Olasunkanmi Abioye Opeola, Kurunloju I

HRH Oba
Olasunkanmi Abioye Opeola Kurunloju I
Oniroko of Iroko
Assumed office
4 February 2011
Preceded by Adeyanju Opeola
Personal details
Born (1961-03-09) 9 March 1961

Olasunkanmi Abioye Opeola, Kurunloju I (born 9 March 1961) is the Oniroko, or traditional ruler, of the Yoruba town of Iroko, Oyo State, Nigeria. He has ruled since 4 February 2011.[1]

Early life

Olasunkanmi was born on 9 March 1961, into the Abioye Ruling House. He is the first Oniroko from the Abioye Ruling House.[2]

Olasunkanmi attended Iroko Grammar School, Iroko, then went on to St' Andrew's Teachers' College, Iseyin in 1979, obtaining a Grade II certificate in 1982. He joined the Oyo State Teaching Service in 1983, and attended the Ikere Ekiti College of Education from 2000 to 2002, obtaining a Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE). He retired from the teaching service in 2012 as an Assistant Headmaster.[3]

When Olasunkanmi became Oniroko, he became the first leader of Iroko in over thirty years. There had previously been a dispute over who owned land in the area. The legal dispute was brought by Adetunji Kolapo, a tenant on the Oniroko's land. In an interview with the Nigerian Tribune on 13 March 2012, the Oniroko said

"The man wrote a petition to the then Oyo State governor, General Oladayo Popoola, that he had a right to the Oniroko throne. This issue remained in and out of court for period of 32 years before the court finally gave its ruling on 31 January 2011 and before the man could go back to court, all evidences were tendered that a new Oniroko had been installed, in accordance with the directives of the state government."[3]

However, some questions not yet answered are not making the statements above valid and true for posterity. Why was Kolapo Adedokun Adetunji once installed as Oniroko of Iroko by the then Olubadan? Why would anyone refer to the other ruling houses (Falade & Adetunji) as tenants in Iroko? The history is being distorted for obvious and selfish reasons. It will be a statement of fact saying that Iroko may not know peace and development until all parties come together for progress. Iroko is an ancient town of Ibadan that should have witnessed greater developments.

See also

List of Nigerian traditional states

References

  1. ↑ Olufemi Atoyebi (April 14, 2015). "Reward For Excellence". TheNation. Retrieved 2015-05-22.
  2. ↑ Taiwo Olanrewaju (May 24, 2013). "Traditional ruler solicits Oyo govt's presence at Iroko". NigerianTribune. Retrieved 2015-05-22.
  3. 1 2 Dapo Falade (March 13, 2012). "Why Iroko was without an oba for 32 years - Oniroko". NigerianTribune. Retrieved 2015-05-22.


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