…Market Leaders Insist Saratu Konibaje Remains Authentic
Tension has enveloped markets across Oyo State following the controversial decision of the Oyo State Government to recognize Alhaja Folashade Abeo as Iyaloja General, in flagrant disregard for Alhaja Saratu Konibaje, who was unanimously approved and endorsed by all market traders as their authentic Iyaloja General.
Market leaders across the 33 Local Governments who spoke with our correspondent described the government’s action as an imposition, an assault on market tradition and a brazen attempt to politicize a sacred heritage institution.
At the centre of the storm is Alhaja Saratu Konibaje, a grassroots mobilizer with decades of service in market administration, who emerged through the collective will of traders. Her endorsement was not by proxy but by open, unanimous affirmation by market associations; the true owners of the stool.
Investigations revealed that the crisis is not unconnected with the 2027 general elections. Credible reports within the market leadership indicate that Alhaja Konibaje has come under intense pressure from the Governor’s camp to abandon the All Progressives Congress (APC) and pitch her tent with the Allied Peoples Movement (APM).
The innocent market leader, sources said, stood her ground, insisting on her belief in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Distinguished Senator Sharafadeen Alli and the APC.
Her refusal to be cowed, traders allege, is her only offense and the reason the government moved to foist another person on them as Iyaloja General.
Weighing in on the crisis, the Okanlomo Oodua and Gbonka Olubadan of Ibadanland, Chief Jubril Dotun Sanusi, has condemned the attempt to turn market leadership into political compensation.
In a strongly worded public statement, Chief Sanusi declared that the will of Oyo State market traders must be respected.
“The traditional institution of Iyaloja is not merely a political appointment. It represents generations of market leadership, commercial heritage, grassroots unity and the collective dignity of hardworking women and men whose daily sacrifices sustain the economy of Oyo State,” he said.
“The controversy surrounding the position of Iyaloja General, particularly the roles of the respected Alhaja Saratu Konibaje and Alhaja Abeo, raises fundamental questions about the independence of traditional market institutions.”
Chief Sanusi warned that market leadership must never become a reward for political loyalty or punishment for political independence.
“The traders of Oyo State deserve to know whether their established selection processes, customs and collective preferences were respected. The office of Iyaloja belongs to the heritage and interests of the market community. Its legitimacy should rest on recognised traditions, lawful procedures and the confidence of the traders themselves.”
Dotun Sanusi therefore called for immediate respect for the independence of market associations, peaceful dialogue and a transparent explanation of how the disputed recognition was arrived at.
“The voice of market traders matters. Their dignity matters. Their freedom of association matters. Their collective will must never be ignored,” the Okanlomo Oodua declared.
As at press time, markets across Ibadan, Oyo, Ogbomoso, Oke-Ogun and Ibarapa were still rallying behind Alhaja Saratu Konibaje as the authentic, legitimate and people-endorsed Iyaloja General of Oyo State.
