Ibara is the first settlement in Abeokuta —Olubara of Ibara

Oba Dr Jacob Olufemi Omolade (Lafa II) is the Olubara of Ibara, Abeokuta, Ogun state. In this interview by KEHINDE OYETIMI, he speaks on the history of Ibara, the role of traditional rulers and the state of the nation.

What is the history behind the establishment of Ibara?

Ibara was at Ile-Ife; that was the dispersal ground for all Yorubas. We also dispersed during the time our fathers thought they should disperse. I can’t tell exactly when they left. When our people started moving, it was not a straightforward journey as we know it today. They moved on foot. This journey which they undertook brought them to so many places. The moment they left Ife, they went to old Oyo. They spent some years there and left eventually because they were guided by the Ifa oracle. Whenever they got to a place, they would consult Ifa and when the oracle told them to move ahead, they would do so. From Old Oyo, they went to Igbeti. At Igbeti, there was a serious harmattan. Our people didn’t like the weather, they left. They got to Jabata. Jabata was another settlement. At the various settlements, they could spend some years, farming after which they left. At the command of Ifa, they would keep migrating. From there, they got to Ibara-Orile; they got there in 1634. One of their great warriors was Arojeologboegan. That one stayed at Aro. There was another who was called Gangan. The people who led them at that time were Agbogunlori, Pakinrefon and Agbogunlayi. They were not the only people that came. They came in troops. They were not just led by one hunter but several. They usually made sure that the group was formidable to withstand any threats. They brought Gangan; he settled in Omida. Pakinrefon and Agbogunlayi stayed with the people there.

Before 1830, Ifa told them that they should expect some itinerant strangers. Ifa told them to accommodate these strangers. But the oracle told them that they would not co-operative with them. It also said that they would suffer from the hands of these people. But Lafa was the king at that time. He said that since they had been here for a while, they would ensure that nobody disturbed their peace. They told them not to allow them settle among them.

When they came in 1830, they met the people of Ibara. The people of Ibara were very co-operative. Lafa was the one who received them. They were very friendly when they came because they were very tired of the internecine war in Yoruba. That was the period the Oyo Empire started falling. When the Oyo Empire was in existence, who was bold enough to say that Oyo was not supreme in Yoruba land? His (Alaafin’s) empire spread from Kogi through Kwara on to Benin Republic.

When the Egba came here, they sent their own prince to Alaketu to learn the tenets of ruling but the Egba people wanted to be respected and given what was not theirs. At that time they said they even brought the pot which the mother of all Yorubas used in taking care of her children. Is that possible?

When Alake spoke about the hierarchy of Obas in Yoruba land, he said Ooni was number one, Alaafin number two, he, number three, Awujale number four. But we don’t know where the Egba came from in Yoruba land. They will tell you that they were with the Owus when the war that ravaged Apomu, Ijebu and Oyo was on. That war sent Owu packing from Apomu. The Egba too rather than coming to the aid of the Owus allowed them to be ravaged, stampeded into leaving where they call Apomu. Then the question was asked: where was Egba? We couldn’t locate them.

The people I respect most among the Ijebu are the Remo people because they said they came from Ife and you will see their relics in Ife. But the Awujale said they came from Wedeye. And I asked Awujale where is Wedeye? In actual fact, Wedeye is further east of Kanuri. Instead of saying they came from Saudi Arabia which was where the Yorubas came from, he said it was Wedeye in Sudan. We usually joke about that (the Wedeye story) when Obas are gathered. We all came from Ile-Ife. So when the Alake talked about the hierarchy, I called the Alaafin not to intervene. The Alaafin agreed.

What then is the place of Ibara in Egba land?

I read in one of your publications that Ibara was a product of Ake. It was not. It was the Europeans who allowed the Olubara’s crown to be resuscitated in 1952. Agitation for the installation started as far back as 1930. But the crowing of the Olubara was in 1952. Olubara couldn’t have been a creation of any Oba in Egba land. We are saying they came to meet us here. They are trying as much as possible to create misunderstanding between the Egba and the people of Ibara who are Yewa people. Because Ibara is the first settlement here. Other settlements came and they are here. We have other Yewa Obas here in Egba. We have the Onisaga, Omala, Elewu and Onijale. These are Obas belonging to the Yewa group of people. They are not Egba in whatever form. Our language, our cultural preferences are quite different from theirs. Our chieftaincy hierarchy and organisation are different from theirs.

Many people are insisting that traditional rulers in the South West are not doing enough when it comes to championing the interest of the Yoruba nation. Is this true?

It is true. We keep quiet these days. The reason we keep quiet is the presence of the politicians. They dictate the tune. They don’t want to see you (obas) just anywhere.  We, Obas, have not comported ourselves well to my own satisfaction. Traditional rulers should be the chairmen of the local governments because traditional rulers know much about governance and management of funds. Any one of them who goes about the range of his responsibilities will have his fingers burnt. How will I go to the local government and spend their money for my own comfort? Since it is my own community, I won’t spend their money.

Nigeria is still in recession; the indices are there. Some are saying that we are coming while others do not agree. How do we tackle this?

Immediately oil came, all Nigerians became mad because when Awolowo was here, he used agriculture to build the first cocoa house. He used agriculture to build Liberty Stadium; he used agriculture to build the first television station in Nigeria. We are a nation of jokers. Agriculture should be our mainstay. In the west, we had cocoa, oil palm, rubber. In the east, they had their own yam tubers but we have now realised that the land in the east is not the same as the land in the west. Our soil is very stable. It cannot be washed away by any large deposit of rain because of that we are seriously blessed in the west. Why can’t we go back to Awolowo’s agricultural project? Oil palm and cassava are very productive. Go and buy a basket of cassava now and you will know how much you will pay. We abandoned agriculture and we are talking about the prices of barrels of crude oil. This is a waste of time. A time will come when the oil will dry up. Before it dries up, let us use the money we are getting to build a great network of roads for Nigeria, build railways and create electricity for Nigerians. Water should be provided for them. Where are the groundnuts, cotton in the North? Everybody is looking for what they can get.