When newscasters all over the world, whether on radio or television, come live on air to read the news, they first greet listeners/viewers and start thus:”Here is the news, read by….”.
I start this post with the universal broadcasting house style described above and proceed with “the news in full.”
I have been fortunate to be drawn into the inner chambers of the Olubadan Palace by four Imperial Majesties between 1994 and 2nd January,2022.
The four Royal Father-pathfinders were Kabiyesi Olubadan Oba Emmanuel Adegboyega Adeyemo, Operinde 1(1993 – 1999), Kabiyesi Olubadan Oba Yunusa Bankole Oladoja Ogundipe, Arapasowu 1,(1999 – 2007), Kabiyesi Olubadan Oba Samuel Odulana, Odugade 1, (2007 – 2016) and Kabiyesi Olubadan Oba Saliu Adetunji, Ajeogugunniso 1(2016 – 2022).
May the noble souls of the Kabiyesis continue to rest in perfect peace. Amen.
Below are the lessons I learnt from associating with these monarchs
(1) I learnt from the late Olubadan Operinde 1 that justice is the bedrock of humanity. Kabiyesi shunned the baits of Nigeria’s former military head of state, the late dictator, General Sani Abacha, by turning down the invitations to go to Abuja to watch the video said to have implicated Abacha’s former Chief of General Staff, retired Lieutenant-General Donaldson Oladipo Diya, in the phantom coup d’etat.
Oba Operinde also stood in defence of the late businessman, Chief Nathaniel O Idowu, when the Abacha-led Federal Military Government hounded Chief Idowu, whom Oba Operinde had encouraged to buy the moribound Leyland Motor Company Limited, Ibadan, Oyo State.
(2) Olubadan Arapasowu 1, once turned down a ‘gift’ of a brand new Mercedes Benz car from a Lagos-based businessman,who had paid him an unscheduled visit in the palace. Kabiyesi, as usual, had sent for me to ask for my humble opinion when the car was brought to the palace. Unfortunately, I was out of town.
My secretary, Mrs Nike Ajobo, now the Manager, Public Relations of the Odu’a Investment Company Limited, (OICL) who received the palace summon on my behalf, waited in the office till my return from Ikenne, Ogun State, where the OICL delegation, led by the immediate past Group Managing Director, Dr Adebayo Jimoh, had gone to visit the late Mama H.I. D Awolowo.
I,on our return, headed for the Oranyan Palace of Olubadan Arapasowu 1, when I was informed of Kabiyesi’s invitation. Oba Arapasowu graciously narrated the story of the car ‘gift’ to my humble self and asked for my humble opinion on his decision to reject the odd gift.
I commended Kabiyesi’s action on the basis that since he, Kabiyesi, was not celebrating his birthday, nor coronation anniversary, the car, in my opinion, was a Greek gift. Oba Ogundipe turned to those present that he was sure I would support his decision to reject the car gift. Kabiyesi always insisted on playing by the rules.
(3) When the government of the late Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala of Oyo State was deducting from the 12% Federation Account Allocation due to the Ibadan Local Government Traditional Councils, Olubadan Odugade wrote a letter of protest to the governor through the state Commissioner for Local Government Affairs, Senator Hosea Agboola.
The letter was ignored. Thereafter, Oba Odugade constituted a 3-man team to visit Governor Alao-Akala on his royal behalf, on the matter. When the committee met a wall, Oba Odugade mandated the committee to formally protest, on his royal behalf, to the Independent Corrupt Practices Investigation Commission (ICPC) in Abuja.
The three members of the Olubadan Committee were the late Otun Olubadan, High Chief Omowale Kuye, a lawyer and retired Director of Budget of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senior Chief Adebayo Akande, Abese Olubadan of Ibadanland, a lawyer and the founding Chairman of Splash FM and my humble, Oloye ‘Lekan Alabi, Ekefa Olubadan of Ibadanland.
The ICPC invited the OYSG and the Olubadan Committee to a meeting at its Bodija Estate Ibadan Office, but no official from the OYSG came to the meeting.Oba Odugade was known for his strictness.
(4) Olubadan Aje Ogugunniso 1 sent me severally to represent him at OYSG’s functions, despite the cold relationship between Kabiyesi and the late Governor Isiak Abiola Ajimobi-led OYSG, with the admonition that: “Enikan ki i ba ijoba ja.” (No one despises governments. They are sovereign, and must be respected always). As we say, I keep all the above-cited lessons, and many others, in my left hand, for future use.
Thank you.
PS: Photographs of three of the four late Olubadans cited in my post.
Oloye ‘Lekan Alabi, the Ekefa Olubadan of Ibadanland writes from Ibadan
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