It becomes important to respond to the falsehood published on page 18 of 3rd of July Leadership Newspaper against Mopa as a community, Mopa Traditional Council (MTC), Elulu of Mopa stool and the person of the recently coronated Elulu of Mopa, His Royal Majesty, (Oba) Dr. Muyiwa Ibeun by a group of persons called Concerned Mopa Senior Citizens Worldwide (CMSCW).
Mopa people, the press, and the general public are urged to ignore, discard and dispell the entire details of the malignant open letter credited to Concerned Mopa Senior Citizens Worldwide (CMSCW) and signed by Brig. Gen. S.A Ayo (rtd) and Reuben Taiwo Famodile.
One will expect that such group of indeed senior citizens and elderly people will display more high sense of discipline and propriety in expressing their grievances, if any, on a matter as important and revered as that of the Elulu Stool, her occupant and Mopa as a community.
The Elulu Stool symbolizes and represents Mopa as a community, so is her occupant and this we hold in very high esteem, and we are not going to allow any individual, group of persons and/or organization(s) or association(s), under any guise or nomenclature, synonymous to Concerned Mopa Senior Citizens Worldwide (CMCSW) to defame Mopa or tanish her image for any reason.
The CMCSW in their mission statements claimed to uphold unity, heritage, justice and development of Mopa. It is good that they have exposed their deceitful intentions by this macabre and deceitful open letter, which is exactly opposing to their mission statement.
It is also important to establish that the CMCSW by any means don’t have the right to speak for the people of Mopa especially on this as they are merely an organization of people based in diaspora with zero feelings of the pains of the people based at home.
This rejoinder is utmostly important to reposition the image of Mopa, the Elulu Stool and her occupant as attempted to be battered by the CMSCW.
The issues:
Records and facts showed that the selection process that produced His Royal Majesty (Oba) Dr. Muyiwa Ibeun as the Elulu of Mopa was meticulously based on the procedure as laid by the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (The Kogi State Chieftaincy Law (Act) of2006), practice of the tradition and culture of Mopa; beginning from Kingmakers selection process, announcement and invitation for expression of interest, submission of intent letter, transparent screening of contestants, followed by the eventual victory of Oba Muyiwa Ibeun.
The CMCSW, based on the, maybe assumed pedigree of the leaders and members are expected to have done their due diligence to confirm the status of His Royal Majesty (Oba) Dr. Muyiwa Ibeun’s appointment letter as the Elulu of Mopa.
It should also be of note that it is not Iloke Community that is in court, but just some set of people who also participated fully in the process that produced HRM. (Oba) Dr. Muyiwa Ibeun. There are records of the participation of these individuals who are in court.
There are facts and records to prove that over 95% of stakeholders and people of Mopa have endorsed and are comfortable with the emergence of HRM (Oba) Dr. Muyiwa Ibeun, including the people of Iloke community.
It is also very disappointing, looking at the calibre of people that made up CMSCW that they can contravene court order (SUIT NO: KGS/IHC/21/2023 MORION NO: KGS/IHC/01M/2023) stalling them from intervening on issues and functions of the Mopa Traditional Council (MTC), going ahead to incite violence and unrest in and for Mopa by their unwholesome open letter. The security agencies and judiciary are called to beem their spotlight on this.
The Ikeji people under the umbrella of IKEJI DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE (IDI) also vehemently reject attempt by the CMSCW, lieing to the public, distorting Mopa history to extinct and deny the Ikeji community from the right to the stool of Elulu of Mopa. We challenge them to bring to the public, proof of their acclaimed rotational system, as we have document and proofs to show that Ikeji is indeed the next to the stool of the ELULU of Mopa Land. Glory be to God Almighty that we have HRM (Oba) Dr. Muyiwa Ibeun on the stool of his forefathers today.
We call on security agencies to take the CMSCW responsible if, God forbid, the peace and tranquility enjoyed presently in Mopa is breached due to their evil wishes. They should also prove how Mopa citizens have been threatened and harassed as alleged in their publication. Otherwise, CMSCW will be tagged as anti-development to Mopa as it is evident in their efforts to malign Mopa they are claiming to salvage.
It is also not acceptable to Mopa people to have the CMSCW insulting the Mopa Traditional Council of Chiefs for any reason as they are of tremendous service not only in the development of Mopa, but also in preserving the qualities of our culture, heritage and history in Mopa.
Since the emergence of HRM (Oba) Dr. Muyiwa Ibeun, the outcome of all traditional council meetings and other activities of the council are being documented by the Secretary of the council. In others words, transparency and accountability has been the watchword.
The diaspora CMCSW are rather the ones misinformed, not Mopa people, Mopa has been more peaceful and full of hopes since the emergence of HRM, (Oba) Dr. Muyiwa Ibeun.
HRM, (Oba) Dr. Muyiwa Ibeun, well educated and civilized personality with great vision for Mopa has at the upteenth time addressed those challenging his emergence in court that they should go ahead to do so in utmost civility, that he will accept whatever is the outcome.
Mopa Traditional Council remains the traditional/cultural highest decision making body of Mopa. The Elulu Advisory Assembly (EAA) and the Elulu’s Policies and Projects Implementation Committee (EPPIC) were created to assist the office of the Elulu to further advise, guide, and help the Elulu in implementing projects and activities onbehalf of the traditional council and not to shortchange Mopa Welfare Society as alleged.
Some members of the Mopa Traditional Council are part of the ELULU ADVISORY ASSEMBLY (EAA) while younger able bodied resourceful men made up ELULU POLICIES AND PROJECTS IMPLEMENTATION COMMITTEE (EPPIC). Their functions were explicitly stated when they were appointed and announced.
HRM, (Oba) Muyiwa Ibeun recognizes the importance of how families made up clans, to communities and the entire town; hence he called a meeting of Head of Families and Clan to interact with them also importantly to make sure they are well identified and recognized to ensure they are all carried along as events unfold.
Our revered Monarch, Oba Ibeun also understands the fact that community building is a function of communal efforts, as such, he will never downplay efforts made in the past towards the development of Mopa Land . He therefore, calls on the entire public and all the members of the CMSCW to join him and continue the job of community development they were once known for.
It is also a character assassination and rebellious to the personalities of the Mopa Traditional Council that they are of the highest bidders and cannot be trusted. It is shameful that CMSCW can be the author of confusion in Mopa Land
HRM, (Oba) Dr. Muyiwa Ibeun is doing a great job, working tirelessly for the physical, traditional, socio-economical and educational development of Mopa. There is no war in Mopa, the people and residents of Mopa are happy with their newly coronated Monarch, Oba Ibeun.
All security agencies were involved in the coronation of HRM, (Oba) Muyiwa Ibeun as the 4th Elulu of Mopa. Infact, the Commissioner for Police, Kogi State Command, Mr. Bertrand Onuoha witnessed the coronation and can testify to the peace and coordination of Mopa people and how they accepted and are joyous with the coronation.
The CMSCW should desist from assuming and saying that Mopa doesn’t have an Elulu or Oba because HRM, (Oba) Dr. Muyiwa Ibeun was duly selected, appointed and coronated as the ELULU OF MOPA.
Signed:
Femi Ojo,
President, Ikeji Development Initiative (IDI).
