Indigenes of Owo, Ondo State yesterday trooped out en mass to support the demolition of the Memorial Park built to immortalise the victims of the June 2, 2022 terror attack on St Francis Xavier Catholic Church, Owo.
The park, built by the late governor Rotimi Akeredolu administration, was pulled down last weekend after citing its location as a ‘taboo’ to the culture of Owo people.
Converging on the front of the palace of the Olowo of Owo, the protesters said the demolition was long overdue after several discountenance over its site.
The protesters, among whom were youths and market women, were led by some traditionalists, condemned Mrs Betty-Anyanwu Akeredolu, the widow of the late governor, over his utterances on Oba Ajibade Gbadegesin Ogunoye for backing the demolition.
Mrs Akeredolu, who on Wednesday stormed the tomb of her husband in Owo, had condemned the demolition of the park, accusing Oba Ogunoye of destroying the project and legacies of her late husband.
The former first lady also described the Owo monarch, whom he claimed was installed by the late Akeredolu as a ‘baby Oba’.
Speaking on behalf of the protestors, one of the chiefs of Owo, Idowu Olakunori, lambasted Mrs Akeredolu, saying the former first lady was disrespectful to the monarch for his utterance.
“She (Mrs Akeredolu) disrespected the community. Whatever point she had, she should have been cautious. We cannot allow anybody to disrespect our Oba.
“She called our oba, ‘baby oba’, She has desecrated our land and culture with such language. Whoever disrespects our king won’t go free. It is erroneously bad and barbaric to be calling our monarch such names.
“I don’t want to go further by referring to one’s place of birth, but in our clime here, we respect our traditional institutions and hold them in very high esteem,” he said.
Olakunori added: “Now, she spoke about Aketi’s legacy. Aketi was never a local person. He was a national person, and he had all legacies all over the place. Among the legacies he left behind is the Amotekun Corps, which is protecting the Yoruba race.
“So, when you are talking of some kind of a legacy, it’s a legacy that is almost without a doubt. Not the one that disrespects the culture and the traditional institutions.
“Our people have come out to show their anger. Nobody, irrespective of where you came from, should be allowed to disrespect their legacy place.”
Meanwhile, Governor Aiyedatiwa has set up a committee to relocate the memorial park to another site within the Owo community.
This was contained in a statement by the spokesman to the governor, Prince Ebenezer Adeniyan, in Akure. It said: “Governor Aiyedatiwa has commissioned a team of government officials to liaise with relevant stakeholders to make arrangements to build a new cenotaph at a location acceptable to the people of Owo.
“We understand the emotional attachment to the memorial, but the decision to demolish and relocate it was made with careful consideration of its implications.
“We must find a balance between preserving the memories of the dead and upholding the sanctity of the culture of the community.
“The state government, under Aiyedatiwa’s leadership, is committed to honouring the victims in a manner that respects the law, the rights of all stakeholders, and the culture of the land.”
