IBADAN – The Aranyin of Iranyin, Oba Lasisi Olagbemileke Oladimeji, has appealed to Governor Seyi Makinde to resolve the long-standing vacancy of the Aresa-Adu of Iresa-Adu throne in Surulere Local Council of Oyo State.
The stool has remained vacant for nearly eight years.
In a statement, the monarch recalled how the governor had intervened in chieftaincy disputes in Ibadan, Oyo and other towns, and urged him to extend similar action to Iresa-Adu.
“Governor Makinde has proven to be a governor who listens to the people. He has resolved more chieftaincy matters than any sitting Governor of Oyo State. That is why we are appealing to him to help us resolve that of Aresa-Adu too,” he said.
Oladimeji, who ascended the throne in 2023, said he is of Aresa-Adu bloodline and has ancestral ties to the matter. He stressed the need to install a substantive Aresa-Adu, describing the stool as historically significant in Yoruba land.
He noted that Iranyin, a boundary community on Aresa-Adu land bordering Ifon in Osun State, has experienced recurring boundary disputes and security concerns. According to him, the absence of a paramount ruler has contributed to leadership gaps across several towns and villages under the Aresa-Adu domain.
“As a result of land encroachment and great need to coordinate and combat insecurity for towns and villages which also include Iranyin, a paramount Aresa-Adu is required,” he said.
The monarch linked the appeal to rising security challenges in border communities, citing the arrest of suspected cattle rustlers in Iresa-Adu by the Oyo State Police Command in January 2026.
He said he had earlier raised concerns about the vacant throne and security issues when the governor visited Surulere Local Council in January 2026.
While commending the governor for resolving other vacant stools in the state, Oladimeji urged that the Aresa-Adu throne should not be left unattended.
“We have many towns under Aresa-Adu with crowned Obas and Baales that have existed for several centuries. I am the 21st Aranyin of Iranyin but how can I be proud when the main monarch of our land is not enthroned,” he said.
He expressed confidence that the state government would act decisively to address the situation.
