We’ll continue to accord deserved respect to traditional institution — Abiodun

…As he hosts Olowu-in-Council

The Ogun State governor, Dapo Abiodun has reiterated that his administration would continue to respect the traditional institution in the state with the view of ensuring that the royal fathers continue to preserve the rich culture and tradition of the state.

Governor Abiodun stated this at his office in Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta,  when he received the Olowu-in- Council in a courtesy visit.

The Council had visited the Governor to show appreciation to the state government for ensuring that the stool of Olowu did not remain vacant for too long.

Abiodun noted that any town in royal interregnum will slowly slip out of history.

“We will continue to give the required respect and honour to our traditional institution; they are the custodians of our traditions and culture. You can imagine a town or city without a king, which has happened several times, where there was an interregnum, it will appear is as if that town is slowly slipping  out of history. It’s our royal fathers that continue to remind us about our rich heritage and culture.

“We, as a government, will continue to ensure that we support this very revered institution so that our Obas can continue to help us in preserving our culture,” he said.

The state helmsman who further noted that the traditional institutions remains the closet to the people, said that his administration would always collaborate with the traditional rulers with the hope of distilling through them the right feedback that would help his administration to continue to provide people oriented governance.

“Our monarchs remain the closest to the grassroots and they are one of our primary points of engagement with our people as our people trust them the most. They trust them because they see them as their representatives, they feel their pulses, they take their issues to them and hope that they can interface between them and the government.

“We will continue to cooperate and collaborate with our monarchs so that through them, we can engage the grassroots and ensure that we distill through them the right feedback that will always us to continue to provide that people oriented governance that our citizens have voted us into office to provide,” he added.

Abiodun, while commending the traditional rulers for the roles they play at ensuring peace and security in their domains, said that his administration would continue to equip security agencies to ensure security of lives and property.

Earlier in his remark, the Olowu of Owu, Oba Saka Matemilola,  while acknowledging the sincerity of purpose and the efficiency with which the state government approved his emergence, pledged that he would continue to contribute his quotas towards the development of the state.