding in this regard, according to him,was Chief Jumoke Ogunkeyede,who he described as an unsung Nigerian hero and patriot,a distinguished High Chief of the Owa,and an illustrious son of Nigeria who as an immigrant in New York, mobilized and led people like me,also resident in New York,to play an immense role in the struggle for liberty during the ugly era of Abacha military tyranny. We also have great personalities from Ijesha who participated in the struggle like Engineer Osho, Madam Iyanda, and Barrister Fashakin, among others.
The late Oba is a great friend of Nigerian-Americans and Europeans Returnee Association as he often visited and identified with Yorubas in Dispora.
I am a Lagosian. The Ijeshas and Lagosians share royal blood on the father line. We are the same.
Another cogent factor he narrated further,”was the irrepressible influence which the departed Royal father had on me academically speaking during my growing up years”
Going down the memory lane, Salis recalled that,”at a very tender age during my earliest years in the secondary school,Oba Aromolaran had a tremendous influence in my educational career, just as he had among the general mass of students in those days,through his publishing company, Aromolaran Publishers,whose books were very popular among students,as well as books personally authored by the late Owa Obokun himself,which included his very popular book on Economics.”
“Those books which were not only expertly written but skillfully tailor-made to student’s need,which therefore made it a must read by my fellow students in those days,constituted my earliest memory of this great Oba.It is therefore in this sense,that the Adimula will go down in history,as a leading figure who in his glorious epoch of earthly existence contributed the most,through his unflagging devotion, to moulding the youth towards the noble goal of educational excellence.
“I have deliberately made mention of this point because going through the tributes being rendered in his honor,I am yet to come by any reference to this highly important aspect of his contribution to the educational upliftment of youths, who are often and rightfully regarded as leaders of tomorrow.To rob him of this important aspect of his contribution to humanity would be a disservice to his legacy,hence my avowed decision as being done in this brief piece,to put the record straight,said the eminent Lawyer politician who in 2019 contested for governorship in Lagos State on the platform of Alliance For Democracy.
He stated further that “as a forward-looking upwardly-mobile Oba, Aromolaran ranked amongst the earliest class of educated elites to mount the saddle of leadership,thereby raising the prestige of the traditional Royal institution to optimum literacy.”
He noted further that” as a pivotal catalyst of change,the ancient kingdom of Ijeshaland witnessed a remarkable pace of development and modernity in every facet of life, which were made possible through the modernising impulse of the Owa.Therefore with his departure,there is certainly no doubt that he will be leaving Ijeshaland at a tremendously better state than he met it”.
He further described the departed Royal Monarch as a unifying symbol and man of peace,whose dignified carriage and Royal comportment were salient sterling qualities which not only set him apart,but also made him an exemplary model worthy of emulation by his fellowship Royal class and colleagues, not only in Yorubaland, but Nigeria as a whole.
Nothing that the glorious departure of the immensely esteemed monarch was a painful one,he beseeched all sons and daughters of Ijeshaland including his nuclear and extended biological families to take solace in the exemplary life he lived, which were worthy of emulation.
On succession, I urged the king makers to look outward to Ijesha Diaspora, like Engineer Osho, one of the best engineers in New York or Ijesha Lagosians They can bring great values to the ancient town.
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