Ooni's Response To The Crisis.

MINING CONTROVERSY, A LAUGHABLE ATTEMPT TO EMBARRASS THE SACRED THRONE OF OONI OF IFE<br />The Ile-Oodua Palace of the Ooni of Ife is not unaware of a video being circulated by practitioners of jungle journalism on the social media through which several claims against the respected monarch were made in respect to the destructions of farmlands.<br />In the said video, a group of people led by someone who claimed to have come from Ibadan to farm on the land were mobilized to report the activities of some Chinese nationals alleged to have been sent by the Ooni who according them had been paid a large sum of money.<br />To set the record straight the followings herein represent our necessary response;<br />1. While it is unfortunate that some supposed Omoluabis as known of descendants of Oduduwa globally would allow themselves to be used against their own source and heritage, it is equally pathetic to realize the damage being currently done by the malicious video especially against the person, image and character of the Arole Oduduwa. <br />2. To set the record straight, it is imperative to state that the disputed land is located at Aruwa village within Alaba-Ijesa community in Atakumosa West Local Government. It is an Ijesa land under the paramount rulership of Oba Adekunle Aromolaran, the Owa-Obokun of Ijesaland. <br />The traditional ruler of the town 'Oba Alaba of Aba-Ijesa who should have been earlier contacted before the stage managed video is still alive and should be the one to clarify on the matter.<br />3. Even in the video, the so called Chinese nationals were neither interviewed nor allowed to talk as they were never contracted by the Ooni and they were not in any way representing the Ooni's palace as maliciously alleged. <br />Those associating them with the Ooni or the respected Palace of Ife without seeing their Identity Cards or documents to back such claims were only being mischievous. <br />4. For the sake of record, the Palace of the Ooni which houses several traditional courts through which issu