Mama Saraki: Kwara Governor Alledgedly Restricts Traditional Rulers from Attending Burial. * story not true, mischievous, should be disregarded- Commissioner
By Omowumi Omotosho
The Kwara state governor, Mallam Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, alledgedly restricted some first class traditional rulers from the state from attending the burial of Mrs Florence Saraki, the mother of the President of 8th Senate and two-term former governor of the state, Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki.
Highly reliable souces privy to the development informed National Pilot on Saturday that a significant gathering of 19 first-class traditional rulers from the State were initially slated to attend the burial ceremony of the Saraki matriarch which took place between Thursday and Friday in Lagos.
Out of the 19 first-class traditional rulers invited, according to sources, five were specifically chosen by the Chairman of Kwara state Traditional Rulers Council, Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, to represent the State’s Traditional Council.
These five, sources claimed, included the Olomu of Omu-Aran, AbdulRaheem Oladele Adeoti, the Olusin of Isin, Solomon Oluwagbemiga Oloyede, the Emir of Lafiagi, Alhaji Mohammed Kudu Kawu,Emir of Shonga, DR. Haliru Yahaya and the Etsu Tsaragi, Alhaji Aliyu Abdullahi Kpotwa.
Additionally, four other traditional rulers—the Elesie of Igbaja, Dr. Ahmed Awuni Babalola, the Olupako of Share, Oba Olawale Haruna Ilufemiloye, the Olupo of Ajase-Ipo, Ismail Yahya Alebiosu and the Alofa of Ilofa, Samuel Niyi Okinbaloye —were set to attend due to their relationship with deceased’s family.
Accommodation was reportedly arranged for all the traditional rulers, with their arrival planned for Thursday.
The Olomu of Omu-Aran and the Olusin of Isin , according to sources, arrived Lagos on Thursday and were present at the Service of songs ceremony held at the Eko Convention Centre, Eko Hotel & Suites, Victoria Island.
However, around 12:30 am on Friday, it was gathered that the traditional rulers received a call from the Kwara State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Abdullahi Bata, instructing them to return to Ilorin immediately.
Obeying the directive, the two rulers reportedly departed Lagos at 3 am. on Friday. Upon their arrival in Ilorin, they reportedly went straight to the Emir of Ilorin, who then called the commissioner to verify the order.
The commissioner allegedly confirmed that the directive had come from the Governor, Mallam Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq.
This last-minute order,it was gathered, prevented other traditional rulers from attending the burial as initially planned.
The incident it was gathered, did not go down well with the traditional institution in the state which viewed the alleged governor’s order as disrespectful. A traditional ruler was said to have frown at the governor’s action, especially given that the traditional council was well represented at the burial of the governor’s father.
However, when National pilot contacted the commissioner for local government and chieftaincy affairs, Abdullahi Bata, on Saturday, he regarded the allegation as untrue and mischievous He declared that the governor did not restrict anyone from attending the program.
“Please, as far as the ministry is concerned, disregard that rumour. The government is not aware, ” he said.
Furthermore, after a few minutes, the commissioner called our reporter again and said: ” I have called Emir’s place to confirm, they said they don’t have any information about that. The P.A. to the Emir will equally call you now to confirm that as far as we are concerned, we are not aware of this. Disrergard the information. It is micheavous”.
” How can government even do that? Disregard that information in totality, it’s mischievous. Nobody took permission from us for any program and we didn’t direct anybody, and nobody told us they were attending any programme. How can we say they should come back? For what? Disrergard that information completely, Government is not aware of that:, the commissioner stated.
