Ondo State Government says the demolition of the Memorial Park was meant to restore the cultural dignity of Owo kingdom.
In a statement signed by
The Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Ebenezer Adeniyan, conveyed the explanation in a statement on Thursday.
IThe demolition of the Memorial Park in Owo was a necessary step taken to restore the dignity of Owo’s culture and the original purpose of the site. This was done after due consultations with the people of Owo, as represented by the Olowo-in-Council, it said.
According to the statement, the land used for the Memorial Park originally belonged to AgroMore Limited (of No. 1, Oke Ogun Street, Owo), a company owned by Oba Ajibade Gbadegesin Ogunoye before he became the Olowo of Owo.
In 2010, it said, the Olusegun Mimiko administration acquired the land from the company for public use to make way for road dualisation. In January 2021, the Akeredolu administration re-allocated the land to its original owner, AgroMore Limited.
It added:”However, at the time of constructing the cenotaph, there was no record of official revocation of the land from AgroMore. The state government later realised the procedural errors made in taking possession of the land for the construction of the cenotaph.
“Aside from the official complaints from the Palace of the Olowo, there have also been protests by various segments of the people of Owo against the location of the Memorial Park, as it was said to be against the culture of the land to site a cenotaph at the heart of the town and in front of the palace.
“Although no bodies were buried at the site, it was constructed in the replica image of a cemetery, complete with insignia of the dead and inscriptions of the names of all the victims. This, the Olowo-in-Council and the people of Owo frowned upon and protested against as a taboo.
“We understand the emotional attachment to the memorial, but the decision to demolish and relocate it was made with careful consideration of its implications.
“We must find a balance between preserving the memories of the dead and upholding the sanctity of the culture of the community.”
It assured of construction of another Memorial Park in honour of the victims of the massacre on the Day of Pentecost, at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, Owo, June 5, 2022.
The state government announced that a committee has been inaugurated by Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa for the relocation and construction of a Memorial Park within Owo.
The statement reads: “There had been ongoing discussions between the Palace of the Olowo and the state government on the possibility of relocating the Memorial Park before the unfortunate demise of the former Governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Odunayo Akeredolu. Some former government officials had taken advantage of the then absence of H.E. Akeredolu (due to ill health) to ignore those discussions and rush to complete the cenotaph, which was never commissioned till today.
“The engagement between the Olowo-in-Council and the government continued after Governor Aiyedatiwa assumed office. The Governor then directed officials of the Ministry of Infrastructure, Ministry of Lands and Housing, and the Owo Local Government to revisit the issue with a view to relocating the Memorial Park.
“After an agreement was reached with the Palace of the Olowo on the relocation of the cenotaph, the state government took the decision to reverse the faulty revocation of the land, returning it to its rightful owner: the Olowo of Owo. It was, therefore, the Olowo of Owo and AgroMore Limited—the rightful owners of the land—that carried out the demolition of the cenotaph, with the approval of the state government.
“Governor Aiyedatiwa has commissioned a team of government officials to liaise with relevant stakeholders to make arrangements to build a new cenotaph at a location acceptable to the people of Owo.”