Oyo State has explained that two first-class monarchs, the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III and the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Saliu Akanmu Adetunji, Aje Ogungunniso I, were not stopped from entering the Lekan Salami Stadium Complex during the unveiling of its main bowl on Wednesday.

The government, in a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Seyi Makinde, Taiwo Adisa, said that the two foremost royal fathers were too important to the state government to be prevented from attending the event, to which they had been duly invited.

According to the statement made available to our Correspondent Kunle Ojo in Ibadan, the inability of the monarchs to gain access into the main bowl was because of the huge enthusiastic crowd that swarmed on the stadium and obstructed the movement of the monarchs’ convoys to the designated VVIP Drop Off zone, which was the easiest channel to their reserved seats.

The state government explained that what happened was that security operatives advised that the drivers of the revered monarchs make their way through another gate since their convoys were unable to access the VVIP Drop Off Zone from the gate they entered through.

It added that the seats of the monarchs were already reserved and that the government valued their presence.

The statement noted that all other monarchs who were inside the VVIP box including the Olugbon of Ile Igbon, Aseyin of Iseyin, the Okere of Saki, the Olu of Igboora were well recognized, stating that the government places a huge premium of respect on the stools of our forebears as occupied by the Kabiyesi.