Olowu of Owu Canvasses Support for Traditional Mediation Model As O.A.U 88 Law Class Floats Egba Reunion in Grand Style

By: Olufemi Orunsola 

The Olowu of Owu Kingdom Oba Prof. Saka Matemilola Otileta IV has made a strong appeal for learned fellows to help deepen peaceful coexistence and conflict resolutions at the grassroots level in Nigeria via contributions towards the development of traditional mediation centres - a model, he said, the Owu Kingdom , under his leadership, has successfully deployed to resolve among other cases, a long standing conflict of about 20 years, which the police and statutory courts had failed to resolve.

OPEN TELEVISION NAIJA (OTN) News reports that the prominent Ogun royal father made this known while interacting with the Obafemi Awolowo University (O A U) Ile Ife 1988 Law Class who paid a courtesy visit to him at his palace on Friday as part of activities marking their reunion in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.

Oba Prof. Matemilola, flanked by many Owu Chiefs, welcomed the 88 Law Class warmly, said he felt honoured by their choice of paying a courtesy visit to his palace, informed them that Owu Kingdom under his watch, and in collaboration with the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), created a Media Centre at Owu palace dedicated to peaceful conflict resolutions at the grassroots level, deploying the native intelligence presented by a panel of mediators who mediate like anotable jury in cases of conflicts brought before the palace Mediation Centre.

While noting that the Owu Kingdom has recorded significant success from the peaceful conflict resolution model within just a year of experimenting with it, the Olowu of Owu appealed to learned fellows to also volunteer their support for the model by way of community engagements and giving suggestions for improving its use not only in Owu Kingdom, but in other parts of the country.

Earlier during the courtesy visit, the President of the Alumni Association, Mr.Kunle Adegun informed the royal father that the association has been observing and monitoring from a distance, some of the giant strides in community leadership attained by the Olowu of Owu, even before he ascended the throne of his fore fathers.

Also, a prominent Abeokuta-based member of the Alumni association, Barrister Habeeb Ajayi, who introduced the Executive and members of the visiting O.A.U 88 Law Class to Kabiesi Olowu, said that the choice of visiting the Olowu was a reflection of the group's conviction that the royal father is truly worthy of the honour based on his track records since ascending the throne.

OTN News further reports that a major highpoint of the courtesy visit was the presentation of an award of excellence and recognition to the Olowu of Owu by the association by the group.

Another high point of the O.A.U Ile Ife 88 Law Class Reunion was the cultural fact finding interactive session during which an Owu Chieftain, the Orunto of Owu Kingdom, Chief Abiodun Lasile, who served as a cultural curator for the palace, took time to respond to questions asked by the visiting learned fellows on why Olowu is referred to as "Asukun Gba Ade" - a child of Oodua, (the progenitor of Yorubas) who got crowned well ahead of his siblings by mastering the art of throwing tantrums before his father, who cherished him a lot.

Chief Lasile also eexplained other cultural facts related to a cultural mantra peculiar to the Owu Kingdom tagged "Owu lakoda", meaning Owu ranks first class in creation order to the O.AU Ife reunion class.