The news of the departure of our revered Royal Father, HRM, Oba Simeon Adedubaje Adeyefa I JP joining his ancestors came to us as a rude shock with disbelief as our greatest desire is for him to live longer and to further reign on the Throne of his forebears .
The untimely passage of Oba Ajaloron to the realms on Tuesday, 11th March, 2025 , although very devastating, calls for sober reflection from all considering the fact that our Kabiyesi was an Oba truly loved and cherished by his Subjects. We will miss his wise counsel and rare mentorship rooted in patience, resilience and wit.
The twenty-five years spent with grace on the Throne were judiciously used to pursue peace and genuine reconciliation ; to foster unity among all stakeholders; and to aspire for accelerated growth and progress of Emure-Ile Kingdom as peace and harmony - the topmost priorities of Elemure Adedubaje were the cardinal goals of his mercurial scorecards, purposeful leadership and forthright ambassadorship. Today the unbelievable transformation of the kingdom and progress evidently recorded in all spheres are the direct fruits and eloquent testimonials of his lofty visions and cherished dreams for Emure-Ile Kingdom and her good people.
The collective dreams and aspirations of the Emure- Ile people were pushed with the toga of incurable enthusiasm and clear directions as it was the desire of the departed Elemure to make Emure-Ile better than he met it. To his credit, without the crystal ball, it is clearer to all that he was a great Achiever and the Architect of a modern kingdom that is now a first-class kingdom with first-class Traditional Stool and the Headquarters of Owo Northwest LCDA among other great numerous sterling scorecards too numerous to mention.
As the Chairman of Owo North-West LCDA and an integral part of Elemure-In-Council I therefore commiserate with the Children of the departed legend ,his Oloris, the entire Elemure Royal Family , the Elemure-In-Council and the entire good people of Emure-Ile on this monumental loss of our great King, HRM, Oba Simeon Adedubaje Adeyefa I JP who incidentally was my father, mentor and leader with whom I shared a bloodline in Anaun Family.
It is my prayer that God Almighty will grant him peaceful rest and console and comfort us all by granting us the rare fortitude to bear this irreparable loss of a rare gem and distinguished/responsible leader/ruler.
It is indeed imperative to make this Clarion Call that the passage of Elemure Adedubaje must be seen as the invaluable opportunity to further deepen our richly Cultural Heritage and reaffirm our cherished Traditional Values by according him all the befitting traditional rites mandated by our cherished customs and tradition by our priests: High Ch . Ajashen Israel Abiri and his Leagues. Our responsibility however is to provide all the necessary logistics and moral support so required to perform their duties and obligations as spelt out in the Traditional Rites for any Elemure that joins his Ancestors. This assignment must be consciously carried out with all sense of responsibility as we plead with all critical Stakeholders never to shirk their roles to bring about peace and harmony as a community of people with cherished traditions , customs and cultures.
The Rites of Passage of Elemure of Emure-Ile this time around have provided another fresh opportunity to dot all i's and cross all t's in ensuring proper documentation of the process. Therefore whatever that is needed to be done must not be compromised for whatever reason.
I therefore call on the entire children of the departed hero and all members of the Royal Family to co-operate with the entire critical stakeholders in the kingdom in making sure that Oba Ajaloron is traditionally and culturally honoured as dictated by our customs and tradition. Every individual with genuine roles culturally and traditionally should not because of personal interest or sentiment or pecuniary motives add or subtract from what is expected to be done as posterity will never forgive such individuals or groups of individuals if such notion is conceived and executed.
Emure Ile being an ancient town with well-established tradition is a mirror to many other kingdoms . Therefore we must collectively do all things possible within our powers to protect and preserve the cherished cultures and tradition of Emure-Ile Kingdom and her good people as bequeathed to us by our forebears. All Critical Stakeholders not excluding our Ugbama, Eduma and religious leaders should know that the Rites of Passage of Elemure should not be used to create cultural dislocation and tradition desecration . It should instead be seen as another privilege to further foster unity among the children of Elemure that are directly concerned and our people instead of an avenue to create communal rift among brothers. While it is necessary to perform the rites, it should strictly conform with our tradition too.
It's pertinent for the entire Elemure Royal family to come together as a united entity this time around learning from past experience because a house that is divided against itself can't stand. As always posited by Elemure Adedubaje while alive, "Emure-Ile is bigger than any individual or interest". I implore you all to prioritise Emure-Ile interests well above parochial interests and ulterior motives. This is the time to make sacrifice and a moment for “Give and Take. Let us continue to pursue peace and tranquility of the community in order to sustain the giant strides initiated by our late Oba. Remember that " One yi Shango ba t’oju e w’ale , e ni b’aghon bu Oba Koso."
All sons and daughters of Emure-Ile both home and in diaspora as well as other residents of the town should detest anarchy and eschew bitterness of all forms so as to foster love and unity during and after the interment of the remains of our Kabiyesi. Peace is sacrosanct and non-negotiable. We shall hold you all accountable for any breach of peace . It is therefore my passionate appeal to the Royal Family never to allow any personal ambition whatsoever to accommodate foreign interference in our communal administration as this shall create sharp division that return the community once again to Egypt or Afghanistan.
The youth leader In particular and with emphasis should ensure our youths are properly coordinated and guided and must disallow emotions direct their affairs at this critical moment. Emure-Ile is our Jerusalem and Mecca, and we do not have another place we can call our home. Let us ensure that the peace and progress of the community are sustained at all costs.
It is very important to note that The Chief Laws of Ondo State have laid down the fundamental procedures for the appointment of a Regent and the installation of Elemure. These will be duly followed when it is time for these important and historic assignments. I therefore appeal to you all to ensure that the laid-down procedures are consciously followed in our efforts to maintain peace in our community. We should be guided by our ugly past experience by ensuring due process is duly followed to the letter. May God Almighty and the gods of the land guide our footsteps.
Emure-Ile needs an Oba that is by all standards the collective choice of our people. Therefore whatever process that shall create tension will be rejected strictly. It's our interest to continue to enjoy the peace and harmony, a great testimony of Elemure Adedubaje 's Legacies. We as representatives of government, are committed to maintaining peace and making sure that the Local Council Development Area particularly Emure-Ile continue to enjoy relative peace especially at this trying period.
I charge the Priests once again under the able leadership of Chief Ajashen to give our Kabiyesi the required traditional Rites of Passage in accordance with Emure customs and tradition. Elemure-In-Council should not shirk its responsibilities by providing the needed support at all levels and times to have a smooth process.
Once again, may the soul of our revered Kabiyesi, Oba Simeon Adedubaje Adeyefa find peace with his Ancestors. And may peace continue to reign supreme in Emure-Ile during and after the funeral rites. God Almighty shall appoint a good Regent and king for us at the appropriate time while charging our priests and religious leaders to intercede for the kingdom as we go into another phase in our history.
Adieu! Elemure OBELE
Oighofen, Oba Ajaloron
Olakoso Oma Ajohun Ekon Mimi Loru…
Tori se Madi Ijale Jori oo kabiyesi…
Ibi oghon Alaghoro be ti me mo,
Tere Dagogo Ude o Kabiyesi…
E -Signed
Ch. (Barr.) Alaba Eniola - Ajipe
Chairman, Owo North-West LCDA & The Ailoyen of Emure -Ile Kingdom
