The Alara of Araromi Elect, Oloja, Adeoloye Olawole has refuted claims that the Araromi seaside belongs to Irokunland in Ogun State.
The Monarch elect via a press statement signed by him refuted the claims made by the exiled Onirokun of Irokun, Oba Buari Balogun that Araromi seaside falls within his kingdom.
While responding to the claims, the Monarch elect stated that the claim by the exiled king is fallacious and product of fertile imagination.
The statement reads.
I have been inundated with calls both from within Nigeria and overseas regarding the claim on print and electronic media by exiled Onirokun of Irokun, Oba Buari Balogun that Araromi Seaside falls within his kingdom and same is in Ogun Waterside Local Government in Ogun State.
It has also been claimed as reported in the media that the Aheri people of Ilaje Local Government through a letter submitted to the Ondo State Governor, His Excellency, Arakunrin Rotimi Akeredolu that Araromi Seaside is part of Aheri land.
These claims are most fallacious and are product of fertile imagination bothering on hallucination. Araromi seaside has from time immemorial, notwithstanding its location, been under the suzerainty of the Amapetu of Mahin. Irokun itself was at a time under the sovereignty of the Amapetu as most of the inhabitants were of Mahin origin. In fact in 1919, Oba Igbaakin, Omowole 1, the Amapetu of Mahin appointed an Oloja in Irokun granting him powers to collect tax on his behalf. Over time, as a result of territorial expansionist agenda of the Awujale, supported by officials of the then Abeokuta Province, attempts were made to carve some Ijebu with other Ilaje into a waterside political/territorial group leading to the loss of such Ilaje communities as Irokun, Ibu, Igboedun, Itebu Elero etc; communities over which the Amapetu exercised authority when the entire area was under Lagos Colony.
The Amapetu has from time immemorial been appointing the Bale of Araromi Seaside and among those who have reigned under his authority are Ikusanu, Okuntade Daniel, Ishola Amadun, Ogayemi Samuel, Okungbure Jeremiah, Oloja Adesuyi Adekunle Obedi who was elevated to an Oba-elect and all traditional rites performed for him at Ode-Mahin under the authority of the Amapetu but who died before his memorandum for upgrading could be approved by the Ondo State Government.
A new Oba-elect in person of Oloja Adeoloye Olawole has again been appointed by the Araromi Seaside people to which the Amapetu has since given his consent.
Never in the history of Araromi Seaside has the Aheri people or the Maporure ever exercise any form of authority over Araromi land or its people. A 1955 agreement between Oba M. A. Gbose, the Maporure of Agerige and the people of Araromi bears out this fact, when he expressly stated that his kingdom does not extend to Araromi Seaside.
There are case instituted and fought by the Aheri people against Araromi such as HOK/6/91, HOK/8/2012 and CA/AK/275/2014 over Araromi land and the authority of the Amapetu over Araromi which they lost.
For the record, I reiterate that Araromi Seaside is not part of Irokunland nor in Ogun State and I state that not one of the progenitors (Babanla Baba Baba) of Oba Buari Balogun ever step on Araromi soil in exercise of any form of authority over our land and people, and I dare him to attempt to step on our land.
Araromi Seaside has never been and shall never be a part of Aheri land. We therefore use this medium to appeal to the Ondo State Government to expedite action and approve the desire of the Araromi people through their memorandum which is before it to have their Oloja, Adeoloye Olawole the Oba-elect upgraded to the status of an Oba to ward off the incursion of the Ijebu people in their territorial expansionist agenda over the area