Oba Samuel Babatunde Oyebamiji Amao II is the Aale of Okeleri Ogbomoso. He speaks with SAM NWAOKO on his 80th birthday and other issues. Excerpts:
You were able to change your title from Baale of Okelerin to Aale of Okelerin and thus became a Part II recognised Oba. How did you pull this off?
Before my enthronement as the Baale of Okelerin in 1992, the Oyo State government instituted a Commission of Inquiry to look into chieftaincy disputes in the state, the Oloko Commission of Inquiry. The commission was inaugurated by Governor Kolapo Ishola but it did not begin sitting until I was installed. So, I made passionate requests to the commission. One of my requests to the Oloko Commission was to make me an Oba, though we used Baale in Ogbomoso. Oloko told me an Oba is superior to Baale but I told him I did not agree, that it is just nomenclature. I said unless Emir of Zaria is superior to the Chief of Jos, he said no. I told him in Plateau they use Chiefdom, in Zaria they use Emir, in Sokoto, they use Sultanate, here in Ogbomoso, we use Baale – Baale of Ogbomoso, Baale of Okelerin and so on. Justice Oloko now advised me to seek upgrading to an Oba, that that was what the Oyo State government recognises. He further advised me to take step to seek a change in nomenclature from Baale to Aale. He said his commission had no power to upgrade anyone to Obaship position. Aale is the name of my progenitor, the founder of Okelerin, who was the pioneer settler in this area now known as Ogbomoso, and that is why we describe Okelerin as the Genesis of Ogbomoso. What we now know as Ogbomoso started in Okelerin. I applied for the change of nomenclature and it was granted and put in a Gazette. The recommendation was approved.
How did you now get elevated to Oba?
I applied to the Oyo State Council of Obas and Chiefs. I was interviewed, I was successful and the Council of Obas, under the chairmanship of Iku Baba Yeye, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III, the Alaafin of Oyo, recommended me and the Governor approved it. That was in 2010.
But your coronation was in 2018?
I was supposed to do the coronation immediately but unfortunately, the local government then was not cooperative. But when it was convenient, we now did the formal coronation in 2018. I had been recognised as Oba since May 2010.
You said Okelerin is the genesis of Ogbomoso. Can you explain this?
What is now known as Ogbomoso as I told you started from Okelerin. Aale was the first settler in this vicinity. His family had been here years before another person was noticed at Ijeru, that is Ohunsile, the progenitor of Baale Ijeru. Later, another person, Orisatolu, the progenitor of Onisapa came. Then, Akandie, very close to this place at Isale–Afon also came. Then, much later, close to us here, Ogunlola came to settle at Idi-Ajagbon (a tree), But each settlement operated autonomously before the amalgamation of the whole five settlements.
Why then is the name of the amalgam Ogbomoso and not Okelerin?
The name Ogbomoso came about because of the incident that happened to Ogunlola, who killed an Ijesha Oshomalo trader. In those days, Alaafin was the overall suzerainty, while the Olugbon was the overlord here, and he sent him (Ogunlola) to Oyo for his due comeuppance over manslaughter. It was during the Ogbooro war, he was, supposed to be killed but he said let me face this Elemoso killing your soldiers and Oyo people ruthlessly. You want to kill me, send me to duel with him, it is another death sentence. They sent him to contend with Elemoso and he was able to kill Elemoso and beheaded him. Alaafin now told him to stay in Oyo but he requested that he be allowed to go back to his camp to continue to live under the Ajagbon tree. Alaafin acceded and people now started to refer to his settlement as ‘Budo eniti о gbe ori Elеmоsо’ (The camp of he that beheaded Elemoso). That is how the name evolved as overtime ‘Ogbori Elemoso’ was elided to Ogbomoso encompassing the other settlements.
Your forefathers might cringe that at the name of the settlement now or what do you think?
Then, there was love and cooperation. Meanwhile, things like that continue to happen today. There is an area in Ogbomoso today known as Papa Alajiki. The name of the area evolved from the name of a mosque erected by a certain Baba Alajiki. However, the original owner of the land is the Osi Agoro family. But the whole area is now known as Papa Alajiki. There was a time that Baba Agboola Adibi (of blessed memory) protested that it should not be called Papa Alajiki again that the land belongs to them, the Osi Agoro family, but it was not Alajiki that requested that it should be called Alajiki area. What will change that name won’t be easy. That was why I built Aale Shopping Complex at the Blind Centre area. The whole place belongs to us – Blind Centre, Adeniran, Low Cost, Restore, Ayedaade and so on. I discovered when I first came to the throne, this one will say I am going to Adeniran, I am going to Blind Centre, will I ask they stopped calling them those names? So, I decided to build a shopping complex named Aale Shopping Complex to reflect the land ownership history.
Your 80th birthday was on February 4. You shelved it because of the death of former Governor Christopher Adebayo Alao-Akala, on January 12.
Yes, the former governor was a brother, a friend and a confidant. We were so close. He was a member of the planning committee of the 80th birthday celebration ; in fact, he had been assigned some roles and so in order to honour him we had to postpone the event.
Kabiyesi, what are you looking forward to now?
Glory be to God, I have been trying to bring Okelerin people in the Diaspora back, to come and join hands in developing the community, not Okelelin alone but the whole of Ogbomoso. The demise of some of our important personalities in Ogbomoso in recent times is a misfortune. We need to come together irrespective of political leanings or primordial sentiments.
Oyo State Council of Obas and Chiefs, what is the state of things within its fold now?
Unfortunately, I am not yet a member of the council, I think they hold their meetings regularly.
What message do you have for the people of Okelerin and Ogbomoso as a whole?
The message I have for the Okelerin people is they have been supporting me they should continue to support me. Ogbomoso in general we should unite, there is strength in unity. We should come together, I am appealing to the political leaders to work together for the progress of Ogbomoso; individualism will not help us.
I read in history that during the Yoruba Wars of the 19th century, Okelerin hosted Yoruba warriors and their allies to a war meeting, what is the significance of this?
When things like that happen, they congregate in Okelerin to take decisions. Of recent, in the 50s when we had the first tax riot (not the one that claimed the life of Oba Olayode), Okelerin was the epicentre, where the Ogbomosos generally took decisions and that is why we also hosted the Egungun festival yearly until they turned it into a war thing.
So, what are you doing to prevent in the future the violence now associated with the Egungun festival?
We have been able to curb it with the help of the government and the security agencies, let them restrict themselves to their areas. In its place, we have introduced a beautiful programme – ‘Okelerin for Christ,’ the Muslim faithful too had their programme, we should not adversely affect others with our religion. We are thinking of a carnival in its place also like that of Ijebu-Ode.
and then