His local accent in a meeting with his traditional chiefs and subjects is a sharp contrast to his long sojourn in Canada. He speaks as if he never ever stepped out of his hometown. Conversely, during an interview session with journalists, he is simply a white man in black skin. His choice of words, eye contact and total comportment are incredibly amazing. These
attributes, more than any other thing, make the Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdul
Rasheed Adewale Akanbi (Telu I) a monarch with many parts. Pleasant,
tolerant and intelligent, he is a traditional ruler effortlessly
connecting the past with the present and minding less whose ox is gored. Though
deep in Yoruba history and those of other nations, his word, action and
dressing style naturally stand him out as a unique king determined to
make important statement in cultural harmony. Given this reason, he
is at home with attires that suit his desire and he does it with candour
and a superior explanation that disarms his army of critics. His
ascension to the throne in November 16, 2015 and coronation two months
after on January 16, 2016 followed a path severally described as
manifestation of destiny. This he often stresses to reveal the role played by God in the journey of his creatures. It
is believed in some quarters that an Oba must be seen in certain
attires. Is an Oba actually restricted to wear certain dresses? If
you are not wearing rags, you are okay. What you wear as a traditional
ruler depends on what statement you want to make. I don’t wear anything
without making a statement. When I put on something, people should not
rush to judgment but ask questions the way I ask questions on what is
not clear to me. You see me in jalabia but you don’t ask me question. Is
jalabia our dress? But when you see me in English dress, you make an
issue out of it. If our forefathers had the opportunity to wear suit,
they would wear it. If, as a traditional ruler, who cares for
development, you are invited to the United States during winter, the
weather will force you to wear jacket. Is that jacket from here? What does culture mean to you as a traditional ruler? Culture is something spiritual; something embedded in human existence. It is interwoven even with our religious beliefs. Do you think it is right to call yourself an emperor?
Does
government give anyone ‘his royal highness’ or ‘his imperial majesty’?
No! Everybody picks what suits his dream. Emperor tallies with my dream
and vision for Iwoland because I have a picture of an empire. The
history of this town has not been told and I am telling it. I will
continue to emphasise it that Iwoland is a special town of authority
coming into existence since 10th century. Kabiyesi, you always talk of your town as being special. What do you really mean?
Unfortunately,
what I observe is that people have penchant for distorting history. The
history of my town is very significant in Yorubaland. Our history is
very beautiful and my pride. I am straight from Ile-Ife. I am not
upgraded but born a king. The Oluwo was born a prince right from the
source in Ile-Ife. There is a lot to Iwoland. The Oluwo is the only king
that took the crown from Ife. The Oluwo is the only one that still has a
ruling house in Ile-Ife. What is the name of the ruling house?
It
is Lafogido ruling house. Mother of Oluwo Gbagida came from that ruling
house. Iwo did not emerge from nothing. It was predicted that we would
settle at the land of Parrot. There is no other animal that speaks like
human beings apart from the parrot. The same crown Ooni wears is what
the Oluwo wears. Iwo can still go back to Ile-Ife and join Lafogido
ruling house to contest Ooni stool. I want you to note it well that
Owodo ruling house in Ile-Ife under Okerewe falls under Lafogido. It is
the next ruling house after Giesi. Oshikola, Ogboru, Giesi and Lafogido
are the four ruling houses in Ile-Ife. I must also tell you that there
are 27 traditional rulers under Iwo. Can you name some of them?
Oluwo of Iwo-Oke, Akire of Ikire-Ile, Olu of Ileigbo, Olupo of
Oluponna, Olowu of Kuta, Agbowo of Ogbaagba, Olowu of Telemu, Adatan of
Asa, Ola of Ajagunlaase, Olubode of Bode-Osi, Olu of Ile-Ogo, Oluwo of
Adatan, Olu of Ile Ogo, Onikoyi of Ikoyi, Onifin of Ikonifin and Olowu
of Ilemowu among others. How can you describe your relationship with those traditional rulers?
It
is fantastic. It is very, very good. We have a cordial relationship. We
see often and go to functions together. We cooperate. We work together.
I don’t say they are under me. We work together in greater Iwo Empire
though I am the president. Between January 16 when you received your staff of office and now, what has the experience been?
It
has been beautiful and I am extremely happy. We are moving forward. I
am a working Oba. I think everyday on how to better the lots of my
people. We started from the Palace and built a befitting Palace that my
sons and daughters are proud of. You can see how beautiful the palace is
now. But I cannot be in a palace like this and my people remain poor.
So we move to health care need of my people. When my people are free
from sickness, they have strength to carry on their daily jobs. Then we
went for food. We have food and clothing bank for them. When you put
these together, health, food and cloth you have happy and motivated
people. You can see the hope in them. You can see the enthusiasm in
them. I have a dream and I am happy the dream is coming to a reality
gradually. Already, the National Open University (Study Centre) project
has been completed. We are only waiting for the federal government to
inspect the place. It has been equipped with computer, library and other
equipment needed to operate. There is a revolution going on in Iwoland
and I am very happy my people are taking note of it. They are
appreciating the passion with which I mounted the throne when I was on
the streets personally filling pot holes on the roads. Some were mocking
while majority were sharing my vision. What does public opinion mean to you, as regards recent comments on social media?
Positive
comments and negative comments remain people’s right of expression.
This life is all about two sides. Is it not interesting that varied
opinions are expressed on me? Today, it is difficult to ignore Iwoland
and for the right reason, regardless of few funny opinions. I have a job
to do. I have a big task on my hand for my people than devoting time to
any distraction. What is important to me is total concentration on my
vision for my people and doing it right. When it comes to chieftaincy
title, I tell my chiefs that it must be based strictly on right and the
truth. I tell them that they should, under no circumstance, compromise
these two elements–right and truth. Is there any difference between the Oba of today and that of the past? There
is more information today. We tend to have more knowledge about other
environment. Many Obas have come and some are not popular at all. It
depends on your reign. If I am going to spend one day, I want it to be
exceptional; that history will always talk about me. If it is 100 years,
it must be beautiful and exceptional years of achievement. My era will
sell Iwo to the world beyond your imagination. This is my vision and it
is already playing out. I have a huge responsibility. I have set a high
standard for myself and God willing I won’t disappoint in delivering the
job because my people need transformation that will match their status
as Iwoland. We are building an empire that is going to be famous not
only in Osun State or Nigeria but also in the whole world. They will
know that there is Iwo. They will know the rich history we have here.
They will know how important we are. They will know we have a king. They
will know we have an emperor. Can you expatiate on the health care scheme you earlier mentioned?
It
may interest you to note that over a billion naira worth medical
equipments have been shipped in from Canada in collaboration with Mr
Sola Agboola. It is going to be here on May 23. It is a 40 feet
container we have shipped in. We have healthy environment with
state-of-the-art-machines and electrical beds and other medical
equipments. Ile-Ogbo, Ogbaagba, Oluponna and other towns are going to
benefit from this scheme. I am not dealing with sick nation. The Sultan of Sokoto was here few weeks back. Have you any relationship with him?
Of
course, there is a relationship in our faith. The Oluwo first accepted
Islam and officially spread it among his people. Till date, Iwo is a
respected town of Muslims and Islamic scholars of note. When the Sultan
came for the commissioning of the Palace he was impressed with what he
saw in my people. We even took a ride round the town and he was very
happy with the reception. There is a bond between us as Muslims. But we
should not forget that there are also Christians in Iwoland. Baptist
people found Iwo comfortable, hence their settlement here to the extent
that they have Bowen University here. I am repeating it, Iwo is going to
reach its promise land soon.
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