The Ekiti State Government on Friday tasked its traditional rulers to contrive ways of stopping the upsurge in land disputes in the state.
The Deputy Governor, Mrs Monisade Afuye, gave this charge in Ado-Ekiti at a meeting with the Ijero Council of Traditional Rulers.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the meeting was to deliberate on the boundary dispute among the trio of Owatedo, Ejiyan and Ipoti Ekiti communities in Ijero Local Government Area of the state.
Afuye urged the host communities where some towns were excised for full autonomy to recognise the new status of their neighbours and live peacefully with them.
She encouraged them not to perceive the excised towns as enemies.
The deputy governor bemoaned the festering land tussle in the three communities in recent time, promising that a government committee would visit the neighbouring towns for proper boundary demarcations that would resolve the crisis.
She said it was appalling that the towns, which had existed together under Ipoti-Ekiti for several years before the autonomy, could be experiencing lingering land dispute.
Afuye urged them to resolve the tussle and learn to live together peacefully.
She expressed delight at the willingness of the Ajero of Ijero-Ekiti and paramount ruler of the council to meddle in the crisis.
She exuded confidence that this measure would help in expeditious resolution of the protracted boundary crisis.
“We must learn to live together in peace. If, over the years you have been together, why must you begin fighting over land now?
“The committee set up by the government will visit the places identified as flash points to exhume more facts about happenings in the three towns.
“What Governor Biodun Oyebanji wanted is peace and he considers the traditional rulers as champions in this regard.
“So, we can’t afford to be fighting each other over boundaries or superiority in chieftaincy titles that have existed for ages.
“The committee will be there to verify issues and record them for future references.
“We are not going to apportion blames, we will not also fold our arms and allow bloodshed over matters that can be resolved amicably,” the deputy governor said.
The Traditional Ruler, Ajero of Ijero-Ekiti, Oba Adewole, stated that he was quite aware of the boundary dispute among the communities, describing this as insufficient to stoke the fire of division or bad blood, if well handled.
Oba Adewole urged the three towns to cohabit peacefully and perceive the autonomy granted to Ejiyan and Owatedo, after being excised from Ipoti-Ekiti, as a veritable avenue for development, and not war.
The traditional ruler said that all the traditional rulers in Ijero Local Government were carried along when the autonomy was being initiated.
He added that they also approved of the government’s policy to propel development at the grassroots.
“If you go to those towns, all three were neighbours. They have built houses together and intermarried.
“Now that autonomy has been given to two out of the three towns, the traditional rulers must move fast and foster peace.
“The land under contention was given to them by my ancestor, it belonged to Ajero, but it was given out of love.
“And it is that love these towns must allow to continue in their midst. Ipoti, Owatedo, and Ejiyan have been recognised by government, so nobody should claim superiority among them,” Oba Adewole said.
He appealed to the state government to deploy its committee to the area for more findings to ease the settlement of the dispute expeditiously.
“We will all make ourselves available to help the committee arrive at a good and informed decision on this matter,” the traditional ruler assured.
NAN reports that the traditional rulers from the three feuding towns had agreed to align with the state government’s position to allow its committee to intervene in the matter.
Traditional rulers present at the meeting include the Ajero of Ijero-Ekiti and Paramount Ruler of the council, Oba Joseph Adewole; Olupoti of Ipoti-Ekiti, Oba Oladipupo Kolade and Obalaaye of Ejiyan-Ekiti, Oba Adesesan Adepoju.
Others are: the Olojaowa of Owatedo, Oba Olawumi Olofinlade and Olowa of Odo Owa, Oba Ayorinde Oyedeji. (NAN)
