Prominent Nigerians including four former governors of Ogun State, and the Nigerian Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Senator Sarafadeen Ishola, yesterday, converged in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital to honour the former Secretary to the Ogun State Government (SSG), Barr. Taiwo Adeoluwa who bagged one of the highest Egba chieftaincy titles of Agba-Akin of Egbaland.
Adeoluwa, who served as the SSG under the immediate past administration of Senator Ibikunle Amosun between May, 2011 and May, 2019 was on Wednesday honoured with the chieftaincy title in the Egba Traditional Chieftaincy System alongside his wife, Chief (Deaconess) Folashade Omowunmi by the Alake and Paramount ruler of Egbaland, His Royal Majesty, Oba (Dr.) Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo; Okunkenu the IV.
While the former SSG was conferred with the chieftaincy title of Agba-Akin Egba, his wife, Folashade bagged the title of Seriki Iyamofin of Egba at the event which witnessed a convergence of crème de la crème in the Nigerian society, including several traditional rulers at the Alake’s palace in Abeokuta, the ancient Egba settlement of Ogun State.
Adeoluwa’s new chieftaincy position in the Egba traditional chieftaincy system is expected to make him rally other Egba high chieftaincy title holders for the development of their community, while also serving in an advisory capacity to the Alake and Paramount ruler of Egbaland.
In his message at the event, former President Obasanjo, who is the Jagunmolu of Egbaland charged the newly installed Agba-Akin Egba to consider his new status as a challenge that will position him for further dedicated services to humanity not only in Ogun State, but in Nigeria as a whole.
Emphasising that the conferment of the traditional chieftaincy title was in recognition of the Adeoluwas’ “sterling qualities and contributions to the development of their community, particularly at touching lives’’, Obasanjo also expressed the optimism that the couple would rise to the challenges which the new responsibilities have bestowed on them through the conferment of the titles.
In his own message, a veteran journalist and former governor of Ogun State, Aremo Olusegun Osoba, who described the former SSG as a “life wire and bridge builder” in the life of the Amosun’s eight years administration, also expressed the hope that with the new chieftaincy position, the Yoruba race and Nigeria as a whole would continue to benefit from the Adeoluwas’ services to humanity.
Osoba in his message said, “To work successfully with a strong minded, strong-willed, strong headed and no-nonsense personality like Governor Amosun is a near miracle. This is one of my admirations for Barrister Taiwo Adeoluwa. On numerous occasions, he worked assiduously to calm tensions and collisions between government and stakeholders”.