The Ondo State Government has stated that it was necessary to restore the dignity of Owo’s culture by destroying the memorial park constructed in Owo in honor of the victims of the massacre at Saint Francis Xavier Catholic Church on June 5, 2022.
In response to the Catholic Church’s position on the matter, it made this known in a statement signed by Prince Ebenezer Adeniyan, the governor’s chief press secretary.
According to the state government, the key to the response was to correct the church’s statements.
INCLUDE Ondo government demolishes victims’ memorial park in an owo church attack
The Catholic Diocese of Ondo has condemned the demolition of the Memorial Park in Owo in memory of the victims of the massacre at the Saint Francis Xavier Catholic Church on June 5, 2022.
The statement said in part that it was necessary to restore Owo’s cultural dignity and the site’s original purpose. Following thorough consultation with the Olowo-in-Council’s Owo-in-Council representatives, this was done.
AgroMore Limited (of No. 10) was the first to control the land for the Memorial Park. Before he became the Olowo of Owo, Oba Ajibade Gbadegesin Ogunoye owned the business 1, Oke Ogun Street, Owo. The Olusegun Mimiko administration deposed the land in 2010 to make way for road dualization. The land was re-allocated to AgroMore Limited, the land’s previous owner, in January 2021 by the (Oluwarotimi) Akeredolu administration. ”
There was no record of an official revocation of the land from AgroMore at the time of the cenotaph, according to the statement, adding that the state government later realized the errors made when the land was taken over for the construction of the cenotaph.
There have also been protests by various Owo residents against the location of the memorial park, which is said to be against the culture of the land, which is located in the town and in front of the palace. ”
It was built in the style of a cemetery, complete with insignia of the dead and inscriptions of the names of all the victims, even though there were no bodies buried there. It stated that Olowo-in-Council and Owo people were against and detested as taboo.
Further, it added that Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, the former governor’s tragic death, had been the subject of ongoing discussions between the palace and the state government regarding the possibility of moving the park.
Bishop Arogundade’s statement, however, did not mention that the Catholic Diocese had never sought engagement with the state government in an effort to slam the protests against them. ”
Prior to the tragic passing of the former governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Odunayo Akeredolu, there had been ongoing discussions between the Palace of the Olowo and the state government regarding the possibility of moving the Memorial Park.
INCLUDE Owo Memorial Park Demolition Is Condemned By Catholic Church, Akeredolu’s Widow
Some former government officials jumped to the finish line of the cenotaph, which was never completed, claiming that some of the former’s leaders had benefited from Akeredolu’s (due to ill health) delaying those discussions.
The Olowo-in-Council and the government engaged in a conversation after Governor Aiyedatiwa took office, according to the statement.
The state government made the decision to reverse the incorrect revocation of the land and give it back to its original owner, the Olowo of Owo, after an agreement was reached with the Palace of the Olowo regarding the cenotaph’s relocation. Therefore, the state government authorised the demolition of the cenotaph, and it was Olowo of Owo and AgroMore Limited, the land’s owners who were the ones who were the ones who were the rightful owners. ”
A team of government officials has been assigned to coordinate with relevant stakeholders to arrange the construction of a new cenotaph in an area that is respectful to the Owo people, according to Governor Aiyedatiwa.
In a statement, the Catholic diocese, Most Rev. Most Rev., the Catholic Bishop of Ondo Diocese, signed. Arogundade’s daughter, Jude, was upset about what had happened.
The demolition was deemed a “violation of our shared respect for the dignity of life and the memory of the “41 brothers and sisters who were unjustly murdered” on June 2, 2022, according to the statement.
Source: Channels TV
Leave a Reply