Awujale Stool: Ruling House Defends N10m Fee, Refunds Applicants
The Fusengbuwa Ruling House has clarified the circumstances surrounding the controversial ₦10 Million application fee earlier fixed for aspirants to the Awujale of Ijebuland stool, insisting the decision was reached collectively and without any intent to commercialise the revered throne.
The Olori Ebi of the ruling house, Otunba Lateef Owoyemi, made the clarification on Friday January 30, during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, as debates continue over the suspended Awujale succession process.
Owoyemi explained that the fee was agreed upon during a general meeting of the family, where members resolved that prospective candidates should contribute financially to support the logistics of the nomination process — a practice he described as common within Yoruba traditional institutions.
According to him, several figures were proposed during deliberations, with suggestions initially as high as ₦100 million. The amount was later reviewed downward through ₦50 million, ₦25 million and ₦20 million before the family unanimously settled for ₦10 million.
He disclosed that 12 eligible family members applied for the stool and paid the ₦10 million fee each.
However, the process was halted following the intervention of the Ogun State Government, which directed that the nomination be opened to all eligible members of the ruling house without any financial requirement.
Owoyemi confirmed that the ruling house complied fully with the directive, refunding all monies collected within three days. He added that evidence of the refunds, including bank advice slips, was forwarded to the Commissioner for Chieftaincy Affairs, the Secretary to the State Government, and Governor Dapo Abiodun to confirm compliance.
“At the meeting with senior government officials, we were advised that the fee was not fair to everyone and that all monies collected should be returned. We refunded every kobo paid by the 12 applicants and formally notified the government,” he said.
Reacting to allegations that the Awujale stool was being sold, Owoyemi dismissed the claims, stressing that the funds were meant strictly for administrative expenses incurred during the nomination process and not for personal enrichment.
“No king-making process is carried out without expenses. The money was not paid to anybody personally; it was to cover the cost of organising the process,” he stated.
He further explained that where such fees apply, they are usually paid into a family account and used collectively, reiterating that the ruling house never intended to commercialise the throne.
Owoyemi also noted that changes introduced into the selection process have reduced the influence of inducements, as all eligible family members now participate in the process, replacing the old system where elders alone selected the monarch.
The Awujale succession process has remained uncertain since the death of the late Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona, on July 13, 2025. Since then, disputes over eligibility and procedure have led to a sharp rise in aspirants, petitions and protests, prompting the Ogun State Government to suspend the process in January 2026.
