The Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Olanilekun Larooye III, has reiterated that the Ataoja stool is traditionally the fourth-ranking throne in Osun State and expressed his resolve to reclaim the position from the Oluwo of Iwo.
Speaking at a lecture organised on Monday at Osun State University, Osogbo, to commemorate his 15th coronation anniversary, the monarch traced the history of the disputed ranking to his predecessor, Oba Iyiola Oyewale Matanmi III. According to him, the Ataoja throne lost its place in the state’s hierarchy when Matanmi travelled abroad, allowing the Oluwo to assume the fourth position.
Oba Larooye emphasised that his efforts were not a personal attack on any monarch but a move to restore the rightful place of the Ataoja in Osun’s traditional order.
He said his father left as the fourth-ranking king, and that was the position he met upon his own ascension. He, however, noted that the ranking was altered and vowed to pursue all legitimate steps to reinstate it.
“I am not fighting any king. The seat of the Ataoja is fourth in Osun. That is what I inherited, and that is what I will continue to work to restore,” he declared.
Also addressing participants at the event, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Kunle Adegoke (K-RAD), called for constitutional recognition of traditional rulers nationwide. He argued that the absence of such recognition weakens grassroots governance and poses risks to national security.
Adegoke urged the National Assembly to expedite reforms that would establish a National Council of Traditional Rulers as well as state and local councils to play advisory and developmental roles. He further proposed financial autonomy and legal protections to shield the traditional institution from political interference.
