By Adeola Badru, Ibadan

Ibadan community baales were cautioned yesterday on indiscriminate sales of land to avoid selling away the long-held heritage of the ancient metropolis to people without roots and who are not out for genuine growth and development of Ibadanland.

This caution was handed down to the baales by the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Lekan Balogun, during the presentation visit of the newly inaugurated executive committee of the baales under the aegis of the Association of Traditional Baales, Ibadan, at his Alarere residence.

In a press statement made available to journalists in Ibadan by the Personal Assistant (Media) to the Olubadan, Oladele Ogunsola, the monarch said the Baales must be conscious of the responsibility their respective positions confer on them and use such to protect the interests of the current and unborn generations of Ibadanland.

According to Oba Balogun, “We can all see what goes around our metropolis and how virtually all the elitist areas are being converted into business hubs; we must guide against such in our villages.”

“If at all it becomes imperative to sell any land in our domains, we must be sure of the purpose for which the land is being bought and the true identity of the buyer.”

“Our land is our heritage, which must be jealously guarded. We inherited land from our forebears; if they had sold the land off, what could we have inherited? As noted earlier, whatever land we want to sell now must be for developmental purposes and from which our children can derive long-lasting benefits,” Olubadan added.

Oba Balogun, who described the baales as his undisputable ambassadors in their respective domains, said he’s in full support of whatever step they might take in ensuring that peace reigns in their localities, stressing that it is when they engage in those things that are less dignifying and bereft of nobility that he would frown at them.

Earlier in his remarks, the Chairman of the Association and the Baale of Olohunde Ige in Oluyole Local Government, Baale Bamitale Ige, said the newly inaugurated executive committee under his leadership had taken note of some of the challenges confronting the people in their localities and was ready to confront them with all their might.

Baale Ige specifically mentioned the issue of insecurity, primarily induced by the activities of herdsmen, who engage in kidnapping and violent clashes with the farmers, a development he said threatened the means of livelihood of the people and engendered food scarcity in the metropolis, saying, “We are not sleeping over this serious matter, and we are going to ensure the problem is tackled.”

He sought the cooperation and support of Olubadan in addressing and resolving land disputes in their localities as the eyes and ears of His Imperial Majesty, adding: “we want to seek Your Majesty’s authority to handle land disputes in our respective domains as your able representatives, and we want to assure Your Majesty of quality representation in that regard.”