An age group in Ijebu-Ode, ‘Egbe Bobakeye Okunrin Akile Ijebu’, has decried what it described as misinformation being circulated on social media about the visit of the late Queen Elizabeth II of England to Nigeria, particularly, Ijebu land in 1956.

The group stated that the late monarch was received at Itoro by the late Awujale, Oba Daniel Adesanya, and later moved to the GRA residence of the colonial head of the old Ijebu Province, now housing the Egbe Bobakeye.

Addressing newsmen in Ijebu Ode on Saturday, Giwa of Egbe Bobakeye Okunrin Akile Ijebu, Abiodun Onanuga, said the narrative being pushed around that the late Queen Elizabeth II slept in the house of the late Ogbeni Oja of Ijebu land and famous industrialist, Chief Timothy Adeola Odutola, during her visit was an outright falsehood.

According to the group, Queen Elizabeth II had her lunch at the GRA residence of the colonial head of the old Ijebu Province, before she left for Lagos same day.

Onanuga said that the foremost age grade decided to take it upon itself to clear the air about the unnecessary distortion of history, and the dissemination of untrue news to preserve the integrity of highly diligent and resourceful people.

He disclosed that the age group, about a year ago, commissioned two of its members, Kayode Adesanya and Lekan Odufunlade, to approach the British National Archives to research the controversial history, in order investigate and unravel the truth.

He added that “the duo painstakingly checked through volumes of documents for several months and succeeded in obtaining a well compiled information on Her Majesty’s travel, meticulously detailing every point of her official visit to a few parts of the old Western Region of Nigeria, including where she had lunch.

“They ultimately obtained incontrovertible documentary evidence from the British Government on the itinerary of Her Majesty, Elizabeth II, the late Queen of England’s visit to Ijebu-Ode and our Ule Egbe in 1956.

“On behalf of Egbe Bobakeye, I can now state categorically and indisputably that our own ‘Ule Egbe’, which used to be the residence of the British resident in ljebu-Ode, was the venue where the Queen had her lunch.

“This record unequivocally debunks any claim that her Majesty spent the night in Ijebu-Ode because she left for Lagos after visiting the Awujale at Itoro and having lunch at our present ‘Ule Egbe’, which at that time was housing the colonials”.

Odunfunlade, one of the researchers commissioned for the research, said that the researcher got the truth from some documents obtained at the British National Archive.

Odunfunlade, however, called on the federal government to intensify efforts at preservation and documentation of the country’s history, such that it will be available for the yet unborn generation. (Saturday Vanguard)