The traditional leader of Jebba community, Oba Abdulkadir. A. Adebara, has appealed to Governor AbdulRaman Abdulrazaq of Kwara State to address the issue of his 21 years’ unpaid personal emoluments and other allowances.
At 101 years old, Oba Adebara urged the governor to adhere to a court judgment that orders the restoration of his third-class status on the throne. Speaking to reporters in Jebba, the monarch emphasized the importance of receiving his rightful position and the settlement of long-overdue salary arrears.
Supporting Oba Adebara’s plea, Chief Jaiyeola Omotosho, the Eesa of Jebbaland, called for the elevation of the traditional stool from third class to first class, in alignment with counterparts in other parts of the state. Omotosho referenced a 2014 Kwara State High Court judgment that validated Oba Adebara’s appointment as a third-class monarch. Despite previous attempts by past governments to appeal the judgment, efforts to implement the court’s decision, including salary payments, remained unsuccessful.
Noting concerns over potential interference, Omotosho suggested that officials from the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, possibly working in collaboration with certain traditional rulers, might be obstructing the payment of the monarch’s accumulated salaries and allowances.
He urged Governor Abdulrazaq to investigate the alleged removal of relevant documents related to Oba Adebara’s request and to consider forming a separate traditional council for Moro Local Government. Additionally, Omotosho called for the immediate upgrade of the Jebba stool to first-class status, aligning it with the standards set for traditional rulers in 1983.
IMAGE: BBN
