The traditional head of Arijodi Ologunmolare community in Akure North Local Government Area of Ondo State, the Olu of Arijodi Ologunmolare, Chief Boluwaji Ajayi Aladekanye has called on all land owners in the community to relate with the authentic leaders of the community instead of impostors.
Chief Aladekanye made the call on Tuesday while speaking with newsmen on the dilemma of land owners in the community and the leadership of Arijodi Ologunmolare family.
He charged the visitors, who procured land and built houses in the community to ensure they related with the authentic leaders of the family who were constituted in line with court directive.
The traditional chief noted that it is imperative for the land owners to relate with the constituted leadership of family instead of the former leadership which had been dissolved by the law court.
According to him, the court had dissolved the former leadership of the family headed by Chief (Mrs.) Cecilia Taiye Ologede, the Iyalobinrin of Eleyowo.
He said when the court gave the directive that another leadership should be constituted, it also instructed that Chief (Mrs.) Cecilia Taiye Ologede could not be the head because she was dragged to court for allegedly selling larger portion of the family land without the consent of other members of the family.
Chief Aladekanye said: “What the court of law directed us to do is what have been doing like the meeting as a committee directed to be constituted by the court for the progress of all children of Arijodi Ologunmolare for the progress of my Community.
“What I observed is that the person they believe is their leader is Chief(Mrs.) Cecilia Taiye Ologede.
“I want to assure all visitors who built houses in the community is that she(Chief Mrs Ologede) has been removed by the court from the position and appointed me as the head of the family before I was made the traditional head of the community.
“This is because my grandfather was born there. My father and I were also born there. It was the mother of Chief C.T Ologede, the Iyalobinrin of Eleyowo, that was born in the family of Arijodi. When her mother got mature, she got married to Pa Fanibuyan whose house is in Ijeminkin, Akure and their Community is Eleyowo just like my community is Arijodi Ologunmolare. She then gave birth to C.T Ologede there.
“The land we are talking about at Arijodi Ologunmolare is 2000 plots out of which C.T Ologede has sold 1800 plots. That’s the reason the rest members of the family collectively approached the court and the court constituted a committee but that she could not longer be the head of the committee.
“So, she’s not holding any position but rather an ordinary floor member of the family. The committee is saddled with the responsibility to re-allot the land.
But because of what she has done on the land of Arijodi, she could not come. We do invite her whenever we have meeting, but she didn’t come to the meeting.
“The committee led by Mr. Jimoh Oke is working hard on resolving the land issue. I pray that is done very soon. The late Mrs. Fanibuyan Ado, who was born in our family, they will invite her son, Sola Fanibuyan, Kehinde Fanibuyan and Taiye Fanibuyan and the entitlement of their family will be handed over to them in line with how we were asked to share the land.
“I sit on the throne of my father, I am not sitting on the land. I only sit as the Olu of Arijodi where my grandfather was born. I have chiefs at Ologunmolare, Eminiwa who work with me in the running of the affairs of the community.
“Everyone will receive the entitlement of their individual families as it is done in Yoruba kingdom.
“The visitors who have receipts for purchase of land which Pa Akintade was not party to which was fraudulently sold to them by C.T Ologede.were being urged to torment Indigenes of the community.
“Pa Akintade is the oldest in the family. He was made the General Secretary. But C.T Ologede imposed herself as the head of the family. She was not appointed by anybody.
“When I was appointed as the head of the family, C.T Ologede went to court but her case was dismissed and I was affirmed. So, whatever she does on behalf of the family is null and void.”
Corroborating the claims of Chief Aladekanye, the Lisa of the community, Chief Tope Abudu, said: “What the landlords in the community are saying is because they bought land from Taiye Ologede. We have been meeting in the past and we had never had any clash. So, we are working towards how we can bring all of them together for the development of our community.”
In his own account, Pastor Emmanuel Akintade Oni, the oldest member of the family, said: “I want the people to understand that a tree cannot make a forest. The youth should be given a chance to go ahead with running of the affairs of Arijodi Ologunmolare Community. They should given peace of mind.”
