Why Stakeholder Engagement Must Never Be an Afterthought: A Lesson from the Owo Cenotaph Crisis
By Ishola Ayodele Source: Sunday Tribune Newspaper 1. Background On June 5, 2022, a tragic terrorist attack at St. Francis Catholic Church, Owaluwa Street, Owo, Ondo State, claimed over 40 lives and shook Nigeria’s conscience. In response, the then-Governor of Ondo State, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, initiated the construction of a Memorial Park, a cenotaph, to honour the victims. The project, built near the Olowo’s palace, was meant as a public expression of grief, remembrance, and state solidarity with the victims’ families. However, despite its noble intentions, the location of the cenotaph became a source of deep-rooted tension. The structure was sited close to the traditional palace of the Olowo of Owo, an act that many considered a violation of Yoruba cultural norms which ...