From News Editor
The Ekiti State Government, has warned Isaya and Kota Ekiti communities in Ekiti East Local Government Area against allowing the raging disagreements over the ownership of a market facility in their border snowball into violence and bloodshed that can disrupt the existing peace in the towns.
The government posited that the administration of Governor Biodun Oyebanji places high premium on peace and that crisis over boundary won’t be allowed to fester into anarchy in any of the communities in the state.
The Deputy Governor, Chief (Mrs) Monisade Afuye, in a statement by her Special Assistant on Media, Victor Ogunje, handed down the warning in Ado Ekiti, on Monday, while intervening in a crisis over the ownership of Igbo Olugba Market located between Isaya and Kota Ekiti.
The intervention was sequel to a petition written by Elekota of Kota Ekiti, Oba Emmanuel Olukayode,
claiming that the market built within the border area of the two towns is not owned by Isaya community as being claimed.
Speaking at the trouble-shooting parley, Mrs Afuye, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Office of the Deputy Governor, Mr. Abayomi Opeyemi, described the two communities as good neighbours, who should allow the spirit of oneness to continue to guide their actions and footsteps without disruption.
The Deputy Governor stated that proper demarcation remains the best way to settle the matter, pointing out that the two communities should be ready to embrace the spirit of give and take in brokering truce on the matter.
“In the last two years, most of the activities of our Boundary Commission were centred around settling rifts between towns that were granted autonomy. It is just normal, it is not something that is strange, but we can manage it. The spirit of give and take must be applied to have peace in our communities. Nobody can have it all.
“Coming to the issue at hand, all the facilities that you built together were jointly owned before, but you are now separated by autonomy, I believe the new town should inherit the facility. But now that the market is within your border area, the Boundary Commission will visit the place to ascertain the right owner.
“The government of Biodun Oyebanji is incurably committed to ensuring peace in all our towns. Again, don’t allow this crisis to cause a wedge between your generations. You have been together before, allow the longstanding unity between you to remain strong”, she advised.
Addressing the gathering, Oba Olukayode noted that the market remains the property of Kota, stating that his town did not take over the existing structures in Omuo Ekiti after securing autonomy, saying all the markets and other facilities built together remain in Omuo -Obadore based on the agreement signed in 1976.
The monarch called for the intervention of Boundary Commission to undertake proper demarcation of the two communities to forestall the breakdown of law and order.
In his reaction, the Asaya of Isaya Ekiti, Oba Ajayi Elejogun, maintained that the land where the market was located is within the precinct of his territory, saying history and available documents solidly backed such claim.
Oba Elejogun welcomed the state government proposition that experts from the office of the Boundary Commission will be deployed in the area to conduct proper demarcation that will resolve the bedlam.
