Awujale new palace to gulp N1bn

Speaking at a press conference in Ijebu ode, the Awujale Palace Extension Development Committee under the chairmanship of Otunba Gbuyi Osibogun, said the new palace would be a cultural edifice. Osibogun said that, “the complex after completion will at once eliminate the yearly cumbersome, irksome and very tiring routine of hiring canopies and tents by […]

Speaking at a press conference in Ijebu ode, the Awujale Palace Extension Development Committee under the chairmanship of Otunba Gbuyi Osibogun, said the new palace would be a cultural edifice.

Osibogun said that, “the complex after completion will at once eliminate the yearly cumbersome, irksome and very tiring routine of hiring canopies and tents by the Otunbas and Chiefs, regberegbes, and other social groups. It will also provide a permanent cultural edifice for this generation and generations yet to come while the library and the museum will also serve as a veritable education centre for Nigerians interested in the relevant disciplines”.

He further stated that the project became necessary not only  due to the inadequacy of the existing palace ground to contain the activities of the regberegbes and  the dodondawas during the Ojude-Oba Festivals but it was also inadequate to comfortably contain visitors both from within and outside Nigeria.

 “The constraint of space soon became obvious and succour luckily came from our governor, Otunba Gbenga Daniel  generously allocated the defunct Public Works Department (PWD) yard opposite the palace for the development of the Awujale Palace Extension to be used for the yearly Ojude Oba festival and other ceremonies in the palace,” Osibogun added.

Speaking exclusively with Sunday Trust, the Chairman Finance Sub-committee, Otunba Lateef Owoyemi confirmed that extensive contacts had been made to various corporate bodies, High-Net-Worth Donors, Institutions, Trade Groups, various Ijebu sons and daughters both at home and Diaspora and other organisation adjudged to be highly potent for generating moral and financial support. He said, “My committee is to ensure that the programme is successfully funded and see that all monies given to us for the execution of the project is judiciously spent.”

The fund raising launch event is scheduled for Saturday 26th September, 2009 at the Awujale Palace, Ijebu-Ode. Other members of the committee are: Otunba Lekan Bello, Otunba (Mrs.) Iyabo Martins Kuye, Chief Agboola Alausa, Chief (Barr.) Fassy A. O. Yusuf, Otunba Oscar Ibru, Otunba Fatai Arowolo, Chief Dele Odulaja and others.