To retain its relevance, the Soun of Ogbomoso, Oba Jimoh Oyewumi, has agreed that the Natural Museum of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, should preserve Alagba’s body for 100 years, but in the palace.
Alagba, the popular tortoise inside Soun’s palace, had died last week after living for 344 years.
The secretary to the palace, Mr Toyin Ajamu, who made this known in a chat with The Nation, said that “Our focus is to preserve it for unborn generations to also see it. Since we all have a common purpose, we agreed to have it in Ogbomoso.”
This, according to Ajamu, was after the museum had offered to preserve Alagba’s corpse for another 100 years. But he revealed that a resident of Ogbomoso has come forward to demonstrate ability for the same.
One of the monarch’s sons, Prince Lere Oyewumi, who corroborated Ajamu, said that for Alagba’s importance to Ogbomoso and Nigeria, museums have applied to preserve its body. But Oba Oyewumi has consistently refused their application. He reasoned that the palace should find a way to do what any museum wants to do to the remains and retain Alagba in the palace.
If well preserved, Alagba will retain its place in the palace where it lived for most of its life. It may also find its way into the Guinness Book of Records as the longest living creature on earth.
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