After a 28-year legal battle, Lawrence Adebajo is now the Orimolusi of Ijebu Igbo.

After a 28-year legal battle, Lawrence Adebajo is now the Orimolusi of Ijebu Igbo.

FastNews reports that Governor Dapo Abiodun recently installed the new Orimolusi of Ijebu Igbo, Oba Lawrence Adebajo, after a 28-year interregnum marked by legal battles and heated competition for the throne.

Ijebu-Igbo, the seat of the Ijebu North LG, is a large town in Ogun State and the hometown of a late famous politician and Afenifere Chieftain, Chief Abraham Adesanya, the late Senator Buruji Kasamu, and Senator Adegbenga Kaka, a former Deputy Governor of the state, among others.

Oba Sani Adetayo, the last Orimolusi, passed away in May 1994. Due to a disagreement over who would follow him, the seat has been vacant ever since.

The protracted crisis was among nine contestants from the same Ojuronmi Ruling House, whose turn it is to produce the next king.

Speaking at the installation ceremony held at Abusi Edumare in Ijebu Igbo, the governor promised that his government would continue to prioritize the welfare and wellbeing of traditional rulers.

Abiodun said that traditional rulers played a pivotal role in sustaining the rich cultural heritage of the people, saying they remained the custodians of value systems and norms.

He added that traditional rulers remained indispensable partners in the “Building Our Future Together Agenda of our administration”, and an integral part of the state’s security architecture.

“In this way, the position of Ijebu-Igbo can not be over-emphasized. Ijebu Igbo, not only shares boundaries with other states, but is a center of commerce and knowledge, attracting people from a variety of backgrounds.

With the backdrop of our inter-state security initiatives, such as Amotekun, and the recent agreement between our state and Oyo over rising kidnapping, banditry, and other manifestations of insecurity.

“We will solicit the support of our Kabiyesi’s and Olorituns (Village heads) for instance, to support our efforts at nipping the scourge of crimes and criminality in the bud.

“With all of us on the same page, there will be no hiding place for criminals and social upheavals will be reduced to the barest minimum,” he said.

The governor appreciated the industrial and commercial nature of the Ijebu people specifically those from Ijebu-Igbo that had immensely improved the state economy.

He urged the people to pay their taxes and rates to the government so that the government would be able to provide infrastructure, especially in the rural areas.

in his speech, the newly installed traditional ruler thanked the people of Ijebu Igbo and the state government for their support, which brought about his installation.

He sought the support of other traditional rulers to ensure the socio-economic and political development of Ijebu Igbo.

He promised not to let the people down.