The Olu of Owode in Obafemi/Owode Local Government of Ogun State, Oba Kolawole Sowemimo, has been suspended by the Egba Traditional Council headed by the Alake of Egbaland over an alleged abuse of the naira notes.
According to reports, Oba Sowemimo, in a viral video, had allegedly abused the naira while spraying popular Fuji musician Wasiu Ayinde, popularly known as KWAM 1, at a party, where the monarch knitted N1,000 notes together forming a long rope which he wrapped round the neck of KWAM 1.
Last Month, the National Orientation Agency (NOA) wrote a letter to the embattled monarch, saying his actions could earn him imprisonment.
The Naira continues to struggle, closing week at N1,537 at the official market
On Friday, the Egba traditional council announced the suspension of the monarch for publicly degrading Nigerian currency, an offence which contravenes the law of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
The meeting, in a joint resolution, adopted the suspension of the monarch following the recommendation of its Ethical Committee, which declared that during the period of his (Sowemimo) suspension, he should not parade himself as a traditional ruler, adding that the council suspended the monarch for two months without salary.
The resolution also emphasised that Oba Sowemimo should not be invited or seen at any government or public function as a traditional ruler and, for three months, should not receive any payments
The Chairman of a three-member Ethical Committee of the Egba Traditional Council, Oba Saka Matemilola, who read the report of the committee, said that the committee came to its decision after examining the viral video in which Oba Sowemimo breached the ethics of a Yoruba traditional institution by defacing Nigeria’s currency.
The committee chairman, the Olowu of Owu, said findings revealed that the embattled traditional ruler was seen holding strewn Naira as a bead and hung onto the neck of a musician in public.
The chairman added that a lot of public condemnation of the act inundated the council with derisive comments on the traditional institution, stressing that the said Oba’s action is in contradiction of Section 21(1) of the Central Bank Act, 2007.
Confirming his suspension, Oba Sowemimo said, “The suspension was announced during our meeting yesterday (Friday); they said the suspension was due to the way I spent money on one musician.
“And when I was asked if I had anything to say, I stood up and apologized for whatever I have done wrong, and the suspension, which was earlier announced to be for three months without salaries, was reduced to two months. I totally accept the verdict of the council because it is the person that we love that we chastise, so I am good with the decision”.