Retired Archbishop of the Methodist Church Nigeria, The Most Reverend Ayo Ladigbolu is of the royal lineage to the throne of the Alaafin of Oyo. The revered cleric’s forbears had ruled Oyo Kingdom. Till the death of the immediate past occupant of the stool, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III, Pa Ladigbolu shared a most robust relationship with him as brother, confidant and friend. In this interview by LAOLU AFOLABI and KEHINDE OYETIMI, the revered prince/cleric speaks on the personal frustrations, aspirations, accomplishments and unfulfilled wishes of the late Oba Adeyemi.
How deep was your relationship with the Alaafin?
As most people would know, we were born into the same family. Alaafin Atiba started it all here in Oyo; and his children continued: Alowolodu and Agunloye. That is why those are the two ruling houses recognised by the law. We came from the same root and the same foundation. But it is unusual in our kind of setup for princes to be friends; they are family but they may not be friends. But God just worked it out that our late father we happened to be brothers and friends. I believe that it was God’s own doing that it happened so. For both of us, sometimes we wondered and looked at each other saying: “see how far we made it together for more than four decades.” We had our misunderstandings but nobody ever stood between us to say: “let us settle this issue for you.”
How did you achieve this?
It is God. He would say it publicly most times that I am disposed more to listening carefully and enduring situations and persevering; that he sometimes could be impulsive, quick to react, and may be easily angered. But God created us to be opposites in that kind of direction to the point that even if we disagreed, it was never difficult for us to reconcile and continue. So, people would never really know if there had ever been a breach, misunderstanding between us.
He knew that my purpose of befriending him and supporting him was to help him as a person to succeed better in his administration of this kingdom, and for the throne of the Alaafin to continue to be glorified. He knew that basically I was looking for nothing else. That gave me the courage to move on by doing what I needed to do even when people, sometimes, didn’t understand; even when people, sometimes thought I was too supportive of him. I didn’t always share his own political positions. Everybody knows in this area that I am neutral politically because members of all political parties are my people, and they all have access to my house. But I loved him and he loved me. My closeness to him enabled me because when I retired 16 years ago, I deliberately decided to move back to Oyo simply because I wanted to work with the Alaafin to see that this community makes significant progress. We thank God that we have a lot of things to point to today as evidence of progress. Of course we have not got there yet. We are still on the move. But at least, so far so good. But this man, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi, was a personification of Yoruba elegance and excellence in every way you can think about.
For me, his passing is the loss of a friend, brother and a confidant. He was a man so passionate about Nigeria and about the Yoruba nation. I have never seen any such person again; I have not yet met a man more concerned and passionate about this country and the Yoruba than Alaafin Olayiwola Adeyemi.
During your many years of interaction with him, what would you describe as his major frustration even till his passing?
His major frustration was that Nigeria has never had the kind of leadership that thought more about the people; that we had really not had a leadership that is able to understand the complexity of the nation called Nigeria. In 1914 when the amalgamation document was signed by Alaafin Siyanbola Ladigbolu, Kabiyesi Ladigbolu lamented that what the British were trying to do was bringing predators and preys together. He warned that the consequences may not be pleasant. But he then thought that if the leaders and managers of affairs were prudent enough, wise enough, they may be able to manage the contraption. That fear continues to manifest itself in the realities of what we have been through, particularly from 1960 till date. And the late Alaafin was so concerned about how we could get to the point where we all would accept that this is our country and try together to build it as one country. That, for me, was one of his major frustrations. Then how would the Yoruba play their leadership roles as exemplars, as omoluwabi, so that even if we are complaining about others, how much of our own selves can they see as model to copy? This was except for Baba Awolowo whom the late Alaafin idolised in spite of all the political differences that they had. He had no issues with the person of the man but with the organisations he headed and so on. For him, Baba Awolowo was the model of a leader in so many ways. This was because of the things he did to brighten the lives of the people to change the gloom into glory. That was part of his passion. He wanted to see a Yoruba nation where our culture is elevated, respected, honored, and this was why he was very careful and selective even in matters of chieftaincy titles. He would tell you that chieftaincy title in Oyo was not for sale. He would have to look for the virtues; money has never been number one among the values of the Yoruba nation. But are you a good person? Are you a self-respecting person? Do you have a means of livelihood? Are you respected by your family and your neighbours? Then if you have money, people will know the source of your money, and then they would either love or hate you for it. He was passionate about the omoluabi values of the Yoruba people. He was one who cared about family because he was one to embrace all members of the royal household. Whichever wing you came from, whether you were Alowolodu or Agunloye, you were his child once you stepped into the palace. And if you needed help, he was there; he was father of all to render it.
He was passionate about religious harmony, making the palace was an orita, a confluence where all religions merged for the progress of the kingdom. That is why we regularly hold inter-religious meetings and services in the palace. He permitted us Christians to have a place of worship more than 20 years ago. That place is still there today. The Muslims have theirs; of course there are various shrines in the palace for the traditional worshippers. He was passionate about religious harmony and unity.
What was his stand on community policing and vigilance groups?
As a Nigerian, he too was concerned about the economy of this country and how things were being run. He was privately paying some vigilante groups from about eight years back. He was paying them from his pocket to guard our farms and villages all along from Oke-Ogun down to Oyo here.
Of course, he was the grand patron and father of Amotekun. The government honored him. I thank Governor Seyi Makinde because he saw Alaafin’s reports. The Alaafin had big files of how much he was paying every month voluntarily to maintain vigilance groups to protect all our farmlands in Oke Ogun and Oyo areas. The government appreciated it and that was why they made him the grand patron of Amotekun. He believed in community policing as the most effective means of policing.
At some point, people said that if one had issues with Alaafin, they only had to see Archbishop Ladigbolu to resolve them. At what stage or year would you say you became intimate friends with him?
We never paid attention to the kind of detail you are trying to exhume. We were just moving on with life. There were times when we didn’t see for years. When he was travelling all about with the Alake of Abeokuta, I was probably in different directions. The years when he was in Lagos, I was in a different clime.
But all of a sudden, we just discovered that we were beginning to talk more and interact better, and build confidence in each other, and it just bloomed naturally. This was to the point that one could not say that it was a particular year. This was by the will of God. We just discovered that my heart would be longing for him, his would be longing for me. Even when I was in faraway America, we were communicating; we just discovered something was drawing both of us to keep in touch. He would share with me news of what was going on at home, and I would talk to him about my experiences in America. If I found anybody coming to Nigeria, I would package things and send to him. He also did same.
In one of the reports, it was disclosed that Baba had prepared his grave before his passing on. Many people believe that it could not have been at Bara. Where exactly did he prepare for himself?
Naturally when elders speak in that kind of language, you know that it takes the wisdom of elders to understand it. He could not have done it personally, no matter what. Wherever he did it, he would delegate people to do it. Let’s take his word for it, not wanting to know how long it took him. Because his statement is heavy enough to convey to us the important message of ‘I was ready for death whenever it came; I was prepared for it.’ That is what that message means. It didn’t have to be a physical grave. It means that probably he even saw signs of his passing, and he prepared as he should. He set his house in order; that is the symbolic meaning of that statement. It doesn’t have to be a physical grave that I can take you and show you where the location is.
Did you discuss along that line with him concerning premonitions of his death?
Unfortunately, that was why his passing became very shocking. I had a book launch at Labamba Hotel on March 25 and he was like the overall there. He chaired the occasion; he headed the book launchers’ team. In fact, he became the usher, ushering people into the event. He danced. My wife also was celebrating her birthday at the same event, and saw we were together. He was hale and hearty. He indicated to me that he was going to take a short break to rest, and that rest was the one he never returned alive. I later discovered that he sent a powerful letter to an eminent monarch in Yoruba land on the thirtieth of March. I was surprised when I saw the letter that rather than resting, he was writing. That is why the whole thing has remained a shock to us. I believe that it is God’s own timing for him. We are so happy and rejoice that he didn’t become an invalid. We didn’t have to carry him from one specialist hospital to another.
Many are apprehensive that the shoes he left behind might be too large for the next Alaafin to wear. What are your expectations from the next Alaafin?
Human beings are created by the same God but they are created with different gifts. The Yoruba believe that we are given different gifts and that means we can follow different directions but still be effective in whatever we do. I am confident that the same God who in his own wisdom gave Lamidi Olayiwola to Oyo as the Alaafin 52 years ago, that God is still alive and he is concerned about Oyo metropolis and the people here. He would give a person that would fit into the needs, circumstances and challenges of today to replace him.
What will be missed about him?
His candour, his great intellect, his retentive memory, his ability to represent the true Yoruba person in the way he dressed, the way he danced, the way he moved, his courage, his versatility, his generosity, his love for family, his love for his children. We don’t know the full length of the number of graduates that he has trained with his own money. He had a very long list of people every month, people from different parts of Nigeria. His list of scholarship awardees is endless.
In fact he boasted when we were celebrating his fiftieth coronation anniversary by challenging the people of Oyo that any Oyo child given admission to any university anywhere in the world, and the parents are unable to pay, all they needed to bring to the palace to him was the admission letter, and they should consider that student admitted. He followed it up. When we went to Oranyan Grammar School about two months ago he reminded people again about it that he had received some applications and had attended to them, and he also called for more. He said he had set up some fund to that effect.
It is said that in almost all the pictures that the Alaafin took while alive, he rarely smiled in any of them. Did he tell you why?
Once I had to challenge him. I said: “Kabiyesi, this thing that I am going to tell you I am serious about it. I have seen many of your pictures and you are never smiling in public. What is the problem?” He said: “What should I smile about? Didn’t you see the way they treated my father, the oppressions the politicians unleashed on him? Look at the way this country is being run, how people are suffering, how people are not able to live freely because of fear of bandits, robbers. What do you think would give me cause to smile?” I replied and said: “Well, the fact that you are alive and well, the fact that your people are happy should make you smile now and then.” He promised me he would try. But I don’t think he did; I don’t think he succeeded.
and then