History was made in Orile Owu, Ayedade South Local Government are of Osun State this weekend as the Owu people, scattered by intra tribal war of Yorubaland in 1821, returned to their root to turn the sod of a new town in the same corridor they abandoned 200 years ago.
It will be recalled that the former President of Nigeria and Balogun Owu in Abeokuta had been in the fore front of the unification of all Owu people scattered in diaspora settlements in Nigeria and beyond since two centuries ago, using an association, Royal Union of Owu people.
The RUOP formed in Abeokuta in 1993 as a platform to achieve the dream of this great unification which has now come to pass.
Before the manifestation of the event of this weekend, RUOP has been meeting at alternating Owu towns in the South West and Kwara for 30 years deliberating on how to rebuild the ancestral home of Orile Owu..
Dozens of Obas and Village Heads and Community Leaders of Owu settlements in Nigeria were hosted by Olowu of Orile Owu, Oba Daaud Akinfalabi who expressed delight at the progress of redeveloping the legendary home of Owu people in the Yoruba nation.
Balogun Olusegun Obasanjo who turned the sod of the secretariat of RUOP as an epitome of a new Owu town at where all Owu indigenes scattered into diaspora settlements would come to rebuild their ancestral homes, implored all concerned to take the project to their hearts as a mean to promote and stabilise their identity among their Yoruba kins and other Nigerians.
Besides launching a masterplan of the new town and laying the foundation of RUOP Secretariat, delegates were treated to cultural entertainment and exhibition of local fabrics produced by Owu Women from different locations in Yoruba land.
