Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa clarifies the Owo memorial park demolition, citing unresolved land ownership issues and cultural objections to its location

Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa has clarified that the recent Owo memorial park demolition was due to unresolved issues surrounding the ownership of the land on which it was situated.

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The park was built in honour of victims of the June 2, 2022 terror attack on St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, Owo.

In a statement released on Thursday by his Chief Press Secretary, Ebenezer Adeniyan, the governor emphasised that the action was not intended as a sign of disrespect to the victims’ memory.

Aiyedatiwa stated the decision followed consultations with the Olowo-in-Council and aimed at preserving the Owo community’s cultural heritage.

He assured that the state government remains committed to honouring the victims and supporting their families, while also working towards finding a more suitable and permanent way to memorialise them.

“Aside from the official complaints from the Palace of the Olowo, there have also been protests by various segments of the people of Owo against the location of the Memorial Park, as it was said to be against the culture of the land to site a cenotaph at the heart of the town and in front of the palace,” Aiyedatiwa explained.

He further detailed the cultural objections: “Although no bodies were buried at the site, it was constructed in the replica image of a cemetery, complete with insignia of the dead and inscriptions of the names of all the victims. This, the Olowo-in-Council and the people of Owo frowned upon and protested against as a taboo.”

Explaining further, the governor stated the land where the memorial park was located legally belongs to AgroMore Limited—a company owned by the Olowo of Owo, Ajibade Gbadegesin Ogunoye, before his ascension to the throne.

He revealed that the land was initially acquired by the government in 2010 but was re-allocated to its original owner in 2021 under the late Governor Rotimi Akeredolu’s administration.

According to him, at the time of constructing the cenotaph, there was no record of official revocation of the land from AgroMore.

He posited that the government later realised procedural errors were made in taking possession of the land for the cenotaph’s construction.

Aside from the official complaints from the Palace of the Olowo, there have also been protests by various segments of the people of Owo against the location of the Memorial Park, as it was said to be against the culture of the land to site a cenotaph at the heart of the town and in front of the palace.

Reacting to the statement released by the Catholic Diocese Bishop of Ondo Diocese, Jude Arogundade, over the demolition, Governor Aiyedatiwa said that the church’s letter negated the cordial relationship and “open channels of communication” established with religious leaders in the state.

He noted that Arogundade’s statement confirmed protests took place in Owo, stressing that the Catholic Diocese never sought engagement with the state government while trying to diffuse tension over the protests.

Aiyedatiwa disclosed that discussions about relocating the Memorial Park had been ongoing between the Palace of the Olowo and the state government even before the unfortunate demise of former Governor Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Odunayo Akeredolu.

He further revealed that “Some former government officials had taken advantage of the then absence of H.E. Akeredolu (due to ill health) to ignore those discussions and rush to complete the cenotaph, which was never commissioned till today.”

He added that engagement between the Olowo-in-Council and the government continued after Governor Aiyedatiwa assumed office.

The Governor then directed officials from the Ministry of Infrastructure, the Ministry of Lands and Housing, and the Owo Local Government to revisit the issue and relocate the Memorial Park.

“After an agreement was reached with the Palace of the Olowo on the relocation of the cenotaph, the state government took the decision to reverse the faulty revocation of the land, returning it to its rightful owner: the Olowo of Owo,” the governor explained.

“It was, therefore, the Olowo of Owo and AgroMore Limited—the rightful owners of the land—that carried out the demolition of the cenotaph, with the approval of the state government.”

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Governor Aiyedatiwa has since commissioned a team of government officials to liaise with relevant stakeholders and make arrangements to build a new cenotaph at a location acceptable to the people of Owo.