Oba Owolabi Adeyemi Adeniyi is the Oba of Igbobi-Sabe in Lagos. In commemoration of his fourth anniversary on the throne, he speaks with TUNDE BUSARI on how he ascended to the throne, the journey so far, why tradition does not contradict his faith and other issues.
It has been four years on the throne. How do you feel?
I can only say that 2013, when I ascended the throne, is like yesterday. I have every cause to thank God for all he has done so far since November 30, 2013, when I ascended the throne. The journey so far is made possible by Him who keeps a close watch on me from then till this morning. To Him be the glory. I have every reason to give praise to God, for a man who was not in the country to be here today as an oba, I always say it that I only returned to Nigeria from my former base in the US to take good care of my mother. That was what brought me home. I would not have been here because I was not doing badly in my career as a computer engineer in the US. But when my predecessor passed on and the matter came up and the mantle of leadership fell on me, I had no choice than to take it up. I think it had a divine connection. O yes, it is divine because, as I said, I was not thinking about it. But when your God says ‘Yes’, who are you to say ‘No’? I am happy that I am here and doing all I can to move the town forward.
What was the mission of government officials from Yaba LCDA to the palace in September?
Did I tell you that they were here? Of course, they came and our discussion centred on the welfare of my people.
That indicates a cordial relationship between the palace and the secretariat?
Let me tell you, the palace is home to everybody; so everybody is free to visit and see the Kabiyesi. Don’t forget that the Kabiyesi is a father to everybody including government officials. That is our culture. That is our tradition. But when we talk of modern governance brought down to us by the colonial power, things have changed. But the change does not remove our traditional status from us as the custodian of custom and tradition. For the sake of clarification, I must say that every traditional ruler who desires development for his town must show understanding to the government and key into its policies. For instance, I believe in the Tree Planting initiative by the LCDA and I joined in encouraging our people to see it as a worthy cause. Francis Bacon says, “We cannot command nature except by obeying her.” And part of ways of obeying her is tree planting. Also, Margaret Mead opines that “We won’t have a society if we destroy the environment.” I was with government officials at Abule-Ijesa to demonstrate my faith in that exercise.
You sound like an environmental activist. Are you one?
It is not in the sense you see it. It is in my capacity as the traditional ruler who must always support good policies that can bring about good life to my people. We cannot afford to destroy our society in the name of urbanization. The culture of felling trees and planting back should be imbibed here. Our natural resources are our wealth. So, we should find ways of maintaining, instead of destroying them outright.
There is need to always have a meticulous and periodic check on our environment. This time, tree planting is one of the cheap measures put in place by the Lagos State government. The measure also gives the public – organisations, schools, etc a chance to get involved in making our environment less porous. It is good that the state government and the Yaba LCDA sensitise the good people of Yaba on the importance on the tree planting exercise.
What informed your presence at the first term meeting of the South West Zone of Federal Government Colleges?
Don’t forget that Kabiyesi can grace any public occasion, based on invitation and also based on his conviction that he must be present there. But at this particular one you mentioned, I had to be there. Reason being that it was about education. You know the impact of education in my life before I came to the throne. Given this fact, I see any education programme as something I must show interest in. I am blessed that my domain hosts the popular Queens College, the school which has produced many successful women. Attending the first meeting of the schools means a lot to me and I am very happy that I was part of it.
You are a pastor but you participate actively in the annual Isese Day. Doesn’t this pose a contradiction to your belief?
It is high time that we, as traditional rulers, rise up to educate the public on this question you just asked. We should not be blackmailed to throw away our culture and tradition. I am a pastor as you rightly said. In the US, I was a shepherd in the Celestial Church of Christ (CCC) before I joined the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC), Agbala Itura under Baba S.K. Abiara as associate pastor in Houston, Texas. As long as we agreed to be the custodian of our custom and tradition, I don’t see any contradiction in participating actively in the celebration of our cultural heritage. I don’t think there is any problem in doing this. We held a successful celebration in August and everything went well. It was more of a carnival. The Nigerian government should also explore our traditional heritage to expand its revenue base. The tourism sector can drive our economy if developed as it is done in other countries. We should refrain from mixing up issues. A traditional ruler is a father to all. During the last month of Ramadan, I was at the Tafsir where the popular Islamic cleric, Dr Muhideen Ajani Bello, delivered lecture. The event was sponsored by Honourable Moshood Olanrewaju Osun, a member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, representing Mainland II. It was an interesting lecture at Rowe Park Sport Centre. Attending it was a function of a traditional ruler.
You seem passionate about old people and their welfare, can you tell us why?
Yes, their welfare is very important to me. I was at the Lancaster Onike, Yaba home of the senior citizens in the company of my Olori. This throne I am occupying is a position of responsibilities, lots of responsibilities. One of these responsibilities is the visit to the old people. It in this country that we don’t show much respect for the old people, but they also deserve good life. Don’t forget I said I returned to the country in order to take good care of my aged mother in 2008. What does it tell you about me? I am passionate about old people because they have weathered the storm of life. The position they are is the reality of human existence. Don’t we all pray every day not to die young? We all pray to live long. And when you live long, you become old like those people. I am happy I was with them and dropped those few items. Doing this is an assurance that one is also preparing a good ground for himself when old age comes.
How did Igbobi-Sabe come into being?
There are different versions of history based on oral tradition, Sabe was said to have founded Igbobi-Sabe. History also established it that Sabe, in his lifetime, was a great grandson of Oduduwa and a hunter who migrated from Ile-Ife around the 17th Century. The migration followed the directive of the Ifa oracle which guided him to settle at a site known as Igbo-Odu which was surrounded by Obi Edun trees. His siblings, like the Ogiyan of Ejigbo, Olowu, Olowolotu Ife, Olora in Igbomina and others, had earlier settled at different places. They are all descendants of Olofin. The name Igbobi-Sabe later evolved after the settlement.