The expected huge revenue following the declaration of Araromi seaside a Tourism Zone has sparked battle for ownership over the area between government of Ondo and Ogun States.
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Owner of La Campagne Tropicana Beach Resort, Otunba Wale Akinboboye, had entered into an agreement to develop the area into a booming relaxation spot for global businesses.
Araromi seaside has been described as untapped goldmine along the coastline of the Atlantic ocean. It sits on 200 kilometres out of the 840 kilometres of beachfront along the Nigeria coastline. It has beautiful and natural vegetation.
The planned development of the Araromi seaside is expected to create thousands of jobs and opened up the rustic communities to the world.
Ondo Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, had taken the lead by flagging off the construction of the 50-kilometre road to connect Araromi Seaside with Akodo in Ibeju-Lekki Local Government Area of Lagos State.
Akeredolu at the flagging of exercise said: “Once this project is completed, the people can now travel to Lagos by road in less than an hour, as against the usual four to five hours being spent through other roads to Lagos.”
Few days after Akeredolu declared Araromi a Tourism Zone, the Onirokun of Irokun, Oba Buari Ola Balogun (Ogbelege IV), in Ogun Waterside Local Government area of Ogun state, said the proposed tourism zone, was under Ogun State and not Ondo State.
According to him, “For the sake of clearance, reference should be made to the geographical Boundary declaration of States along the Bight of Benin, even at the time and after the Western Region, where it will be found that the entire landmark of Araromi Seaside fell into Ijebu Land and is one of the Communities of Irokun Kingdom of Ogun Waterside.
“Secondly, it should interest everyone that may be concerned to know that I have severally visited Araromi Seaside as one of the communities under my jurisdiction, and had serious consultations with the dwellers of the land, who were scheming to move out to Ondo State on the ground that they are a community that has been abandoned by the Ogun State Government.
“I frantically established it to the people there on the land, that despite their agitation for Ondo State as a people, the land they occupy cannot be transferred to Ondo State by them.
“The land belongs to the Irokun Kingdom- an Ijebu community under the administration of the Awujale of Ijebu land, and is under Ogun Waterside Local Government of Ogun State.
“It is, therefore, very pertinent this time around that I am using this opportunity and medium to voice out to both Ogun Waterside Local Government and Ogun State Government that the land mentioned here, Araromi Seaside, is their land and not that of Ondo State,” he said.
It will be recalled that residents of Maporure community of Aheri-land in Ilaje local government area of Ondo state, in a letter to Governor Akeredolu, and signed by Ige Asemudara, said Araromi Seaside had been part of Ilaje community in Ondo state
They urged the Governor to ignore such insignificant tantrum by the Balogun.
According to the letter, “We are Solicitors to the royal dynasty of the Maporure of Aheri-land in Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State. Our Client has drawn our attention to the above-captioned publication with instructions to correct the several false claims made therein by one Buari Ola Balogun purporting himself as the ‘Onirokun of Irokun,’ a community forming part of the ancient territory of Aheriland and to urge your Excellency to ignore such insignificant tantrum.
“In the said publication, the self-styled Onirokun falsely claimed that Araromi- Seaside was in the Ogun Waterside Local Government Area of Ogun State contrary to the truth that Araromi is squarely within the Aheri Ward of Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State and not even a border community.
“For the avoidance of doubt, Aheri land which is coterminous with the Ward is the most westerly of the four Ilaje Kingdoms with its littoral boundary extending to Olosunmeta on the Lekki Peninsula corridor as long determined even before Nigeria became a British Protectorate and later a colony in 1900.
“It is the fact of its territorial contiguity with Lagos that the British Government, by an Act of the Nigerian Legislative Council, on the 29th day of November 1895, extended the laws of the Colony of Lagos to Ilaje land and by which it was declared part of the Colony.
“Attempts later to alter this well defined boundary and territory for political exigencies has been the source of unending crises between Ondo/Abeokuta Provinces which birthed the present Ondo and Ogun States, particularly when Ijebu was crafted from Abeokuta in 1915 with a rejected policy to create costal territory for Ijebu on part of the western fringe of Ilaje soil.
“In recent times, the National Boundary Commission, in agreement with all stakeholders, had to resort to ethnographic analysis to resolve the unwarranted crises.
“In the final analysis, we state without equivocation that both Araromi and Irokun are one hundred percent Ilaje communities and within the Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State. No state or ethnic group is in dispute with us over them.
“Even on traditional and historical grounds, it is necessary to educate Mr. Buari Balogun that the correct title of the Oba of Irokun is Olurokun and not Onirokun and that Ogbelege whose name Buari proudly but falsely sought to adopt, was a descendant of Oba Adanigbo a past Maporure of Aheri-land. There is no Ruling House or family of Ijebu origin in Irokun,” it said.
Baale of Araromi Seaside community, High Chief, Benaya Okuntade, said the community is under the the suzerainty of Amapetu of Mahin.
High Chief Okuntade stated that a territorial expansionist agenda of the Awujale backed by officials of the then Abeokuta Provinces, attempted to carve some Ijebu with Ilaje into a waterside political /territorial group and the move led to loss of some Ilaje communities which include Irokun, Ibu, Itebu Elero
Okuntade said “Never in the history of Araromi Seaside has the Aheri people or the Maporure ever exercise any form of authority over Araromi land or its people. A 1955 agreement between Oba M. A. Gbose , the Maporure of Agerige and the people of Araromi bears out this fact, when he expressly stated that his kingdom not extend to Araromi Seaside.
“There was a case instituted and fought by the Aheri people against Araromi such as HOK/9/91, HOK/8/2012 and CA/AK/275/2014 over Araromi land and the authority of Amapetu over Araromi which they lost.
“For the record, I reiterate that Araromi Seaside is not part of Irokun land nor in Ogun state and I state that not one of their progenitors of Buari Balogun ever step on Araromi soil in exercise of any form of authority over our land and people and I dare him to attempt to step on our land.
“Araromi Seaside has never been part of Aheri-land. We therefore use this medium to appeal to Ondo state government to expedite action and approve the desire of the Araromi Seaside people through their memorandum which is before it to have their Oloja,” he added.
He urged the Ondo State government to approve Adeoloye Olawole the Oba- elect upgraded to status of Oba to stop the incursion of the Ijebu people in their expansionist agenda
“A new Oba- elect in person of Adeloye Olawole has again been appointed by the Araromi Seaside people to whom the Amapetu has since given consent,” he said.
Last week, Governor Akeredolu issued a White Paper on the Justice C.E.T. Ajama (rtd) Judicial Commission of Inquiry on Chieftaincy Matters and created 62 new Obas who were rated as Grade C monarchs. Traditional heads in four communities in Araromi seaside Irokun , Obinehin, Idigbengben and Araromi were among those elevated.
Apparently irked by the move, the Ogun State Government in a statement by its Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Abdulwaheed Odusile, said official legal documents dating back to the colonial era and re-affirmed by relevant agencies of the Federal Government attest to the fact that those four communities were within Ogun State.
The statement said Ogun State government remained the only authority that could confer and recognize any chieftaincy title(s) in the affected communities.
The statement called on law enforcement agencies to take note and act accordingly to prevent any breakdown of law and order.
But Ondo State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Bamidele Ademola-Olateju, in a statement, explained that the White paper issued on Hon. Justice Ajama Commission, avoided consideration of request for recognition of traditional institutions from communities where there are land disputes and communal conflicting claims, pending the resolution of such disputes.
The statement said the four communities have a long history of traditional institutions within the state and that the landmass occupied by the communities falls within the territory of Ondo state of Nigeria.
“The claim that these communities are in dispute before the National Boundary commission is untrue, as the communities are within Ilaje Local Government of Ondo state. Federal institutions like Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) regularly conducts elections in these communities and votes cast are recorded for Ilaje Local Government of Ondo state.
“The recognized traditional institutions in these communities are integral parts of traditional institutions in, and of Ilaje Local Government area of Ondo state and the traditional rulers are indigenes of Ondo State.
“It should be noted that the traditional institutions of these communities, submitted memoranda and appeared publicly before Ondo state Hon. Justice C.E.T Ajama commission of Enquiry on Chieftaincy matters, set up by Ondo State as far back as 2015 without any opposition from any quarter, including the Government of Ogun State. It is surprising that the Government of Ogun state is trying to claim ownership, after Ondo state Government has accepted the recommendation of the said Commission.
“While the Government of Ondo state is not averse to discussions on this matter as requested, we however urge our brothers in Ogun State to check their records properly on issues raised in their Press statement.
“It is on record that the communities in question have been in a festive mood since the announcement by Ondo state Government to recognize their traditional institutions.
There is no threat to peace in these communities. We urge our people to continue to live harmoniously amongst themselves for the development of our dear sunshine state,” she said.
The expectations of the Araromi Seaside residents to see a lush environment in the near future are bleak as the ownership battle might be headed for the courts for determination.
Source:The Nation
