Being son of Islamic cleric helps me on the throne —Oba Bello

The humility with which the Olororuwo of Ororuwo, Osun State, Oba Kamarudeen Adeyemi Bello, comports himself despite his high stool, has won him a good number of admirers both within and outside his domain. In this interview by TUNDE BUSARI, he speaks on his rise to the throne in November 2016 and other issues. Excerpts:

 

Coronavirus has changed the world in so many ways now. How do you cope with it?

Despite medical explanation which government and experts have since told us, the pandemic is a message from God, if we can study it carefully. God does not tell his creatures when He wants to strike. I think I should not go too deep into it in order not to cause unnecessary controversy. I just want to give thanks to God for a kind of relief we are witnessing now unlike what we went through in the past five months. I am not sure the world has witnessed a silent war as this; a war without use of gun. God is great. He shows us that He has power over all His creatures, with no exception. I thank God for seeing us through. May the souls of those, who were unfortunate to have died during the period, rest in peace.

 

I understand that the Ileya festival was affected by the effect of the pandemic?

Didn’t it affect Ramadan and Eid-El Fitri? Let us just thank God for sparing our lives. Don’t you know that it got to a point that we are not sure of what would happen next day? I know how we celebrated Ileya festival last year. I know how we celebrated Easter last year. This 2020 is a unique year, if I must use that word. But as I said earlier, we should continue to thank God for sparing our lives. Those who lost their lives would not wish for it but it happened. So, Eid-el-Kabir festival or any festival at all is secondary in face of this health challenge.

 

Did it occur to you that you would rise to become the Olororuwo of Ororuwo at the time of your ascension to the throne, four years ago?

The honest answer to this question is that it did not occur to me because no one knows tomorrow. Yes, Almighty God blesses the clerics with some special knowledge about this life but He does not share His power with them. It is only a cleric who is not of God that would rise and tell you he shares power with God. What is the power of God I am referring to in this context? It is power of being all-knowing. He reserves that power. Come to think of it, how would I know when my predecessor, Oba Afolayan Abioye, would return to his forefathers? It is not possible. So, it is also impossible for me to say I would be the next Olororuwo, especially when there are others who are equally from our ruling house. Seventeen of us contested for the stool. What I think I should say is that my rise to the throne is an act of God. And if you ask any other traditional ruler same question, he would most likely give you same answer.

 

Why are you sounding more like an Islamic scholar?

You must have forgotten that I was born by an Alfa, a popular Islami cleric for that matter. My father did not know any other thing apart from Islam. So, he brought me up in Islamic way even before he sent me to formal Islamic school in Ilorin. I have answered your question. Call me an Islamic cleric and you are right. I did not stop at Islamic school. I also studied Islamic Studies at the University of Ilorin where I was exposed to advanced knowledge in combining my faith with human relations. I want to encourage clerics to also encourage their children to study at higher institutions to broaden their understanding of religion. I can tell you with every sense of modesty that I am a better person in terms of understanding dynamism of human life. There is no religious discrimination in my dictionary. Apart from the fact that my position makes me open to all faiths, I am not biased at all believing that all of us belong to God. You can say that being a son of a cleric helps me on the throne. I have attended Easter carnival to the surprise of my Christian subjects. When we preach tolerance, we should walk our talk.

 

Your calmness suggests you had a long training for the throne. Did your predecessor prepare you to succeed him?

Which type of question is this? My calmness is about my nature. It is about how God made me. But I can say I had a good relationship with my predecessor whom I always visited whenever I came home from my base in Abuja.

 

What can you remember of your life in Abuja?

Don’t forget I was in public service. That was what defined my life. I had no other thing to do apart from my job, and after my job was my home where my wife was always waiting to receive me.

 

Didn’t you attend social gatherings?

I was not brought up as such a person. I have told you I was in Islamic school after which I attended Unilorin. I had a regimented life, which really helped me. You could not find me at places you should not expect an Alfa.

 

Can we then say you are not missing your Abuja life?

It is not a matter of missing it or not. It is a matter of movement; movement from one phase or status to another. I am a traditional ruler now, back home to serve my people. That is more important than any other life you may imagine.

 

For the record, how many ruling houses do you have in Ororuwo?

According to the 1957 Declaration, we have Alawode and Sangoyoyin, meaning that the throne is rotated between the two ruling houses. My predecessor was from Sangoyoyin, which made it the turn of Alawode after him. These two families also have branches. I am from Adeyanju branch of Alawode ruling house. A cousin of mine contested with me. I mean, Adeyanju presented two candidates during the contest. But we give glory to God that after the final selection and coronation, the town is moving on.

 

Can you name a hobby which you still cannot do without?

I must pick sharing of knowledge with others as one hobby which has turned to my way of life. If I see any man or woman of knowledge, I love to engage them and listen attentively. Right from when I was a kid, I liked to listen to clerics and the elders. I took that practice to the university. I would not allow anyone to distract my attention during lectures. This practice is helping me here in the palace. People come in and out to discuss one issue or the other. Honestly, I am enjoying the interactions. I pick additional knowledge from them. No one knows it all. Even professors still look for books to increase their knowledge. That is what research is all about. With this era of internet, I spend good time there to search for knowledge. The world is becoming easier in terms of technological development. At the same time, the world is becoming too sophisticated in terms of danger technological development can cause to humanity.

 

There is a link between Ororuwo and Ila-Orangun, going by what I witnessed during your coronation. Am I right?

You are correct. The history is clear about our strong link with Ila-Orangun. We actually came from there. That history makes the Orangun my father. History of Yoruba towns and communities show history of migrations from place to place. The Yorubas should explore this integration to the advantage of making a united nation. Ibadan became what it is because of its amalgamation of different towns, and the town is better for it today. Ibadan keeps expanding on daily basis.

 

Does it mean you also favour teaching of history in school?

Yes, history as a subject is rich because it connects the past with present. History presents the present the mirror of the past. History itself is a teacher but unfortunately people don’t like to learn from it.

 

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