Oba G.B. Aderibigbe Asunmo is the paramount ruler of Odo-Ayandelu, Ikosi Ejinrin, Epe, in Lagos. In this interview by KEHINDE OYETIMI, the 60-year-old traditional ruler speaks on his ascension, passion for education and development of his people.
You were born on July 17, 1962. What would you refer to as those things in your childhood which prepared you for the throne?
I was born into a royal family from my mother’s side, and I was born into a royal family from my father’s side. I grew up at Imota, where my mother hailed from. The former Kabiyesi of Imota, Oba Lawrence Ademola Oredoyin of blessed memory happened to be my mother’s younger brother. I was very close to him. I admired him whenever he dressed for any occasion. Knowing that I am royalty from childhood, I observed how my uncle the king worked, behaved, and related with the town’s people. Also, while I was in primary and secondary schools, I made sure that I only took the role of royalty when acting in any school theatre performance. I was that conscious of my royal blood. My classmates knew this; they will tell you this. I loved such position so much that I began tutoring myself on what was expected in being a traditional ruler. I started doing all this at a very tender age before God then made me a king many years later.
How true is it that your father was the first Islamic cleric in your town to visit Mecca?
That is very correct. It was not easy in those days to get the needed funds to travel on pilgrimage to Mecca. It is almost the same today; to travel to Mecca today is over three million naira. The financial constraint also was a major factor during the lifetime of my father. But my father was very privileged; he was very knowledgeable in the study of the Quran. There was a club in those days at Odo. The members of the club were the ones who came together and said: “This Islamic cleric of ours who is very knowledgeable in the Quran should be helped and sent to Hajj so that we can have someone from our town who can be called Alhaji.” That was how they contributed money to sponsor my father on holy pilgrimage to Mecca. That was between 1974/75. He was the first Alhaji in Odo-Ayandelu. He was also the first chief imam in Odo-Ayandelu.
How did you feel when your father returned from Mecca and what was the reception like?
In fact, it was as though one of the heads of state had come on a visit. Anybody who has knowledge of communal history from Agbowa axis of Lagos will tell you. There was no telephone in those days and therefore there was a communication gap when he travelled. People died on a daily basis with reports coming to Nigeria. It was expected that many people who had relatives there would panic. But thank God for him he returned safely. When he came back, his brother had to go and pick him at the airport. He took him to Bariga to rest for a few days. But he was anxious to see his family and people. On the day he was coming, there was a mammoth crowd at Agbowa junction. Since we have ties with Agbowa, the Agbowa people insisted that my father should be allowed to stop over at Agbowa first before proceeding. But Odo-Ayandelu people resisted this; they insisted that my father was an indigene of Odo-Ayandelu and that they were responsible for sending him on pilgrimage. This almost resulted into a rancor. And so my father was forced to alight from the vehicle and wave to those who had come to receive him. They started screaming ‘Alhaji welcome. Alhaji who went to Mecca and returned, welcome.’ Very few people had vehicles in those days. Many people trekked long distances to welcome my father; some rode on bicycles, motorcycles. It was a very wonderful reception for my father.
Is it true that you were the first building engineer to become a traditional ruler in Yorubaland?
I love education; it is part of my passion. If not for education, I would not have risen to the position of building manager at the corporate headquarters of NEPA in Abuja. As a profession, I believe that I must attain the pick of my career. I don’t want an Obaship to stall my ambition. When I was given the staff of office on April 13, 2010, on April 15, two days after my coronation, I was in Abuja. That was when I was pronounced a registered builder and I was given my stamp and seal. After that, I continued studying. After 10 years, I put in my papers and applied. I went for an interview in Abuja. We were many; I was interviewed. As God would have it, I was one of the successful ones. After which I was made a fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Building.
One of the aspects troubling Lagos is the menace of building collapse. As a builder, what is wrong and where lies the solution?
The problem in the building sector and the menace of building collapse is from the government. Government has failed to regulate that sector. Government has always failed to recognise that body of builders. No government will bring a person who is not a medical practitioner to become a commissioner or minister of health. No government will appoint a non-lawyer as attorney-general. But what is happening in the building sector? They usually bring people who are not builders. That is why you find all manner of quacks who call themselves engineers going to building sites. You will find an ordinary bricklayer calling himself a site engineer with absolutely no building certification. This is where we are getting it wrong. This will continue until the government does what is right by regulating that sector and implement laws that will deal with defaulters responsible for building collapse.
I remember during a conference organised by the Lagos branch of the Institute of Builders, Femi Falana was invited to deliver a lecture. During that lecture, he said: “I don’t want to keep hearing prevention of building collapse; let us prosecute those who are responsible for the deaths of many as a result of building collapse. I am ready to provide legal services free.” Until we start doing that, there won’t be changes. Who are those behind the illegal construction of the collapsed buildings? They are society’s big men. That is why when a building collapses and a panel is set up, you will never see the report of that panel. How many white papers have been issued from those reports? The government must wake up to save people’s lives.
You were installed as a traditional ruler on April 13, 2010. It is 12 years already. How has the experience been?
Being a traditional ruler is an institution on its own. You are dealing with different kinds of people. Even some of your chiefs will tell you lie, making you believe that what they are telling you is true. You need God’s wisdom. In some instances when you have a judgment to pass, they will come at the back to say other things to you. But they know me well enough that I don’t indulge in partiality. The word kabiyesi means one who cannot be questioned. If man cannot query, what about God who will do so on the Day of Judgment? I fear God the most which is why when I want to deliver my judgment, I do so to the best of my abilities.
A woman was accused by her husband of committing adultery; and she was brought before me. The husband insisted that she would have to leave his house. The woman insisted that she was ready to swear an oath. We fixed a date for the swearing. We gave them a form to fill. On the second day at night, an elderly woman came to see me. She told me that the woman committed the crime and that I should not allow her swear an oath. I asked her what she wanted me to do; she replied that that was why I am the king and that I should know how to handle it. The Bible records a woman caught in the act of adultery. She was brought to Jesus but he told her accusers that whoever has not committed a sin should be the first to cast the stone. They all went away; but Jesus told her to go and sin no more.
On the day she and her were to swear an oath, I told the people there to produce whoever saw the woman committing the offence and then take the oath. I told the husband who is alleging to take the oath before his wife. The husband shouted that he did not see her commit the offence. He said it was someone who reported her to him. I asked him to produce the person; he could not produce the fellow. I then told him that someone was bent on destroying his home. I told him that since his wife insisted that she did not commit the offence, then we should believe her. I told the wife that even she had committed the offence, she should never allow such happen again. That was how we resolved the issue.
Since my ascension, the community has been growing. We have done tremendously well in the area of education. The NYSC orientation camp at Iyana Ipaja has been relocated to Odo-Ayandelu. The place has been fenced; construction work will commence soon. Before now, my people would go to neighboring communities to school; today, that is no longer the case. We now have an academy. God will bless the present government of Lagos State. We have been giving scholarships to our students here.
In terms of the economy, a lot of people have been bringing their investments here; we have social amenities. We are making progress.
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