People fight realities in different ways but for Adesegun Abiodun-Oniru, the Aremo of the past Oniru of Iru Kingdom, it appears the reality is just settling in that not only is he no longer the Aremo to the throne, but the fact that he isn’t the man chosen for the throne is just beginning to become a reality he is being confronted with.
During the reign of their father, the immediate past Oniru, Adesegun and his siblings and friends lived like kings, they lived it to the very hilt, a life of opulence and royalty, with undisguised disdain for the indigenes and residents of the kingdom.
Even the other princes and princesses of the other royal families were seen as lesser being to the sons and daughters of the then reigning king, this particular perception of the other princes may just be the reason Prince Tijani Oniru could raise his hands to slap a prince on official duties from the palace, Prince Murisiku Ajasa. The face-off between Prince Murisiku and Prince Tijani Oniru ultimately led to the invasion of the palace Sunday, July 5, 2020.
It is important to note that the faceoff yesterday between a prince of the Iru royal family of the Akiogun branch, Prince Tijani Oniru and some members of the enumeration committee led by Prince Murisiku Ajasa on the duty of enumerating the properties of the kingdom on the instruction of the new Oniru, His Royal Majesty, Oba Abdulwasiu Gbolahan Lawal is rather unfortunate.
As a father to all, the doors to the palace is open to all, especially to the princes and princesses of the kingdom, and should they have any grievance on any ongoing project, they ought to approach the palace and seek clarification, rather than engage the committee members who were carrying out their duties.
While there may have been a misunderstanding between Prince Tijani Abiodun-Oniru and Prince Murisiku Ajasa and the committee members, in the course of carrying out their duties, it is expected that as a prince of the royal Iru family, Prince Tijani ought to have handled the situation better and not resort to physically engaging his fellow prince and the committee.
Invading the palace in the company of policemen is an action unbecoming of princes of the kingdom but it can be understood that it may be actions taken in the spur of the moment, but speak very poorly of them. Oba Abdulwasiu Gbolahan Lawal has maintained an open door policy since ascending the throne and enjoys a very cordial relationship with all the princes of the land. Adesegun Abiodun-Oniru should have put a call through to Kabiyesi and make his grievances known, rather than invade the palace with his brother and policemen.
As a former law enforcement officer and a well read and traveled individual, Kabiyesi Abdulwasiu Gbolahan Lawal abhors violence and will never subscribe to the use of brute force or thugs in carrying out any of his plans for Iru kingdom, rather engagement and dialogues has been the route of choice since his ascension.
The ongoing enumeration exercise being carried out by the new Oniru is for the benefit of all the three branches of the royal families, i.e the Akiogun, Abisogun and Ogunyemi families. In collaboration with consultants, the palace is working assiduously to collate information and create a database of all assets, information and properties of the kingdom for records of the Oniru Royal Family. There are no malevolent intentions to the project whatsoever as far as we have seen.
The Oniru as the custodian of the heritage, values and assets of the kingdom knows that a proper documentation of everything being held in trust by the throne, will go a long way in creating accountability and equity within the kingdom, for generations unborn.
As a father to all, Kabiyesi Gbolahan Lawal has reiterated that a peaceful coexistence between all and sundry within the kingdom is his number one priority, as well as redeveloping and rebranding the kingdom for the benefit of the indigenes, residents and businesses within the kingdom.
The sons of the former Oniru should accord the new custodian of their heritage the deserved respect and should conduct themselves in manners consistent with royal upbringing. The Hausas have an adage, ‘seriki goma, sanmoni goma’ which translates to 10 kings and 10 reigns. It is the reign of a new king and the early they embrace the realities, the better.