JUST IN: Baale Osupa family, Nigerian Baptist settle rift over Seminary/BUTH land, Soun lauded
Femi OGUNLANA
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The Baale Osupa chieftaincy family of Ogbomoso has finally reached an agreement with the Nigerian Baptist Convention (NBC) over the contentious land occupied by the Nigerian Baptist Theological Seminary (NBTS) and the Bowen University Teaching Hospital (BUTH), institutions owned by the latter, and adjacent each other, along old Oyo road.
Ogbomoso Insight online.com reports that the chieftaincy family took the institutions to court over ownership of the land claiming the 100 years tenurial agreement reached between their fathers and the institutions over the land had elapsed. The immediate past Soun late Oba (Dr) Oladunni Oyewumi Ajagungbade III JP CON CFR had waded in then awarding the land which runs into tens of acres to the institutions on the premise the Soun is the custodian of the land as paramount ruler of Ogbomosoland.
This did not go down well with the family thus its decision to institute lawsuit, which is still extant.
However, at the enthronement of the new Soun Oba Ghandi Afolabi Olaoye Orumogege III, the leadership of the NBC approached him on the matter following which he invited the family.
The family through its representatives insisted the land rightly belongs to them citing “irrefutable evidences.”
But out of respect for the monarch and for the way he broached the subject, a family source told Ogbomoso Insight, “*the family was ready to withdraw the case in court if certain conditions are met.”
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- Finally, Soun meets Osupa chiefatincy family over Baptist Seminary, Bowen Teaching Hospital land
Among others they wanted monuments named after the family in each of the institutions, employment quotas for their youths, free health care for their aged, and consideration and scholarship for members of the family seeking and who got admitted into either of the institutions for theological or nursing studies.
Initially, the NBC was not ready to make such concessions. “But the unrelenting intervention of the Soun made the two parties to make concessions,” the source further disclosed. “The Soun was not overbearing, he convinced both sides on why they needed to give consideration and find a middle line and that is what has happened. The rift is now settled.”
It was further gathered that the agreement had been signed by both parties – their representatives, lawyers. Also the Soun, it is also learnt appended his signature to the peace accord.
Meanwhile, the Baale Osupa chieftaincy family had instructed its lawyers to withdraw the suit from court. “They are in the process of doing that,” the source informed.
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Another top family member who also did not want his name in print noted, “We will find time to go and express appreciation to His Imperial Majesty Oba Ghandi Afolabi Olaoye Orumogege III, for his fatherly wisdom in settling the matter. He appealed to us to toe the path of peace and soften our supposed hard stance. Who are we in such circumstances?
“All we want is recognition over the land that it belongs to us and was released by our ancestors for the use of the institutions for a period spanning a century (which ran out last decade), after which it would revert to the family. That is what we stood by. We thank Kabiyesi for helping both parties achieve amicable resolution. Long may he reign.”
