Following the news that the EFCC was investigating the new Ooni of Ife, Ooni Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi and his Company, Metropole Interproject Limited in connection with an alleged N400 million forgery case owing to a petition signed and forwarded to the anti-graft agency by Sulaiman Alimi Adeniyi representing Centre for Human Rights and Social Justice, CHRSJ, the Crown has come forward to deny such allegation.
In a statement signed by Prince Adetokunbo Sijuwade and Prince Adesina Ogunwusi, representing both the Sijuwade and Ogunwusi royal families, both families described the allegation as an utterly baseless lie aimed at destroying the cordial relationship between the two royal families.
“We were shocked to read a statement on an online medium by one Sulaiman Alimi Adeniyi who claimed to be representing a group he referred to as Centre for Human Rights and Social Justice in which he lied to have been invited by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to defend a petition earlier sent by his group to the anti-graft body against His Imperial Majesty, Ooni Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi (Ojaja II) that the authority of the anti-graft body in Nigeria, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC) has begun the investigation of the revered monarch and his company named Metropole Interproject Limited over an alleged N400 million forgery which involved the immediate past Ooni of Ife, late Oba Okunade Sijuwade (Olubuse ll) business empire Sijuwade Holdings Ltd.
“We view this statement as an attempt by some enemies of progress to cause an unwarranted disharmony not only between the two royal families of Sijuwade and Ogunwusi but also to disrupt the peace that Ile-Ife has enjoyed. We urge the public to ignore this sponsored campaign of calumny and advise the promoter of this sacrilegious statement to desist from such an attempt only capable of embarrassing a well respected royalty and causing needless acrimony between two royal families which may take the generations unborn to resolve.
“The relationship between the late Great personalities Ooni Okunade Sijuwade and the Ooni Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi then a prince was a father and son relationship which translated to a business relationship through their companies.
“It is pertinent to say that the cordiality that existed between the late Ooni Okunade sijuwade (Olubuse II) and Ooni Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi (Ojaja II) has rather gone better subsequent to Ooni Ogunwusi’s coronation as Kabiyesi almost on daily basis communicates with members of Sijuwade family led by Prince Tokunbo, who is in charge of the business empire left behind by the late Ooni Sijuwade. The family head of the entire Sijuwades Prince Adekunle Sijuwade, two weeks ago, led other members of the royal family including Prince Tokunbo and Prince Aderemi on a homage to Kabiyesi Ogunwusi where they pledged their loyalty and readiness to actively key into his agenda of progress for Ile-Ife.
“His Imperial Majesty Ooni Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi(Ojaja II) has always prior to and after his coronation been law-abiding fine gentleman of clean and unquestionable character who has not been involved in any fraudulent transactions and he has never been invited or quizzed any anti-graft agency.
“We thus remain unruffled as the flaccid hoax of 400million naira fraud is incapable of bringing the much valuable hard-earned name to a targeted disrepute before the general public by the so-called Comrade Alimi Sulaiman known to have been hobnobing with a politician in the town who has refused to accept the unchangeable reality of the destined enthronement of Ooni Ogunwusi against his unpopular choice.
“The relationship between the two Ife royal families remains unshakeable and unbreakable as they are together in the train of peace and progress.”