Ago-Oja palace rejects ‘Isale-Oyo’ designation, cites historical records
The Palace of the Alágo-Oja of Ago-Oja has rejected the use of “Isale-Oyo” as a substitute for Ago-Oja, insisting that the community has a distinct historical identity, heritage and traditional institution.
In a statement signed by His Royal Majesty, Oba Ganiyu Ajiboye Busari, the Alágo-Oja of Ago-Oja, the palace urged government agencies, traditional institutions, media organisations, historians and researchers to use Ago-Oja in official records, publications and reports.
The palace described the substitution of Ago-Oja with “Isale-Oyo” as inaccurate, stressing that the community’s established historical name should not be erased or diminished.
“Our community is Ago-Oja. We respectfully reject the use of ‘Isale-Oyo’ as a replacement for our historical name,” it said.
It said Ago-Oja had a distinct heritage and traditional institution, adding that respecting the cultural significance and authority of the Alaafin of Oyo did not require the erasure of Ago-Oja’s origins.
The palace cited the works of historians including Rev. Samuel Johnson, M.C. Adeyemi, Robert S. Smith, Daryll Forde, P.M. Kaberry and Stephen Goddard as documenting the historical role of Oja and Ago-Oja in the settlement that developed into New Oyo.
It called for an objective, scholarship-based understanding of the history, free from political or traditional rivalry, stressing that its position should not be interpreted as an attack on the Alaafin or an attempt to undermine the institution’s paramountcy.
On recent public commentaries concerning Supreme Court proceedings, the palace said it would refrain from informal media exchanges and await official communication from the Alaafin’s side through appropriate legal or traditional channels.
