Deji of Akureland
•Go ahead, open your shops – Govt
•Warns monarch against confrontation
•Markets, shop owners defy govt order, close shops as directed by monarch
•Isinkan community, disobeys monarch, says they’re not under Akureland
By Daily Topic Correspondent
Markets and shops remained closed in Akure, the Ondo state capital as directed by the Deji of Akureland, Oba Aladetoyinbo Aladelusi in observance of the Aheregbe festival. This was in defiance of the counter directive given by the state government that markets and shops must open business.
Markets and shops were closed across the state capital except in the Isinkan community, where they insisted that they were not under the authority of Deji of Akureland and did not observe the Aheregbe festival in the Isinkan kingdom.
Oba Aladelusi, had said that, “the closure of the markets became necessary as part of the requirement in observing the age- long tradition of the annual Aheregbe festival.
It is important to emphasize that there shall be no trading or opening of shops under any guise during the festival. Residents, market women and shop owners are kindly enjoined to comply with this directive. However, only pharmacy shops and patent medicine stores are exempted from the closure of their shops during the festival. The festival will not in any way restrict both human and vehicular movement.”
But, the state government in a swift reaction through the Information and Orientation Commissioner Mrs Bamidele Ademola-Olateju, said that the state government had last year ruled against such closure of markets in any part of the state. Ademola-Olateju said in a statement that: “On August 24, 2022, one of the decisions made by the executive council was that; there shall be no closure of market in any part of the state without the approval of the governor. The statement credited to Mr. Michael Adeyeye, the Press Secretary of His Majesty, the Deji of Akure constitutes a clear violation of an existing order of the government.
The public should note that even if an approval was sought, such closure would have been limited to Ìjà Ìba (Oba’s Market) in Akure. We urge our respected Royal father, His Majesty, the Deji of Akure to respect the government decision and refrain from any action that will cause discomfort or inflict economic pain to Akure inhabitants.”
