τNew Soun: Another opportunity lost
Femi OGUNLANA
The lingering issue on the appointment of a new Soun of Ogbomosoland, which has made it impossible to enthrone a new monarch, has come at a monumental cost to the city and to individuals, no doubt.
In less than two months time, it will be a year since the city is without an Oba and in fact it is learnt that the family of the late Soun (Oba (Dr) Oladunni Oyewumi Ajagungbade III JP, CON, CFR) is in top gear preparing for the one year anniversary of his demise on December 12, 2021.
The lack of an Oba has ensured that the community suffers in many aspects and is passed over in certain benefits that will certainly have accrued, ditto for individuals and for the ruling houses. These are evident in different areas.
Meanwhile, the latest is the conferment of National Honours Award on certain deserving (?) Nigerians, whose investiture came up Tuesday, October 11, 2022, at the International Conference Centre in Abuja. The ceremony saw 440 Nigerians and seven foreigners being bestowed with the awards.
Most probably the Soun if a new one had emerged would have been conferred with the honour too and that would have added to the prestige of the city.
The last Soun was honoured with two National Honours Awards – he was first conferred with the Award of CON – Commander of the Order of the Niger – and CFR – Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic. With those suffixes in his name, he assumed similar pedestal with the most ranked monarchs in the country for the highest National Honours Award conferred on any sovereign is CFR. With his transition, Oba Oyewumi went with the awards, implying his successor would have to bag his own.
The reigning Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, who came on the throne in December 2015, was one of the honorees last week, if a new Soun had been coronated, perhaps he would have been among the honorees.
Since the inception of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, no National Honours Award Investiture had been held in the version of last Tuesday’s save for the special investiture ceremony in honour of few individuals like late Chief MKO Abiola, Alhaji Baba Gana Kingibe and late Chief Gani Fawehinmi as well as for some distinguished athletes. Thus, since 2015, no investiture has been held in this grand scale. Who knows when another would be held!
Nonetheless, national honours or no national honours the important thing is to do what would immortalize us in the hearts of the people.
