ILARO-YEWA – The Olu of Ilaro & Paramount Ruler of Yewaland, Oba (Dr) Kehinde Gbadewole Olugbenle, MFR has approved the conferment of Pan-Yewa Chieftaincy titles on another illustrious indigines of Yewaland of Ogun State.
According to a release e-signed and made available to StarTrend Int’l & online – www.startrendinternational.com by Prince Femi Dokunmu, Media Consultant to the Paramount Ruler of Yewaland, the new chiefs are Ambassador ,(Mrs.) Adenike Ebun Oyagbola who was named as the Iyalode of Yewaland and Professor Biyi Afonja, the Balogun of Yewaland, respectively.
Oba Olugbenle, according to the release said the approval of the new titles was in fulfilment of the resolution of the Yewa Council of Obas, to periodically consider and confer appropriate Chieftaincy Titles on deserving Yewa sons and daughters who merit the honour, both in achievements and in character.
Chief (Mrs.) Oyagbola, who turns 90 this year, was Nigeria’s Minister of National Planning and first Female Cabinet Minister in Nigeria (1979-1983) and Nigeria’s Ambassador to Mexico with concurrent accreditation to Panama, Costa Rica and Guatemala.
Professor Biyi Afonja, 86, is a retired Professor of Statistics and the first Nigerian to be President of African Statistical Association.
He was Commissioner for Education in the Western State (1973-1975); Chairman, Governing Council of Ogun State College of Education and later Council Chairman/Pro-Chancellor of Ogun State ( now Olabisi Onabanjo) University, Ago-Iwoye.
Professor Afonja was pioneer President of the Yewa Think Tank and currently Chairman of the Yewa Elders Consultative Forum.
It would be recalled that the Olu of Ilaro & Paramount Ruler of Yewaland had earlier announced the conferment of Pan-Yewa titles on seven other illustrious sons and daughters of Yewaland, which include Otunba Akeem Adigun; Alhaja Salimot Badru; Senator Solomon Adeola; Chief Dele Oderinde; Chief Tokunbo Akinsowon; Chief Adewale Adesina and Alhaji Ibrahim Dende Egungbohun.
In another development, Oba Olugbenle has condoled with the people of Igbessa and Yewaland at large on the death of an illustrious daughter of Yewaland, Hon. Justice Iyabo Saula (retired), who was until her retirement in 2012, the No. 2 Judge in Ogun State.
Until her death, the late Hon. Justice Saula was an active member of the Yewa Elders Forum and was already tipped for the Chieftaincy title of Yeyemofin of Yewaland before her death.
Justice Saula who died on Monday, October 25, 2021 was survived by many children and grand-children.