June 29, (THEWILL) — One of the legacies the late Oluwarotimi Akeredolu left behind as governor of Ondo State was a memorial park he built in honour of the June 5th, 2022 murderous attack victims at St Francis Catholic Church in Owo. Exactly three years later, that gesture to humanity is now the subject of controversy among supporters and adversaries. Over 50 persons died in that attack, which drew local and international condemnation.
The ongoing disagreement has been stirred after the Lucky Aiyedatiwa suddenly demolished the monument. The government said it acted following pressure from the Olowo of Owo and his council, who tagged the park’s location near the palace a cultural taboo and an abomination.
The Catholic Diocese in the state, Mrs Betty Akeredolu and aides to the late governor have taken up arms in protest against the demolition.
According to the Catholic diocese, the act is “a violation of our common respect for the dignity of life”. The Diocese which said it wrote to the governor seeking an explanation for the demolition and got no reply, said the “park had served as a communal space for remembrance and healing and was not a burial ground, contrary to claims from those opposed to its location.”
“We recall that when protests arose last year regarding the site, the diocese issued a statement making it clear that the space was a Memorial Park and NOT a graveyard,” it added, adding that it has also demanded an official explanation for the demolition, clarity on whether the site will be relocated or erased entirely, and details of any future plans to honour the victims’ memory.
But the Council of the Olowo of Owo, His Imperial Majesty, Alayeluwa, Oba Ajibade Gbadegesin Ogunoye III, which disclosed that the request for this action was at the instance of the king and the entire good people of the kingdom, said it had “advised anyone with any issues whatsoever against the demolition to make the palace their target and not the listening Governor, Hon. (Dr.) Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, who is not in any way, responsible for the demolition.”
It added that the decision to site the structure in that particular location was resisted by the Olowo-in-Council and frowned upon by the people of the community when it was being conceived by the administration of the late Governor Akeredolu, who, it said, dismissed the Council’s objection.
All advice to the late governor that celebrating the dead in any guise around the palace is not in conformity with the age-long culture and traditions of Owo was definitely dismissed. Even at a time a protest was made by concerned Owo youths and stakeholders to that effect which the late governor disregarded.
The above position of the palace is vindicated by the enthusiasm shown by Owo people and the deluge of commendation across sundry media platforms in support of the demolition.
Taking to her X platform at the weekend, ex-First Lady of the State Betty Akeredola, cried blue murder. “What kind of leadership defiles the memory of innocent souls in such a callous manner?, “ she screamed, “That monument, built by my late husband, Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, CON, a son of Owo, was a solemn tribute to lives violently cut short in a house of worship. It symbolized collective mourning, remembrance, and healing.
“To now dismiss it as having “no economic value,” and to demolish it for a so-called “world-class shopping complex,” reveals a disturbing level of moral bankruptcy. A world-class society does not erase its pain to make way for profit. It preserves memory, it honors the dead, and it builds with conscience.”
She referred to the demolition as a political misstep, an affront to decency, an insult to the victims, disrespect to their families, and dishonour the legacy of a governor who governed with empathy and stood for justice.
In his own reaction a former Chief Press Secretary to the late governor, Mr. Olabode Richard Olatunde, refuted claims by the Olowo-in-Council that the park was built without adequate consultation and in disregard to its opposition.
He said the crux of this issue is not the demolition itself, but the unfair attempt to rewrite the facts and tarnish the legacy of a man who followed due process every step of the way.
He disclosed that “a meeting was held at the Governor’s Office, where the Olowo-in-Council granted explicit approval for the project.”
Olatunde listed the traditional leaders in attendance at the meeting to include High Chief Barr. Kunle Ijalana (Adanigbo of Iloro), High Chief Sydney Ogunleye (Akowa of Iloro), High Chief Osuporu, High Chief Famakinwa (Ojumu of Owo), and High Chief Abimbola Omoloja (Olugbaragada). Notably, he said High Chiefs Ogunleye and Omoloja spoke on behalf of the Olowo-in-Council at the meeting.
Those present on the government side were Chief Gbenga Ale, Mr. Dare Aragbaiye, Engr. Raimi Aminu, Pastor Akin Olotu, and Olatunde himself—all Owo indigenes who served in the Akeredolu administration.
“There is no record of any objection from the Olowo-in-Council or the broader Owo community before, during, or immediately after the construction,” he maintained. “The first protest emerged on June 30, 2024 — months after Akeredolu’s passing.”
Olatunde further explained that the location of the park, close to St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, Owaluwa — the site of the June 5, 2022 terrorist attack — was a deliberate choice to preserve the memory of the victims at the actual scene of the tragedy. He added that the land used for the project was already acquired by the Ondo State Government under former Governor Olusegun Mimiko for public interest, and thus was legally designated for such civic use.
He also recounted a significant twist in the land’s history. “When the Olowo later requested a portion of the land, Governor Akeredolu initially agreed. But upon receiving a protest letter from the Arala family — the original owners — citing that it should not be diverted for private use, the governor promptly revoked the allocation to uphold due process,” he stated.
Olatunde noted that Governor Akeredolu was never rigid about the park’s location and had even offered to move the project to Ijebu-Owo or another suitable site within the town, if the palace had expressed discomfort. “If the argument now is that the Olowo-in-Council felt pressured to agree, it must also be acknowledged that options were offered. Nothing was forced,” he said.
While acknowledging the authority of the Olowo within his domain and that of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa to act on state-owned structures, Olatunde insisted that the focus should not be on rewriting history or discrediting Akeredolu’s legacy.
“If this is what the people of Owo want, so be it. But we must remember that Akeredolu loved this town and worked for its growth. His legacy deserves to be preserved, not dragged through the mud,” he concluded.
By the weekend, accommodation had prevailed.
Arguing that the land used for the Memorial Park originally belonged to AgroMore Limited (of No. 1, Oke Ogun Street, Owo), a company owned by Oba Ajibade Gbadegesin Ogunoye before he became the Olowo of Owo but was in 2010, acquired by the Olusegun Mimiko administration from the company for road dualisation while in January 2021 the (Oluwarotimi) Akeredolu reallocated it to the company, Adeniran said that at the time of constructing the cenotaph, there was “no record of official revocation of the land from AgroMore,” thus complicating matters.
However, Governor Aiyedatiwa has commissioned a team of government officials to liaise with relevant stakeholders to make arrangements to build a new cenotaph at a location acceptable to the people of Owo, Adeniran said on Friday.
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