The new Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Akeem Owoade, officially ascends the throne of his fathers today in Oyo town, Oyo State. In this exclusive interview by LASISI OLAGUNJU and SAM NWAOKO, he speaks on how he received the news of his selection, his experience during the installation rites and what he has in store for Oyo town and Yorubaland.
Congratulations Kabiyesi. Nigerians would want to know what your agenda looks like for Oyo people and, generally for Yorubaland. In summary, what forms the short and long-term focus of your reign?
I have a number of things on my agenda but I can only discuss a few of them here. The primary focus of a leader is the welfare of his people. The people need jobs, they need security and peace of mind. Of immediate concern is the need to get our teeming youths gainfully employed and take them off the street. They are our today and our future. They need skills and jobs. I am looking at providing vocational training for the youths and the less-privileged. I am looking at training them in crafts and trades so that they can be self-employed and thus, reduce unemployment. This will take a lot of them out of the streets. Then we would also provide training to skilled individuals and graduates with HND and degrees. In that respect, I’ve been talking with some groups and individuals, including computer engineers. We are looking at providing them with training on cybersecurity and related fields. These people would be trained well and would not need to travel abroad but would be able to work from the corner of their rooms and make a living. I will also work closely with the government on the need to improve the condition of public facilities, amenities and infrastructure such as roads and schools in Oyo and environs. Security of lives and properties is also a major focus of my agenda.
Another area I’m looking at is getting the people properly mobilised to work for the development of this kingdom. This entails working on recognising individuals who have contributed to the development of Oyo and Yorubaland. We are looking at both the living and the dead. We would, for instance, be naming some streets after them as a way to encourage others to give their best to the community. I have shipped in some hospital equipment and I think the whole of Oyo is aware of this. My plan is to set up a community health centre which would provide free medical facilities for all but mostly for the less-privileged. There is also a consideration for widows and widowers. My Olori is looking at assisting in that respect.
Yes. There is the need to rework the palace. If you have been to the Aafin (palace), you will agree with me that it needs some repairs. Some new buildings need to be constructed and some need to be renovated. The palace was built (almost 200 years ago) by Atiba ‘Latunbosun, who was the first Alaafin in the new Oyo where we are now. Since that time, a major re-construction hasn’t been done and so we are looking at reconstructing the palace without compromising the standard and the culture and the tradition. There will still be some places in the palace that we will leave as they are. However, I can assure you that a number of buildings will be added to the palace to make it modern while keeping its essential traditional qualities.
For Yorubaland in general, do you have any special plan or a role you think you would play?
As the custodian of Yoruba tradition and culture, I will be strengthening this aspect of our civilisation. On this, I really commend Alaafin Lamidi Adeyemi, my immediate predecessor. I commend him for the tremendous work he did in this regard. He really did very well in terms of properly projecting Yoruba culture and tradition. So, I will want to take it from where he left it, and I hope to be taking our culture and tradition to the next level in terms of maintenance and promotion.
Part of my mission for Yorubaland at large is that I will be working to ensure peace, unity and harmony among all the Yoruba. If there is a problem or misunderstanding between two towns, or between two obas for instance, I will intervene and mediate to ensure peace and harmony throughout Yorubaland. I will work hard to create a peaceful environment for all.
Observers have noticed that since your choice as the Alaafin, you have been doing things the right way, you wear the right dress, dance the right way, and you speak very deep Yoruba. Your Olori does the same thing too. Who or what prepared you for this role?
I think I will want to commend the efforts of my parents for those things you have stated. They are very cultured and they like our culture and they always try their best to make sure that we embrace our culture and tradition. When we were young, a lot of times when my dad wanted to buy me clothes, he was always happy to buy me native clothes. In a way, through that, I developed a lot of interest in native dresses and I have a lot of admiration for wearing native clothes. So that was where I picked it from. I developed that from my parents because they were very good at doing that.
You also speak deep Yoruba. Where did you learn that?
My Yoruba is okay and I want to get better. Yes, I have lived for over 20 years abroad but nobody is a monopoly of knowledge. I’m trying and I am doing my best and I take the compliment for the little I am able to do.
Kabiyesi, don’t you think part of your agenda should be how to promote the Yoruba language and ensure that the language does not die?
That is also one of the things that are in my plans as we work to promote our culture and tradition. As the custodian of Yoruba culture, our language would be one of our major priorities and we will work hard to promote it along with other aspects of our culture and tradition.
Was there a time something or someone told you that you will, one day, be playing this role of the Alaafin or that you will be the Alaafin?
To be candid with you, I never thought of it. I spent nine years in England and after those nine years, I moved to Canada and I was in Canada for another 12 or so years. I must confess that I knew I was a prince but I wasn’t paying much attention to it. I always believed that I was a prince but being the Alaafin wasn’t something that I planned for. So, sometime ago before Baba Alaafin Adeyemi passed, I had an opportunity to talk with one of my uncles. He told me how we were very close to the throne and everything. I remember the very first day he told me about it, I had goose pimples. So, in a way I got to know that wow, so I was this close to this throne! So my uncle narrated the story to me, how Alaafin Lawani Agogo Ija reigned in 1905 and was there till 1911, and he and one of his wives whose name is Olori Solape Awero gave birth to Ladigbolu, Owoade and Rabi. Ladigbolu was the senior one, Owoade was the next one to him and Rabi was the third one. So, in a way, I was surprised that I was that close to the throne, and knowing that Ladigbolu had already become king – they had occupied the throne before because their son, Gbadegesin was a son of Ladigbolu. They have all been king before. So in a way, that motivated me to think that I stood a good chance too to become Alaafin.
Maybe a year or so after, Alaafin Adeyemi passed away. I was just there in Canada when my family – the Mogajis called me and asked if I wanted to participate in the contest for the next Alaafin. I said I was not interested. But, after some persuasion I gave in. Thank God I am here as the Alaafin and I am in Oyo to stay.
Now, let me tell you this: I swear to Almighty God, I didn’t know the governor. I never met him before. It was based on Ifa divination that I became the Alaafin of Oyo. After looking through my profile, they did a lot of background checks to make sure that I have good education and experience and everything worked together for good for me. I must tell you I didn’t know anybody, I didn’t know Obasanjo. So, I will commend the governor because he respected our culture and tradition.
So, you didn’t spend money? You didn’t give people money to sway them and so on?
No. Maybe I might bring some stuff for some people. Normal gifts. It is not like giving millions – N5million, N10million or N20million. I’m telling you, I wasn’t involved in that. No.
So, Kabiyesi, how did you receive the news? Where were you when you got the news that you had been chosen and approved as the next Alaafin of Oyo?
I was in Canada. Around 5 o’clock Central Standard Time in Canada – that should be around 11 p.m. Nigerian time, because then Nigeria was six hours ahead of Canada, I was sleeping and when I woke up, I decided to just check my phone. The next thing, I received a message from my younger brother who lives in Nigeria. The message he sent was a link. I was surprised. The link he sent to me had a headline which reads: ‘Governor Makinde approves Prince Abimbola Akeem Owoade as Alaafin-elect’. I thought he was playing pranks on me but then I clicked on the link, I took a look again, I read it and said, ‘What’s going on?’ I quickly went to my wife and said, ‘Come, look at this! Look at what I am seeing. I’ve been chosen, I’ve been selected.’ She said, ‘Let me see’, and I showed it to her. She didn’t believe it and said, ‘Are you sure?’ and I said, ‘Dear, look at it’. She took a look for the second time and after getting herself back, she asked, ‘So, what is going to happen now?’ I said, ‘We are moving to Nigeria!’ Honestly speaking, I was happy when I heard the news that I had been selected. My wife too was happy.
So, coming back to Nigeria was not a big deal for the two of you?
To be candid with you, I always knew that Ile labo sinmi oko. I was working there as an engineer, don’t get me wrong. But home is home. If you don’t overreach yourself and you are able to make a living and move around, you are going to be fine. Nigeria is good. Yes, there is the electricity issue and so on. I don’t see any problem there because we can find a way around it. Generally, Nigeria is good. Electricity is one major problem in Nigeria. If we solve the electricity problem in Nigeria, I think that will solve many other problems.
You were in Ipebi for 21 days. What lessons did you learn that you think will be useful to all of us?
I learnt a lot of lessons. It is a place of lifelong lessons. There you learn names of places and names of Orisas, etc. I got to know that. I got to know about the sequence of traditional activities like, how and when each one of them takes place. For instance, it is at Koso that you will get crowned. Traditional rites were performed there. Then at Bara, and that is where all the past Alaafins were buried. I was there. So there were a number of lessons I learnt. Again at Ipebi, traditional historians came around and they told me stories about Oyo and the politics of Oyo and Yorubaland in its entirety. It is a place where you gain a lot of knowledge and experience.
Also, when you are made king, there are some dos and don’ts for you. For instance, you do not open your head in public places. As Sango, the Alaafin must not open his head in public places. I am to make sure that I cover my head all the time. Nobody is to see my head. Apart from that, the king does not eat outside. It could be that when you are on a long journey, you could have your food in your car. That is why, when you go to parties, you do not see obas eat there. They pack their food for them to take away.
When you were at Bara, you became acquainted with names and identities of your predecessors. Even before that time, you mentioned quite a number of them when you first returned from Canada. Of all these people, who would you say is your role model?
When you are talking about culture and tradition, I will give my immediate predecessor, Alaafin Lamidi Adeyemi a lot of kudos. I think he was second to none in Yorubaland during his days on the throne. In a way, I want to do better than him while also learning from him. Apart from him, Alaafin Ladigbolu I, who was there between 1911 and 1944, is also a role model. I like his style of rule because I learnt that he was very generous during his days. In a way, I give alms to the best of my ability and I want to do better. Oba Ladigbolu I was also a very strong character and a strong king. It was during his reign that the North and the South of Nigeria were amalgamated by the British colonialists. That was three years after he became the Alaafin, and he was the one who signed all the treaties of that period on behalf of Yorubaland. He was a great king, very generous. He was a role model.
What message do you have for your chiefs on what you expect of them during your era, and advice for the people of Oyo too?
For the people of Oyo and the Yoruba at large, I crave cooperation. I believe that, with their cooperation, we can cover miles because Agbajo owo ni a fi n so’ya, owo kan o gb’eru d’ori. I’m telling you, no matter how good a leader might be, if your subordinates are not good, forget it. I’m trying to learn.
How about your chiefs, what advice do you have for them?
I seek their cooperation. They should cooperate with me because I want us to be at peace and move Oyo forward together. If there is no peace, love and good relationship among us, there is no way we will be able to deliver the best for the people. When we cooperate, it will make the work easier. So, I need their cooperation and support.
Have you received calls from other traditional rulers from across Yorubaland and Nigeria?
I’ve got a lot of phone calls from all over Nigeria. I’ve got congratulatory messages from a whole number of them. Some have come around to greet me. I appreciate them all and I hope to work together with all of them for a better, more prosperous Yorubaland and indeed, Nigeria.
Then, I really want to express my appreciation to the Governor of Oyo State, Engineer Seyi Makinde. That man called the governor is a wonderful man. He is a man of integrity and honour because if not because of his integrity and credibility, I’m telling you another thing would have happened. That is one of the reasons I will work very hard to perform well for Oyo, Oyo State and Nigeria so as not to let people of integrity like Governor Makinde down. I am of the belief that by the special grace of God, I am going to deliver.
What about religious leaders… Christians, Muslims, traditionalists in Oyo, any word of assurance or advice for them, sir?
Again, I seek their support. They should know that Aaro meta kii da obe nu… I embrace all religions. The Yoruba say Iwa l’esin (a man’s character defines his religion). You could see a Babalawo who might be as good as anything. I’ve been all over the world, I’ve seen some Hindu who are nicer than some other religious people. Your connection with your God matters more than the number of times you display religiosity. So, we must all embrace peace. There should be peace and harmony among all and sundry. When traditionalists come, we will do it together. When the Christians come and pray for me, we will pray together. When Muslims come, we will worship together. I welcome all as the father of all.
