Recently, Oyo Kingdom bade their last monarch, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III, farewell as he joined his ancestors in April 2022. Adeyemi, who ruled Oyo for over 50 years, was highly revered.
His demise left a vacuum that called for a worthy prince among the Oyo ruling houses to occupy the throne. 48 eligible princes from the two ruling houses of Oladigbolu and Gbadegesin have indicated interest to mount the throne but, in all, the kingmakers (Oyomesi) will choose just one to wear the crown.
The search has started. Among the princes is Adewale Aderemi Oladigbolu, a member of the Oladigbolu ruling house. In this interview, Adewale speaks on why he merits the throne of the Alaafin of Oyo. Excerpts:
Background
I am Adewale Aderemi Oladigbolu. I have been a pharmacist for over three decades, starting with Mopson Nigeria Limited, manufacturers of good drugs. After my National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) at Ahaoda in Rivers State, I stayed back to serve the people more. For over 20 years, I served in the capacity of healthcare provision and contributed to the growth of pharmacy practice in Rivers State and Nigeria in general. In the process, I became the Financial Secretary of the Community Pharmacists, Secretary, Vice Chairman and later elected as the Chairman of the Association of Community Pharmacists in Rivers State. Due to my leadership roles and visible achievements for the Community Pharmacists, I was overwhelmingly voted as the National Chairman of the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) in 2021. I belong to the Agunloye ruling house. I am a bona-fide Prince of the Oyo kingdom and entitled to the throne of the next Alaafin of Oyo. My grandfather and the Oba that was before Oba Lamidi Adeyemi took over the throne were born on the same day. That also accentuates my royal lineage to the throne.
There are 48 princes that are vying for just one position. How did it get to that number and what are the chances of one being picked?
Everywhere I go, I am asked the same question, saying the number is huge, but to my opinion, the number is not really much because every eligible Prince is entitled to have aspiration to the throne. In Oyo Kingdom, we always say “we will never know the head that will wear the crown.” For our very revered royal father that has just taken a bow, they were 54 (fifty four) in number that aspired to be King then. It was the same situation before the king makers (Oyomesi) chose who became the King.
So, having 48 in this modern time is a fair number, but for all the Princes, we are taking it lightly. I have also advised all the Princes that we should remain calm and hopeful for whom the Oyomesi will choose. It is a huge sacrifice for the person that will wear the crown. Anyone chosen will carry the burden of the Oyo kingdom, the Yoruba race and entire Nigeria on his head. It is a call for serious sacrifice. There should be no acrimony. We should all take it lightly and embrace whoever fate beckons to wear the crown. Among the aspiring Princes, I have fathers, uncles, brothers and nephews. There should be no acrimony at all. Whoever the crown fits, let him wear it.
But there are some of your uncles who have been in the news of late because of their age and the implication of carrying such a huge task of Obaship at that frail age. What is your take on that?
I don’t want to be drawn into such controversy so that we don’t make mistakes. Bishop Ayo Oladigbolu who is 84 years of age is my uncle and I have a very high regards for him. I can never talk him down in any place. He is a bona-fide Prince like I am. He is free to apply for the throne just like every other Prince. He has made his intention known, likewise other 46 other princes. There is no acrimony. Everyone is free to apply. I am very sure that the Oyomesi knows what to do and they actually know what they are looking for. Having said these, we knew that the Oyomesi would eventually select a King.
But normally, with the selecting process which sometimes brings acrimony and fierce rift among contenders, don’t you think that the king makers would have it hot choosing the next king?
Yes, they may have a tough time in selecting. But I have been praying in my mind that the Oyomesi should not make mistakes. That is the only prayer Oyo people should also offer for them at this point. If they don’t make a mistake, there will be peace, prosperity and growth in the land. Oyo will develop more and Nigeria will grow. If they make a mistake, it might take Oyo kingdom fifty years backwards. They have a lot of responsibility in their hands. And this contest should not be about how deep your pocket is. It should be by what you have done and the little things that show what character you possess including the leadership roles you have held.
The fact that you are a Prince is already tick in a box. Besides, there are things that need to be followed particularly at this point in time. We need a king that is forward looking; a king that is technologically savvy, financially intelligent and not absolutely oppressive. We need a King that will prioritise the needs of the people, the town and the kingdom over his own private needs. We need a king that is also a warrior, a promoter of culture, a lover of his people and one who can aggregate each individual challenge to make our nation great again, because the growth of our nation is tied to the growth of every community. The Alaafin of Oyo is a custodian of culture, history, knowledge and the people. By the time you put all these together, we should be able to get a fair deal from the Oyomesi.
The process is very simple. All the Princes will submit their applications to Baba Iyaji whose role is to serve as a mediator of the two ruling houses and the princes. He will hand it to the Bashorun who will call a meeting with all the Oyomesi for consultations and divinity process. In the process, they will narrow it down to one person whom the gods have chosen to be the king. I keep telling people that the Oyomesi are not just ordinary people. They are very wise, intelligent and culturally informed. They always know what to do. That is why the institution is highly revered for that purpose of kingship selection. According to what the Bashorun would always say. “You must have consultation with your mind before you have consultation with the gods.” They will first consult within themselves, analyze physical issues before the gods and also believe that the gods will give the kingdom a king. Alaafin of Oyo is one of the most revered kings all over the world. His influence is such that people will come in from Brazil and some other South American countries to Oyo town to do some form of festival observance of the importance of Yoruba culture. Presidents of countries visit the Alaafin of Oyo for consultations. The Alaafin stool is highly revered that national issues on discourse cannot be completed without reference to the throne of Oyo monarch.
Alaafin Adeyemi was well respected by the Yoruba race and all over the world. He joined his ancestors leaving a legacy that is seen to be huge. Much as people missed him and his impeccable quality, is the Oyo kingdom looking at another to either fit into his shoes or surpass what he has done?
When we look at the life he lived while on earth, it is very symbolic even in the history of Yoruba race and future. We cannot but miss him because of what he represented. We cannot also but miss him because of his outspokenness, and in so many other things he can be remembered for. But the truth is that we cannot have another man like him. Now we need somebody who will build on what he has achieved, take a part of him, add his own, and then, the society will be at peace and the people can grow better. It is a challenging time in our history and the choice of Alaafin of Oyo is also critical to everything happening in our country today; that is insecurity, economy and other burning state and national issues that require attention.
Having enumerated all these huge responsibilities of a king, where and how do you fit into these qualities?
Culturally, I am very qualified. As a bona-fide Prince, I know that my primary responsibility is to promote the culture of the Oyo people and the Yoruba race as a nation. Then, contemporarily, I have an edge over others. I have been trusted with power and have excelled in this capacity. Those who are close and benefited from my wealth of experience will speak of me. They know of a truth, that I put the interest of my community far above my personal interest. I understand developmental economics and I am a sort of a person who can harvest the virtues of practically everyone for the promotion of culture and unity. I have done it in the past as a trained professional and will do it again.
As a pharmacist, I have wide contacts across the globe and you know that the industry identifies with a large number of people all over the world. We can use youth empowerment to solve problems, harness local resources, and train our youths to earn foreign resources within the confines of Oyo kingdom. With these, the crime rate will come down, the Local Government will get more revenue and the town will progress. In the health sector, I have been vibrant. We have huge projects that we have already started doing and people are already benefiting from it.
I will not relent in providing adequate healthcare facilities and services to reduce the medical tours our people engage in abroad. In the education sector, we need to aggregate talents within the State to ensure that our trained hands will have cutting edge facility to actualise what they have been practicing on. We also need to enhance the capacity of teachers within the kingdom and the State of Oyo. If I become the Oba, I will make sure that primary school teachers are well taken care of, to get good results that would eventually reflect and rub off on the society at large. My relationship with the traditionalists, elders and custodians of Oyo customs has been very cordial. My father’s mother is from the Alapini family. Alapini is one of the Oyomesi. The Bashorun and other title holders in the land have social affinity with me. Culturally, I am grounded.
Insecurity, crimes and moral decadence among youths are on the increase. How prepared are you to tackle these issues if you mount the throne?
The most important thing to do is to look at the fundamentals of things; how did we get it wrong?
We need to take away our focus from where we are and to refocus at what needs to be done urgently. The Academics Staff Union of Universities has been on strike for a long time. I think somebody needs to mediate between the government and the striking ASUU. A royal father apart from promoting culture and tradition needs to come into contemporary issues like this. The roles of royal fathers should be how to help the government to overcome these compelling issues since they understand the grassroots and their community better.
For insecurity, we need to rearrange the security architecture in the country. There is no gainsaying; each community needs its own security. This helps to know when a foreigner is entering your territory.
At some point, some traditional rulers have canvassed the presence and inclusion of monarchs in governance. What is your take on this?
Honestly, they couldn’t have put it better than to say that monarchs should be involved in governance. Monarchs are part and parcel of governance because they control the community and know their domain more than any Governor or President. In Oyo, we have a system of traditional police that has been in existence, which has been guarding the people perfectly well. If you look at the structure, it worked for us before it got disrupted by the advances of the European colonialists. Now, in the new democratic era, we seem not to fully understand ourselves. We need to look at those traditional styles to bring back the old system of security watch over our people. We need to learn from it. It was a system that worked well with most kings. There is a need to have traditional police. These traditional guards would dictate crime before it occurs. They also inform the kings about every activity within the land.
Reasons why the crown should fit your head…
My life has been committed to service for the last 30 years. I always look for situations to change the life of people. I have done it in the past and have not relented in doing it till date. If I am made the King, I will do more to champion causes in my sector. We are empowering over 6, 000 Community Pharmacists in Nigeria to benefit from N2million credit facility to support their businesses. This is a tip of an iceberg to what I will do in my domain as a King. I am a passionate person when it comes to service. How to make society better is always a priority in my mind.
For Oyo, the passion is doubled, not because I come from there, but because I noticed some deficiency in the land. That can be easily addressed to move the town forward. The most important attribute I have is bringing people together for growth, sometimes, taking them to a height for development purposes. I have occupied leadership positions that stand out both in the healthcare sector which is my primary constituency and community services. The area of importance to me now is the one that I look upon, which is for the Oyomesi to bestow in me the crown.
That is the next focus of my responsibilities that will justify my aspirations. As a royal father, you are a destiny carrier with a bigger role to play in people’s life. My intention is to go there and change the face of things, serve people more and build leaders of tomorrow and also to get youths engaged, while making more businessmen. I will also make sure that we partner government, so that government will at the same time feel the pulse of the people. I am a known bridge builder.
The last Oyo monarch, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III, had many wives. In your time, if the crown comes to you, would you replicate that?
Traditionally, there are reasons why such things are practiced. But also, traditionally, any wife of the late Oba who finds it convenient to conform to the palace rules is permitted as the tradition demands. However, they are part of King’s responsibilities. They must be taken off because they are part of the palace. But for me as a person, the choice of having more wives depends on the individual. I can only say when we get there, the event of the day will decide. I need to get there first before considering those personal thoughts.
QUOTE: Alaafin of Oyo is one of the most revered kings all over the world. His influence is such that people will come in from Brazil and some other South American countries to Oyo town to do some form of festival observance of the importance of Yoruba culture. Presidents of countries visit the Alaafin of Oyo for consultations
