The Olu of Owode in Obafemi/Owode Local Government of Ogun State, Oba Kolawole Sowemimo, confirmed on Saturday that he has been suspended for two months without salaries by the Egba Traditional Council due to alleged misuse of naira notes.
Sowemimo revealed that the suspension was announced during a traditional rulers’ meeting on Friday, where he was informed of the council’s decision.
The suspension stemmed from a viral video in early January showing the royal father adorning a popular Fuji musician, Wasiu Ayinde, with knitted new notes of N1,000 as a garland.
The Egba Traditional Council deemed this act as publicly degrading Nigerian currency, which contravenes the law of the Central Bank of Nigeria.
At the council’s February statutory meeting chaired by the Alake and paramount ruler of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo, the suspension was ratified following a recommendation by the Ethics Committee.
The committee, led by Oba Saka Matemilola, the Olowu of Owu, concluded that Sowemimo breached the ethics of Yoruba traditional institutions by defacing Nigeria’s currency. It emphasized that during the suspension, Sowemimo should not represent himself as a traditional ruler and should refrain from attending government or public functions in that capacity.
The National Orientation Agency (NOA) had previously warned the embattled traditional ruler against abusing naira notes during his 13th anniversary celebration, highlighting that such actions could lead to imprisonment, fines, or both, as per the Central Bank Act, 2007.
