My fiancée ran away because of my condition- Ojo Ganiyu

Y

 Husaina ‘s sister  crying out

J

……Had accident in 2013

……In coma for three days 

…… My Fiancée  deserted me

……Now 40 years ,no wife,no child

……Needs medical help

…..Don’t let me be useless in life, he pleads

For  this 40 -year-old man , Ojo Ganiyu Ade life has been miserable for him. According to him, he has been in agony for the past seven years .He  has been eating from hand to mouth since the year 2013. Reason : While in Lagos he was involved in an auto crash in 2013  on his way to work , he was still receiving treatment  but could not complete it  and unable to  also  fend for himself due to the auto crash that had incapacitated him.

Ojo  narrated his harrowing experience to this reporter  ” On that fateful day I was in a public transport in Lagos going to work when I suddenly heard a loud bang and that was all I could remember .  I later found myself on the hospital bed at Igbobi Orthopedic Hospital . I  saw my shattered bones, my two legs had broken and twisted. I was told that I was in coma for three days before I came back to live”.    According Ojo , he is  from Owo, ”I live at no 13, Ododasa st, Owo, Opposite Mobile Station’

”At  Igbobi Hospital I  spent one year and four months after I had undergone  two major  operations  on my leg. When I could not continue to  pay the hospital bill  the doctor advised  that I should  turn to an outpatient  and be coming from home as the feeding and admission  bill   issue would be deducted from my hospital bills .

FIANCEE RAN AWAY AS LANDLORD EJECTED ME

He continued his pathetic story ”I began to go to the hospital from home , but I had barely spent one  month at home when my landlord ejected me from my one room apartment . Not only this my fiancee ( names withheld) deserted me .She came to the hospital to see me twice and that was the last time I saw her for   I did not see her again .I therefore  accepted my fate . Today I have no wife and no child at the age of 40”. When my landlord evicted me I went to church where I stayed for some months before I came back to my home town, Owo”

AT THE FMC, Owo

”When I got to Owo , I went to the Federal Medical Centre , Owo to continue my treatment. Last year the  doctors  in charge of my case said they  would  do skin graft  for me   and was told that the medical expenses  would cost    220k  but when there was  no money  so I started   going to Pharmacy  store  to purchase what I needed for the dressing and was doing it on my own .that was how an stopped  going  to the hospital .Recently when I was having excruciating pains  and went to the FMC  again last week , on the 8th of May the hospital bill  has gone up to 505k according to the doctor. The doctor said  I would need  skin graft  and another operation on the legs”.

NAME:  OJO GANIYU ADE  

PHONE NO :09028365641

BANK : ACCESS BANK

ACCOUNT NO: 0030983342

 

HOUSE ADDRESS: 13, Ododasa , opposite  Total Filling Station

 

Help , I am dying  – Isah Husainah 

Help , my sister is dying

…..She is  dying

…….Her Fiancé ran away

…….We are  orphans

 

For this woman , no other words comes out from her mouth than ” Help !, I am having pains, pains and pains”. For   Hussainah in the morning it is pains , in the afternoon it is pains and at night the pains would not let her sleep according to her Cousin. “She  groans in pain everyday , she cannot eat properly or drink water with ease as a result of the pain” . .Accoding to information gathered from her sister, Husainah has been like this for the past three years.

The Community head of Unaun , Owo , Prince Olanrewaju Abegunde said he is sympathetic with the woman condition  but does not have enough money to assist her, he  said ” Hussainah’s sister has been crying begging for financial help in order to take her sister to the hospital” . Prince Abegunde continued ,” though the woman has no energy to talk  as she groans in pains , she said her  illness started three years ago when she discovered a lump on her breast and  went to a private hospital ( names withheld ) to operate it in Lagos but immediately after the operation she started feeling pains again from same breast.No one knows whether it is Cancer or not. She showed all various of laboratory  tests she has done and she is still having pains”.

 

” We have no  money to take her to the hospital , and we have appealed to  many people but no help””, said her sister .

Prince Abegunde said ” I am begging the good-spirited Nigerians to come to her aid before she dies.She lives in OWO , Ondo state .She is undergoing pains, she needs help”.

According to her Sister, Hussainah  is 30 years , she has no husband , ” You see, since over three years she has been suffering like this no man even looked at her, she is just 30 years of age .Please help her before it is too late, she has no parents and we are  poor”

To reach the woman

Mrs  Isah Hussainah

Gtb 0162417802

If you want to take her to the hospital contact Olunaun of Unaun Prince Olanrewaju Abegunde  +2348035827770

How God saved me from Coronavirus-Muibat Oshodi Ogunsakin

 

( In Owo dialect) Eghen Oma Ogho e ba mi sope ghon’Oloron ooo o

……How Coronavirus dealt with me

……..How God  brought me back to life

……. I celebrated my birthday

…My plan to establish jewel factory in Nigeria

 

Yesterday was Mrs. Muibat Oshodi Ogunsakin’s birthday as she added another year to her age.  While her children woke up and sang  a  birthday  song for her  but she did not cut cake and did not receive visitors instead   she  was on phone  thanking everybody and God   for their  support and  prayers for witnessing another birthday in her lifetime. Mrs.  Ogunsakin narrates her near- death experience to Taiwo Abiodun

HOW CORONAVIRUS ALMOST DASHED MY HOPE

The  Nigerian businesswoman who  has spent 30years in America   said   she will live to remember how her hope of going back to her country, Nigeria  was aborted when  her preparation had reached 90 per cent  to go back home . She said  ”after spending 30years in America , I planned to go back home and established a jewelry factory. I  had already shipped most of my  things  to Nigeria when tragedy struck. I became sick  as I contracted Coronavirus  and could not go again.”

WHERE I CAUGHT THE INFECTION

The business woman who has shops at Maryland, America continued her story ”I have two shops where I sell wigs and jewelries .I am a mother of three  and was planning to relocate back home to Nigeria  when I contracted this deadly virus. Infact I was already  shipping my things to Nigeria before I fell ill. It was like a joke  until the reality dawned on me .

”Well, I have a two day business store in market place  which are Saturday and Sunday and  always very busy in there so I didn’t know exactly when  I contracted the disease  but I started having running nose  in one of the Saturdays in there, so  I thought it was just  the normal headache and fever.Normally  I don’t like taking medicine . But when it started getting worse then I started taking it from talinum   then followed by headache . shortly  after that my children wanted to take me to the hospital.

”I  had the dreaded disease  and I believe that I got infected from my shop where I sell wigs and jewelries . I believe I  caught the virus actually at the early stage  because I was falling sick and of course nothing like coronavirus was on my mind .I was having fever  and in the middle of the night I would be sweating even  if I  take off my dress. I would be sweating even if you squeeze it you  will see a lot of water.  Little by little and slowly I was losing my strength  and with so much high fever  all the time and loss of appetite, but  I  was thinking that may be  it was just a little  cold  or something that  I would just sleep it  over, may be if I sleep or if I  do something differently it will be over but it kept growing. Then I couldn’t walk , if I had to walk I would  hold on to something , then if I  was going upstairs it would  take a long time ,so it was getting worse . I did not want to scare my children but being who I am I thought that   everything  was okay , I just slept over it, thinking everything would  be alright ,that was all  about it .Then it started to get into me deeper and deeper  that  occasionally  I would  have this high fever , very , very high; then  all of a sudden   it will become cold , very cold ; very ,very cold. I don’t know what kind of cold  for I have not experienced  such  in life.Day  by day  it was getting worse and worse,then the loss of appetite  and  I couldn’t smell anything . I couldn’t eat and in the middle of the night, it became nightmare . My children offered  to take me  to  see the doctor but I said it was nothing and that  I would  get over it anyway.  One night  when  I slept I was very weak, I didn’t complain , all of a sudden the heat came upon  me, it was like a big blow into my head ,  my body ..like my blood was very hot it was  too was as if I had gone , gone  out of this world.I  was totally gone. I was watching myself on the ground , I couldn’t get up from the floor,luckily I saw one pastor  I will not mention his name , he was  standing beside me while   I was looking at my body  on the ground and the pastor at the same time looking at me trying to get into my body , he touched me , got inside my body and I came back to life !.It was in the middle of the night”.

I WAS IN ISOLATION  AT HOME FOR THREE WEEKS

AT THE HOSPITAL

”When I woke up my children came to see me in the morning and  were giving me all medicines in this world .I was thinking i  would be okay .My body temperature would be so hot then my kids offered to take me to the  hospital ,the doctor  said there was nothing they could do since the emergency was full. They  said it was coronavirus,  they gave me same regular talinum …no medicine , no vaccination for it so the doctor sent me back home, its like sending a sick man back home to go and die .So  my children gave me green tea and ginger a lot ,I  take lemon in the morning before I eat, I eat  ginger  from morning till night. I couldn’t eat , there was loss of appetite,that was all , then I started to eat little by little , the coronavirus doesn’t go away but it is not like before.It will attack you and will not go away, I don’t know how to explain it . Since then  I take ginger and tea, I  take lemon , so that is it .I  thank God almighty so ginger perform so many wonders.

THE STAGES AND CHANCE OF SURVIVAL

”There are stages to it , I am not a medical doctor, some can have it mild, some in a way  that will take away  their  lives. Some have good immune system ,some have weak immune system, some with high sugar, high blood pressure , some suffer for a while  because  I  know some damages it has done on me.I bounced back ,after that I still  managed to do some exercise  with machine .

”Now I  am trying to stay away from the  crowd. I  quarantined  myself for about three weeks . I kept away from  my children so as not to infect  them.I pray for you not to be infected , it was a nasty experience.

 

IF NOT GOD….

THOSE WITH  LOW IMMUNITY AT RISK 

”Yes, the sick ones could be easily  infected because of their low immunity I believe  so , because I  have problems its  like borderline.  I have diabetes, high blood pressure ,I  am trying not to take medicine, because once you  start , you  will not stop taking it . I believe I am going back to my country and don’t want to go through their medical system.

”Well, when there is no medicine  I know of now , I don’t know if people say chloroquine is to be taken  .We need to take herbs  which saved my life,  we should take lime, garlic and ginger , that is it” .

I EXERCISE AT HOME

According to  Mrs.  Ogunsakin  she is at home doing exercise, walking  and going to physiotherapist for exercise , ”I am  still taking  herbs  and I am doing exercise which  is the best and also part  of medicine. I go to the treadmill . I am getting much better everyday”

She sent her words to many  at home  ”obey the rules of hygiene, take your herbs, take hot and good food , take or eat a lot of ginger, lemon and garlic which are very medicinal and cover your nose with masks above all observe the six feet social distance.”

MY BIRTHDAY

VOTE OF THANKS

Ogunsakin who said she is going to establish a Charity Home in Nigeria said ”I thank  Owo indigenes , my friends, my well wishers and the Almighty God for saving my life. Yesterday was my birthday.I am getting better everyday and when the airports start working I will go back to Nigeria to start my jewelry business”.

 

I have been chanting for Alaafin of Oyo for six years-Okoto Akewi

 

I am in love with Yoruba Culture

 …….I studied Computer Science now  to study Yoruba

…… Kabiyesi  Alaafin of Oyo loves  Yoruba Culture

……..My  challenges

….. Why I wear male’s clothes

A MULTILATERAL COMBINATION OF TALENTS

  Watching her from afar off one could take her for a man as she  was  dressed    in  Yoruba traditional  male’s   attire  but her feminine voice   and features  revealed her gender.  She is a stage wizard. She is a  multi-lateral combination of  talents.  While on  stage her  skills and talents are displayed:  chanting, singing, dancing, reciting poems and panegyrics   with eyes shut as if in trance. She  squeezes her face , tightens her lips, grinds her teeth as she  clinches firmly  on  the microphone  and would  suddenly go   on her knees and  immovable as if electrocuted. Her gap tooth  , complexion, voice and humility could melt a man’s heart.    She is excellent in the usage of Yoruba proverbs, idioms and aphorisms.Her words cool frayed nerves. She is rich in Yoruba composition , a gifted Oral Artist and  she chants Hunter’s poetry (Ijala Ode), poems and shower panegyrics  at ceremonies like wedding, naming, house warming, burial among others.

Okoto Akewi

She responds to questions with proverbs and  would  render  chants with her infectious smile .Not only this, her humility is superb inspite her talent and wealth of experience. She knows the panegyrics  (oriki ) of almost all the Yoruba towns ,names, professions  and what have you. She does not need to think twice  or guess before she showers your oriki on you. This is the life of a 24 year-old  lady who is from Owolanke family in Oyo town.

                                         

”She is a stage wizard .She is a  multilateral combination of  talents. While on  stage she exhibits her stage craft as  she  chants, sings, dances,recites poems and panegyrics   with eyes shut as if in trance.”

Doing her job

AT THE PALACE OF ALAAFIN OF OYO

Okoto Akewi is a household name in Oyo. She has become a brand .She is well known at  the palace of  Alaafin of Oyo .  She is a computer wizard .  Who has the gut to wake up Alaafin  of  Oyo Oba Lamidi Olayiwola  Adeyemi III  up in his palace?. Who will be in Iku Baba Yeye‘s compound and be making ‘noise’?.’

 

    Who dares go to Alase Ekeji Orisa’s palace and be shouting on top of his voice?.No one  , no one can try it except only and the only one  the Okoto Akewi also known as Omo Iku Elerin  who with her velvet voice would sing, chant and praise the Iku Baba Yeye , Alase Ekeji Orisa ,the second in command  to God . According to her she goes to the Palace everyday to chant for Alaafin of Oyo.”I have been doing that since my secondary school days .When  I was in Oyo College of Education ( Special) I used to go to the palace during our Cultural week. For the past six years I took it as a duty to be going to the Palace daily to perform, you know  our Monarch loves Culture and he is  the father of Yoruba Tradition and Culture. .  ”, she said.

”Who has the gut to wake up Alaafin  of  Oyo Oba Lamidi Olayiwola  Adeyemi III  up in his palace?. Who will be in Iku Baba Yeye’s compound and be making ‘noise’?. Who dares go to Alase Ekeji Orisa’s palace and be shouting on top of his voice?.No one  , no one can try it except only and the only one  the Okoto Akewi also known as Omo Iku Elerin  who with her velvet voice would sing, chant and praise the Iku Baba Yeye , Alase Ekeji Orisa ,the second in command  to God”

 

She wakes up the Alaafin of Oyo , Oba Lamidi  Olayiwola Adeyemi  III every  morning  with her golden   voice. When she opens her mouth and sing everybody listens .When she chant panegyrics (oriki) and shower praises on her clients they open their wallets to appreciate her .Her words is full of wisdom . She is talented, an enigma , an Historian and a promoter of Yoruba Arts and Culture and has made it globally accepted .Her voice  has spread and  gone  international as she receives calls from United Kingdom,Australia , America and all over the world chanting and raining praises on his clients. That is the  lady in Oyo who is the raving moment shaking the Ewi Industry .Welcome to the world of  Ogundele Nike Suliat  aka Okoto Akewi Omo ekun elerin.

Okoto Akewi at work

ITS GOD’S GIFT

She introduced herself”My name is Ogundele Nike Suliat  also known as Okoto Akewi Omo Ekun Elerin. I attended Agboye Baptist Primary School  Oyo, St.  Bernadine Girls Grammar School Oyo . From here I   proceeded to   Federal College  of Education (Special)  Oyo,  the only special school in Sub- Sahara Africa where I studied Computer Science .

I  started chanting panegyrics at age five.  I am now  24 years of age  .My parents supported my work  because  it  is  a congenial occupation in the family   .My grandfather was a Hunter chanting Ijala   while my late  father was also in the  same profession   but for  one reason or the other   he stopped and went into business. He died about one and a half years ago.Only my mother   that is alive today  .I started chanting   while in primary school .I continued in  secondary school, during the Cultural programme in School I   used to go to the Palace to participate in the  Cultural activities .

At my NCE level I was  always invited to  perform .So when I completed  my NCE program, I went fully into it”.

Okoto Akewi’s Group

MEANING OF ‘OKOTO AKEWI’

Asked to tell the meaning of Okoto Akewi, she laughed , then shook her head as if she remembered an episode and then said ”It has deeper meaning, it is pregnant with meanings”,she continued as she spoke like a Philosopher  ,”you know  Life is like a game, Okoto ( Apex of a snail that cannot stand upright, a brown seed that rolls  ) it is a piece of brown seed   that rolls when played , it is like life , unstable and you don’t know what its result would be.It is unpredictable.Life is unpredictable , full of disappointments. That is Okoto Akewi.I have faced and experienced some things in life and I decided to have the name for my group”.

WHY I WEAR MEN’S CLOTHES

Asked why she wears male’s clothes all the time , she defended herself ”I love  wearing men’s clothes because  it makes me free, allows me to swing sideways and prance around on stage. It makes me  to be free and   easy while  on stage”.She beat her chest and said ” I cannot count the number of male’s clothes I have , I have a lot and I love them all”.

OUR CULTURE IS RICH

Okoto Akewi said  she didn’t know  the  profession would gain world acceptance  as it is now , she said ”I  never knew it will be generally accepted like this.I was just playing with it just doing what I enjoy doing most until it became part and parcel of me. Today many invite me to parties, naming ceremonies, wedding ceremonies and burial ceremonies ..I enjoy doing it”

She pleaded to Yoruba people and said ”Our culture is going down and we need to  make sure it does not go into extinction .I  thank God for  everything is going on well, thank God things are working fine.We  are from Oduduwa and our Culture is rich, we should take our Culture to  higher height .North, South, East and West , home is the best, we should not abandon our culture for foreign one”

She gave the importance of Chanting panegyrics , according to her ”when we chant oriki,  or praise  you will be happy, it soothes your nerves.When a wife is angry let the husband shower oriki on her, and their differences ends, no more fighting .It is our tradition and that does not mean we are idol worshipers”

SOURCES OF  MY   WORK

Apart  from having Ijala  background, she said she goes from town to town asking elders, doing research on every Yoruba town’s panegyrics , stories and history . She said ” I travel to places, to towns  and all areas in Yorubaland  asking and seeking knowledge .      

HOW I  MAKE MY MONEY

Asked how much she charges Kabiyesi Alaafin as she goes to the palace to chant, she replied ”He is my father and the father of Yoruba Tradition and Culture, I cannot charge him but what he gives me is more than charging him. When I chant at  the palace of Alaafin of Oyo , Oba Lamidi Adeyemi , father of Yoruba Tradition and Culture , Kabiyesi would just give me money, huge one, he would not count it , huge amount of money, huge money. He loves  Yoruba Culture. Kabiyesi is a great Oba. If not this novel  coronavirus  I would have been   at the Palace by now chanting  .For public performance they hire us and we are ready to go to anywhere even we are ready to go to America if invited. We do charge them but I will not tell you how much I charge(burst into a prolong laughter).

MY CHALLENGES

Okoto Akewi said  although she enjoys the profession  but faces challenges at many of the parties she is invited to. She said “when we are invited to perform at occasions    musicians would not release microphone  for  us to use , they see us as  are  sub entertainers , they don’t want to release  microphone  for us to use .I have been to an occasion where I was to   sing or chant but was not allowed  as the musician refused  to  give us the opportunity or release  the microphone .I  remember an occasion where we had been paid but did not perform yet the man  who invited us  did not collect the money back .So what I normally do is to   tell the  Celebrant  to inform the musician to let them know when we are to perform”.

”When I chant in the palace of Alaafin of Oyo , Oba Lamidi Adeyemi , father of Yoruba Tradition and Culture , Kabiyesi would just give me money, huge one, he would not count it , huge amount of money, huge money. He loves  Yoruba Culture.Kabiyesi is a great Oba. If not this novel coronavirus  I would be at the Palace”

MY FIRST BREAK EVEN

She speaks about the first money she made ”the first money I made was  in 2017 when a man sent  100,000 naira (one hundred thousand naira) to me  appreciating my work .I cannot mention his name .He was the first man to do that he lives in America, the man said he appreciates my work. Another  man gave me 300,000naira  to appreciate my work”.On what she does with the money , she said  .The first instrument  I bought is Gangan, the Yoruba special  drum. I bought costumes for our  Entertainment Group we wear for outing .”

I AM  GOING BACK TO SCHOOL

Okoto Akewi said she would soon go back to school  to study Yoruba as a Course she said ”I have National Certificate in Education (NCE)  in Computer Science from College of Education , Oyo Special, I am going to Obafemi Awolowo University , Ife  to read  Bachelor in Arts degree in  Yoruba Studies in order to have more knowledge in Yoruba Culture ”

   

MARRIAGE

Although she is still single but quickly added that she  has a boyfriend she is going out with.”I am not yet married but I am going out with a guy, I have a boyfriend  who loves my work’.’.

As she finished the interview she gave a parting gift by pouring oriki on this Reporter ,

Taiye Kehinde lo ni  nki gbogbo yin o,

Ngo si ki gbogbo yin lokokan

Obekese…omo a so alakisa d’onigba aso..

Taiye lo ni nki gbogbo yin oo…..

why my late father dethroned some chiefs-Leke Olateru-Olagbegi

Start from the previous one

why I contested for Olowo of Owo’s throne -Leke Olateru -Olagbegi

 

YOU CONTESTED FOR THE   OBASHIP THRONE  AND YOU LOST  HOW DID YOU FEEL WHEN YOU GOT HOME

Well, em.. em.. like I  was trying to express earlier, the Owo traditional stool   has a very democratic  way of  selecting a new Olowo , and  all the Omolowos except that of   Chief Aralepo  was the only one that   voted for  Prince Justice  Adesuyi Olateru -Olagbegi , all the other ones    voted for the incumbent  Kabiyesi Ajibade Ogunoye. Em.. em.. it is not about wining itself, If  I had  won  fine, but when I didn’t  it is also  fine  .  It is not a do or die affair,… after all we are all vying  to make sure we have  a better future  for the community  .Now that  Kabiyesi has emerged I am also  in  support now he is on seat I feel….         

I don’t have any ill feeling or bad feeling .

WHEN YOUR FATHER  WAS ALIVE , HE WAS KNOWN TO BE A GOOD CHRISTIAN , HOW DID HE COPE WITH  CULTURE AND  HIS CHRISTIAN FAITH?. IT WAS  RUMOURED THAT HE WAS NO MORE INTERESTED IN IGOGO FESTIVAL

I think I should correct the notion here  about how most people that are not close to the traditional stool feel about most traditional institutions  ..the Yoruba traditional institution is not  necessarily a fetish institution, in every tribe , in every culture that you go in the universe you find all sorts of fetish issue in different skills  so people always  think that oh! to be a King in Yorubaland  that  person has to  be fetish,that is not correct .Yes, he faced some challenges ,there were windows where the fetish inclination has to come in and I remember my father used to say that he has no business in anything fetish because it is   against his own personal religion. Now in the Owo  Constitution the way it is written gives the Olowo the audacity to have his own private religion regardless of the general culture of the community .If we are to referred to some previous past Olowos when in the days of  Olowo Ogunoye the first, the Olagbegi the first  these were the time popular religions like Muslim  and Christians got into the region and they did not see it to be  anything that would necessarily interfere with normal religion , it gave them whole…infact it is in history that Olowo  Olateru Olagbegi actually converted to Islam so I don’t see anything special for my father to have embraced Christianity …in the 21st century.

HE LOVED IGOGO FESTIVAL

Yes,he did .Whenever the Igogo festival was coming up there there were lots of arrangements to be done,  and  he did everything.The town’s priest was Ajana. My father will  always submit himself to make sure  everything that needed to be  done  were done  but you know  in a community where we faced challenges  where the divide has been prolong for so many years , it is expected that he would find  different parties with different inclinations but my father was wholeheartedly behind the promotion of the culture of   Owo .If he wasn’t he would   not have been  traveling  with different Owo traditional Costumes.He carried along with him different Owo traditional Musicians , he promoted Owo Culture so many times , so he was never against the culture neither was he against the Igogo festival.The Igogo festival is actually  the biggest festivals  we have in Owo for someone  not to be celebrating Sango , Ogun  does not  mean he did not love the festival, not everybody in Owo practices Sango or Islam  so  I  think the notion should be corrected . I think is only those of us that were close to him will knew that he a lover of Owo Tradition and  Culture

HE WAS NOT COMFORTABLE WITH RITUALS

”One of those like  I said was   that people expected him to perform  certain  rituals that they believed  should be but he was not comfortable with that because being a legal luminary ,he knew that he could do whatever he wanted to do as long as he was comfortable with ….,or necessarily .Two , initially when he got to office  the problem of the government gave him a little concern, he  thought it would  have been a good opportunity  for the government to let him develop the community while he was still young and agile  but thank God he was able to  get over it as time progressed , you can see .His plan for Owo still manifested by and large with the things we have seen him done , with  the construction of roads, the construction of  the market, the new Banks , small scale business thrived ,the placement t of Owo citizens to  high ranking offices  in politics  these are the things.We have an Owo governor now and it was a dream come true for him as well.

WHY HE DETHRONED SOME OF HIS CHIEFS

When it comes to  the  chieftaincy titles  he was a bit shy of discussing the issue in the public because he was a private person, so he never wanted his words to be misconstrued.  I  believed that  those he  demoted must have really, really crossed his traditional line  and they must have insulted the throne for him to  have  taken some drastic decisions  and knowing him taking such a decision  it must have been good for that.

TELL US THE CONTROVERSIAL  FELLING  OF 17 TREES ON HIS 17TH CORONATION ANNIVERSARY

This particular incidence I was privy to by chance , I think the man in question who was a very close  person to Kabiyesi himself . We have a sacred place  in palace called Igbodi, Igbodi is an area  Olowo cherished  and  protected  jealously , infact you cannot go hunting in that area  except you are  a member of Olowo’s probably  immediate family , you cannot even be allowed to go to  Igbodi because it is sacred  . Now  can you imagine during his 17th coronation  anniversary of Kabiyesi , a chief (names withheld)   cut down 17trees , and what did that mean ?.  To a lay man it  speaks volume .It was reported to Kabiyesi ,I guess he  did not  have the clear picture of the  number of trees  they cut but  they  lied to him  that it  was  only three or four trees they fell  but  at last  it was discovered that they were 17 trees they  felled  and  it was  on the 17th  coronation anniversary of Kabiyesi! .  What is the  meaning?. So the chief needed to be disciplined that was what caused the particular scenario but the chief was lucky  for he was dear to my father , before the demise of my father he was restored back to his position.

 AKOWALOJA’S CASE:FALSE DEATH RUMOUR OF OLOWO

The Akowaloja that you are referring to   was one of the senior  Omolowos that was dethroned.That scenario if can remember couple of years ago  it  was rumored that Olowo has passed  on and   it was unfortunate that that particular Akowa was party to it. They went as far as celebrating his death  and desecrating some areas within the palace indicating that the Olowo had died  without having first class information about the issue .  I guess they were so blinded in hate that they actually believed the Olowo had died   and went ahead performing sacrifices  and when my father got the evidence of such as  evidence of photographs and  videos from those that were involved he thought they had to be disciplined .I believed that was why  that particular chief was dismissed  which is a normal culture in Owo. If things like that happen in Owo the disciplinary action would be taken and he would be stripped of his tittle beads  we call it a ja akon re ( The chief’s chieftaincy beads had been stripped off)which was to demote that individual  .The  Constitution in Owo also gave the Olowo the audacity and to remove his beads  if it is necessary or give the position to someone else.

 

YOU LOOK LIKE YOUR FATHER , DO U WISH TO STEP INTO HIS SHOES WIVES

Aside from his resemblance I will not let his legacy be  erased . I am going to put all things in place to make his name and Owo community great and by God’s grace I  will definitely do it. If  you  look back into history about my family legacy from Olagbegi,  I will never ever let the family legacy erased , anything that I can do I will do it .If I have anything to make Owo progress I will be a party to it . If you look back at the family legacy  if you look a the days of Olagbegi they  were very active when it comes to the Owo development community  my grand father Sir Olateru Olagbegi II (KBE) , he was  able to convert a community as to speak,  archaic into a community to  become a first class in Nigeria ,  and even as we stand and speak today  it is still far away  as Owo as per its location still continues to be the darling of the entire Yoruba  race , as it is said in Yoruba parlance  ibi gbogbo ni ile Owo ( every place is the land of Honor).Ko si omo Owo ti ko lowo lowo, ko si omo Owo ti ko nilari(there is no native of Owo that is not successful), these are the kinds of virtues of Owo that  are  always   dear to my heart ,so I will always partake to what will be the progress of the entire lineage and to the community at large.

DURING  THE CRISIS  OF YOUR FATHER , HOW DID YOU ESCAPE

At that time fortunately for me I was not around, I was still  abroad  at  the time the crisis occurred .God has a way of doing things ,when my father   escaped with his life  .. we thank God  he was able to escape from there  and  went to America.Thank God  he was able to stay with his family members and his children , and the time went by and  fortunately when the new governor Olusegun Agagu came on board , we received the phone call that he should come back home  and he came .

LARGEST PALACE IN W/AFRICA

The Olowo’s Palace  fortunately  for us  we have that palace almost  700 years during the  reign of Olowo Rengenjen ,it is  from Oke Mapo.If you look at the landmass …. compared with the present location , include the new palace, I  don’t know how  any single individual  had projected a landmass having much as that so we give it to Olowo Rengenjen who had  the foresight, yes  we give it to Olowo Rengenjen for having that foresight.We  heard that my great grandfather had over 200wives so you could imagine to have such  wives and the amount of areas that would be needed for such a family to live on.I  am also very proud of the palace, the edifice  that my grandfather built  in that place till today still stand it also the best palaces, it is   a pride that Owo has that till today not only in Yorubaland but anywhere in African region .It is also a pride to Owo.We thank God we still have it till today .

SECRET OF MY  CLOSENESS  TO  THE OGUNOYES, AJIKES , AND OLAGBEGIS

There is no  particular secret , like my  grandfather always say  ‘I keep no grudges’ ,this is one of the virtues I learnt from my grandfather , if you keep no grudges  with  anyone ,  have no ill feelings against anyone God will  continue to bless and guide you. I don’t keep grudges in my mind .I don’t have grudges against anybody . I  grew up within the Palace when I was seven years old  .I knew Kabiyesi Ogunoye , I grew up with the majority of his children , if you look at my wedding picture and videos  you will see Adegoke Ogunoye who was my best man at my wedding , some of  them like the Olu Ajike we vied  the throne together , and we are very close  , right now he is in Dubai. Virtually I see all the Olagbegis, Ajikes and Ogunoyes as one  . I see us all as Elewuokun. I see Olagbegi as  Olagbegi  Elewuokun,as I see  Ogunoye  as Ogunoye Elewuokun, I see Ajike as Ajike   Elewuokun and I am Leke Elewuokun, I see no reason why I should have ill feelings against anyone.

MY LATE GRANDAD -SIR OLATERU OLAGBEGI II

”Anytime I heard that name, Sir Olateru Olagbegi II, KBE , he  was one of most  reigned  kings in Owo , he had the opportunity to build Owo to the current status, he reigned   at the time when Nigeria was  still in the dark ages and   he ruled when Nigeria was coming into the new era, and if you look at the things that happened during his reign ,he was able to accomplish every dream that he had., all his dream he was able to accomplish  and for that alone I thank God and when  I had the  opportunity  to live with him as a young  boy he used to tell me that by God’s grace when he returned to the palace he would be able to explain things that happened to me .When I   asked him in one occasion that ‘Papa  how are you sure that you would return to your throne?’,  he responded with great enthusiasm that he  was he sure he would be returned   back to his throne . It is written that definitely he would go back to his throne , and lo and behold  27years after he returned to his throne . He was sent away in 1966 and Kabiyesi  Ogunoye came back in 1968, so the two years (1966 and 1968) most people always omit it but I  always add it , because it is still two years being away from the throne , by 1968 to 1993 is now  the 25years Ogunoye reigned , as far as Sir Olateru Olagbegi is concerned it took 27years before he could regain his throne, and for him to have left the throne 27 years and regained it I think it is  the work of God .He developed Owo to its contemporary era  , you can see that all  the development he brought to Owo  still stand  today . I  pray in the nearest future and the  incumbent Olowo  tries to bring back the lost glory ,   if not all,and I continue to pray for him that God would help him  , and  with the support of all the entire community.

MY RELATIONSHIP WITH THE LATE OLAGBEGI ‘S CHIEFS

”Emmmmm, Very much so, I am a Prince and also a chief of Otu Arala   which is Otu Agba Omalogho, and we normally hold a session once in month.  I also come to Igboroko Quarters under the leadership of Chief Ojumu  there is nothing happening  within the chiefs that  I don’t participate in . I know a lot of chiefs by name , they know me , I have no grudges against anyone of then .We celebrate together , now we have  our father  Olowo Ogunoye I was there to celebrate with him.  I was also a chief  there as Otu Alara . I  will forever have my allegiance to the Olowo, I will forever have my allegiance to Owo .Anything that  promotes the unity  and  culture, anything s that promotes the development of    Owo community     you can always count  that I will be there.

HAS YOUR POPULARITY   DIMINISHED AFTER THE DEATH OF YOUR FATHER?

From my experience , I still enjoy all what  I enjoyed while my father was here .Every person that I knew when my father was around I still meet them. This is still the same me, I still relate with them, I still do what I was doing when he was around . I  still have access to the palace .I still enjoy the privileges , anywhere  I appear in town  I am still greeted and I thank God .I still have access to the palace , anywhere I appeared in town I am still greeted and welcome , and I really  thank God for that.

THE PALACE WAS SACRED BUT WHEN HE HAD ACCIDENT WE ALL HEARD HOW NEWS FILTERED OUT, IT WAS LIKE THE PALACE LEAKS

There were many things that happened over ten years ago  , it resulted to a lot of crisis in his life but  we thank God that he was able to survive it that time , unfortunately  that some people took it to themselves that he was dead.He read from different write ups ,he laughed over it  and thank God that  while some people thought he was dead he was not dead .

THE PALACE  HAS A NEW FACELIFT NOW AS THE PRESENT OLOWO HAS ADDED BEAUTY TO IT

Whenever a new Olowo comes in there is a tendency for  a new structure to be erected. During the reign of my father there were structures  he erected in the back called Ugha Oluwa gbemileke, Ugha Eduma which is addition to  the building . I pray for the current Olowo   to do more  that is the prayer .

YOUR GRAND FATHER’S VEHICLES STILL IN THE PALACE , ANY PLAN FOR THEM ?

They are my grandfather’s vehicles.They are still in the palace. The late Sir Olateru Olagbegi II ( KBE) was a flamboyant Monarch .He was ranked among  the great Yoruba kings like  the late Sir Adesoji Aderemi, the Ooni of Ife who was   another great Yoruba Monarch .Yes,  the vehicles ;Rose Royce  and Mercedes Benz cars’ relics  are still there in the palace. If you look at the vehicles very well you will know they are antique. There was a plan by my late father to refurbish them and  put them in good condition  .He told me that he wanted to buy engines and fix them . All these plans were in the offing before he died. My father travelled wide, he saw how in  the Western world  people appreciate all these vehicles .It was part of his plan before he died. You know we still have the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s Mercedez Benz he used  for campaign and toured Nigeria , it is today in the  family’s museum .For me I pray we have a museum where we would keep all these. I know the family  will one day do something. These vehicles belong to   the Olateru  Olagbegis  which is a  large family   and  are planning to have a mini museum  which  would be announced later.

IMMEDIATELY THE LATE OLOWO DIED THE WHOLE COUNTRY HEARD  THE NEWS  CONTRARY TO TRADITION , WHY ?

Yes, in Yoruba Culture when a King dies you don’t immediately announce it.Well, I think in this modern time,  in this high technology and communication  period many things filter out. And out of that is typical outplay of the time we are living now with  the advent of social media , skype, whattshapp , facebook,,information fly around  I know the news was  leaked from  the palace or someone  who was privy to the news or who   must have known   somebody in the palace or somebody who is in the know of what was happening or what has happened .I am very sorry to say I doubt its one of the traditional chiefs.

WHY WAS THE LATE OLOWO RUMOURED DEAD SEVERAL TIMES

He died three times, he was a king  like a cat with nine lives.I cannot say or  tell exactly what caused all those  rumours  but he always told me it was the imagination of his enemies that people said he was sick, he was this and that .However when it was time to go he was called by his Creator and he joined his ancestors .

 

YOU SPEAK ALL THESE ,WHERE DID U GET ALL THESE FACTS?

”Right from my childhood I  always find information about our History and Culture , I  found it very interesting wherever I go in the community I mingle with people wherever I go,  I tried to get facts its a life long I always have  I tried to get facts rather than speaking on tautology. I ask the elders, i ask the families ., I go as far as entertaining people that I believe can give me  vital information that I would need .I want to know all the traditions in Owo , I want to be more versed in Owo History because Owo is rich , very rich in Culture in Yoruba land . Owo is rich in History that is why I have been begging the State Government to bring back History where we would study the story of the past , about our heroes like Olowo Ajaka, Olowo Ajagbusiekun, Olowo Alubolokun, Olowo Adekola Ogunoye, Olowo Olateru -Olagbegi I, Olowo Ajike,among others .

To be continued