Awujale stool: Ruling house defends ₦10m application fee, confirms refunds after Ogun’s directive

The Fusengbuwa Ruling House has explained that its decision to initially peg the application form for the Awujale of Ijebuland stool at ₦10 million was reached through internal consultations and aimed at ensuring fairness among eligible family members.

Punch reports that the Olori Ebi of the ruling house, Otunba Lateef Owoyemi, gave the clarification on Friday during an appearance on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, as controversies continue to trail the stalled Awujale succession process.

Owoyemi said the decision followed a general meeting of the family, where members agreed that prospective candidates should contribute towards the logistics of the nomination process, a practice he described as common in Yoruba traditional institutions.

He explained that while higher figures were initially suggested, the family eventually settled for ₦10 million after extensive deliberations.

“In the first place, we started with 12 candidates after the family unanimously resolved that a price tag should be placed on anyone who wants to contest for the position of Awujale, as it is common in Yorubaland.

“At the members’ general meeting, various suggestions were made. The amount was reduced from N100 million to N10 million only, and the members were also informed.

“It went from ₦10 million to ₦50 million, to ₦25 million, to ₦20 million, until it finally settled at ₦10 million, and it was unanimously approved. 12 members applied and paid N10 million each,” Owoyemi stated.

Owoyemi, however, said the ruling house refunded all monies collected after the Ogun State Government intervened and directed that the process be opened to all eligible members without any financial requirement.

He disclosed that the refunds were completed within three days and formally communicated to relevant government officials.

“We had an invitation from the Ogun State Government to meet with the senior state officials.

“At that meeting, we were advised that what we had charged was not fair to everybody, and we should return all the N10 million each of the 12 candidates had paid and announce that any willing member of the family could apply and could collect the application form from us without paying a naira.

“Within three days, we were able to refund all the money to those who had paid, and we sent copies of the bank advice to the Commissioner for Chieftaincy Affairs, the Secretary to the State Government, and the governor himself in evidence that we have complied with the directive,” he said.

Reacting to allegations that the Awujale stool was being commercialised, Owoyemi dismissed the claims, insisting that the money was meant strictly for administrative expenses and not personal gain.

“No king-making process is ever done on empty hands.

“The money was not supposed to be paid to anybody. It was meant to cover expenses incurred in organising the nomination process,” Owoyemi said.

He added that nomination fees, where applicable, are usually paid into a family account and used collectively, stressing that the ruling house never intended to sell the throne.

Owoyemi also noted that changes in the selection process had reduced the influence of inducements, explaining that the participation of all eligible family members had replaced the old system where elders alone chose the monarch.

The Awujale succession process was thrown into uncertainty following the death of Oba Sikiru Adetona on July 13, 2025.