—– Calls For Government Intervention On infrastructure, Tourism In The Town
The Onire of Ire-Ekiti, His royal majesty Oba Victor Adeleke Bobade has promised a more united, better and heealty living among the people of Ire Ekiti. The royal father said this in the ancient town while interacting with journalists on Thursday 26th February in preparation for his 20th coronation anniversary scheduled to hold on the 27th February this year.
The royal father described the contest to the throne of his forefathers and his 20 years reign as Onire of Ire Ekiti as a journey marked with tolerance, selfless sacrifice, faith and total perseverance.
Oba Bobade revealed that after the demise of the immediate past Onire whom he succeeded, there was a great pressure mounted on him from the people in the community to come home and ascend the throne which he did not imagine nor expected then because he was in europe and was doing fine.
But according to him, after great pressure and sometimes becoming uncomfortable while in europe made him to give the demands from his people to contest for the throne a second thought and also with the fear that he may be forcefully brought home through magical power which may have negative effect on his well – being changed his mind.
Onire revealed that the greatest courage he had and which led him to the contest was when his mother prayed for him and told him to go ahead. This according to the mornach gave him the much needed courage and support that really fortified him during the contest and the subsequent legal battles that emerged thereafter.
He explained that his emergence as the Onire of Ire Ekiti faced a serious legal battle that spanned a period of seven and a half years. During this period according to the revered Monarchs, he attended 53 court sittings which started from High court where he first won the legal battle before proceeding to Court of Appeal and subsequently Supreme Court which finally affirmed his position as the authentic Onire of Ire Ekiti. He said the victory strengthened his resolve to serve the community diligently and with total dedication.
Following the apex court judgment, Oba Bobade said the former Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose unexpectedly facilitated the formal presentation of his Staff of Office overnight in December 2005, which officially commenced his reign.
Since then, the monarch said the town has recorded tremendous growth and development virtually in all areas especially, in education, unity, and commercial activities, citing the influx of students from the Federal University Oye as a boost to the commercial strength of the town.
Oba Bobade said Ire Ekiti has witnessed numerous achievements and successes under his reign citing the establishment of a branch of the Federal University Oye Ekiti in the town as one of his greatest achievements. Also, the building of a befitting civic centre, construction of ilupeju- Ire- Igbemo road and.ensuring total peace and harmony among his people are among his achievements in the past 20 years of his reign.
Despite the progress recorded, the monarch said his greatest challenge since he assumed the throne was the attack on his palace where he lost so many valuable goods including his cars, domestic animals and burning down of the palace in year 2020 during the Covid- 19 era which was basically a result of unfounded rumour and misinformation.
Onire who said his vision is to see ire ekiti becoming a mega city like Lagos and other developed cities in Nigeria has called on both the State and the Federal governments to prioritize infrastructure development and improve on the Ogun groove to march other tourist centres in the world, this according to him will enhance accessibility and accelerate socio-economic growth of the ancient town.
Bobade said ire deserved a new palace and call on the state government for support to achieve this. He also identified poor road networks linking Ire-Ekiti to some neighbouring towns such as Oye, Afao, Ikole, Ijesa Isu and other towns as major challenges. He called on the State government authorities to intervene and ensure that the roads are assessible in other to enhance movement and transportation of farm produce and businesses in the town.
Earlier at the briefing, the President of Ire-Ekiti Development Union, Engr. Ayodeji Abe commended the monarch for his administrative know- how, his impunity, transparency, accountability and the God giving grace to lead by example. Abe said the ascension of the monarch to the throne of Onire is a blessing to the community and this has brought great growth and development to the town.
Abe said one of his achievements as the President, Ire Development Union under the reign Oba Bobade is the construction of ultra modern civic centre that is second to none in the whole area.
He stated that the community executed the project through collective funding, professional supervision, and strong unity among residents at home and in the diaspora.
Abe disclosed that he personally dedicated his time to supervise the demolition and rebuilding of the new edifice structure after engineers condemned parts of it. He said as a civil engineer, he brought his wealth of experience and professionalism to bear by giving the best to the town.
He added that the member representing Oye-Ekiti Federal Constituency in the house of Representative, Hon. Akintunde Rotimi, supported the project by facilitating roofing assistance through a federal agency, while former Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi, donated ₦10 million.
He further revealed that sons and daughters of Ire-Ekiti raised over ₦15 million within one week, bringing total community investment in the civic centre to nearly ₦30 million. He attributed the success of the project to transparency, strict supervision, and shared commitment.
The chairman of the Media and Publicity Committee, Retired Colonel Adedotun Adeyeye eulogised the monarch for his patriotic nature and his penchant for the progress of Ire Ekiti. While extolling the virtues of proper training and guidance of the youths by the parents to avoid the incessant social misdemeanor in the society, he called for the introduction of civic studies in our schools to teach morals.
Adeyeye commended journalists for their consistent support and described the media as vital partners in community development. Stakeholders at the press conference also praised the monarch’s inclusive leadership style and reaffirmed their commitment to sustaining peace and unity beyond the 20th anniversary celebration.
