He speaks impeccable English .He is an Orator and a Gospel Singer . At his age ,70, he devotes his time worshiping God and, fasting and praying . For him, it is ‘Watch and Pray’ for he does not know when the trumpet would sound and when He would appear from the sky!. Although he is hated by liars, according to him but this does not move him. But for those who love the truth he is loved by them .
Welcome to the life of the retired Combatant Soldier who served in the Nigeria Civil War but now serving as a Soldier for Christ .He quotes conspicuously from the Holy Bible making references, without making mistake .Every Friday he prays for over 1,600 people at his altar..
My Father paid our School fees
This is the life of a retired Combatant Soldier- Apostle Joshua Adeseye Olateru -Olagbegi who bears same name with the Biblical Joshua who led the Israelites to the promised land , Canaan . So also he wants to lead multitudes to Christ before he departs from this sinful world.The Prince is one of the late Sir Olateru Olagbegi’s children .He is a Musician, Song Writer, retired Soldier, Accountant and Preacher . He spoke with Taiwo Abiodun about his life and times.
Pastor Joshua Adeseye Olateru-Olagbegi
……My father had 170 children,I am number 25
……My father did not wage war on Usho Community
……My Grandmother was a powerful woman, died at 150
…… Why I sold my car, land, bed ; my family suffered
TELL US ABOUT YOUR BACKGROUND
Through the God’s grace I am Apostle Joshua Adeseye Olateru -Olagbegi,one of the humble children of the late King of Owo, His Royal Highness Sir James Titus Olateru -Olagbegi II ,the Olowo of Owo of the blessed memory.I was born in the palace of Owo on the 8th of September 1949.
I grew up in the Palace. I started my elementary School at St.George’s Primary School , Owo. From there I went to Imade College , Owo . I was a little bit troublesome , a radical. As a result of polygamous intrigues I was going from one school to another not because I was a dullard, to God’s grace I was brilliant. I was expelled from Imade College, Owo in 1966 when we led a riot ,(I don’t want to hide anything ) from there to Ado Grammar School.I finished my school Certificate in 1968 at Oke’Badan High School, Ibadan , Oliyoro.
WHAT FOLLOWED AFTER YOUR SECONDARY SCHOOL
After my secondary school, you know that time my father was sent away from the throne .My father had been dethroned as Olowo , so this time around I had a love for the Military , so I told my Dad that I would like to join one of the Forces , either Navy or Air force .By God’s power I was able to be enlisted into the Nigerian Air force as at 1969 when I was 20 years old .From Lagos I got to the Air force through one Captain Ogundadegbe , that time Air force was using Army rank ,he was a Captain, his father’s name in Owo was Chief Odogun. So I came to Lagos to be enlisted , from Lagos we were driven to Kaduna by train at Four Battalion, Kaduna where I was trained as a Combatant Soldier, that time the Civil war was still going on.
YOU MADE MENTION OF THE DETHRONEMENT OF YOUR LATE FATHER, WHY WAS HE DEPOSED?
As at that time I was 20 years old . I was told that my father betrayed Chief Awolowo, even most of us thought that . We were many , my father had so many children up to 170 according to what he said in one of his interviews in some Dailies some years ago but we are now 117.So people complained that Action Group was inaugurated in my father’s palace in Owo in 1952 , I was only three years at that time , I knew nothing about that .So eventually when Chief Akintola became the Premier of Western Region . There was a big crisis between Chief Awolowo and Chief Akintola and according to my late father , the king, he said Chief Akintola came to Owo palace three times to beg him to join his political party , I have forgotten the name of the party .As at that time I heard that Chief Akintola said that any king that refused to join his party would be made to earn a kobo in a year , and because of the multitude of my father’s children to God’s grace , my father had to give -in in order to take care of us. But by the time the coup of 1966 came up when the army took over through Major Kaduna Nzeogwu we asked our Dad after our worship in the Chapel at Owo Palace ‘Your Highness we were told that the Action Group started in Owo , why did you leave Chief Awolowo?’. So my father said because of us children that the Lord has done for him everything he wanted but had it been he did not join Chief Akintola , he said Chief Akintola came to my father’s palace at Owo on two occasions and prostrated for him ,and my father had to join because of his children in order to be granted …….financially to take care of us .My father said had he been he refused to join Chief Akintola and he was made to earn a kobo as a king , where would he get the money?. All of us are educated , there was only one king I knew that time that refused to join Chief Akintola and his name was Demo of Ishara .
THERE WAS RUMOUR THAT BABA SENT SOME PEOPLE TO USO COMMUNITY TO WAGE WAR ON THEM
For God’s sake ,let me tell you the truth ;as at that time most people even the Westerners now Ogun , Oyo, Ekiti, Ondo states were solidly behind Chief Awolowo and that time I think Chief Awolowo’s party was Action Group. I don’t know much .But what really happened was that some people went to the houses of the supporters of Chief Akintola to set them ablaze in Uso and Owo , eventually they went to the police station to report and by the time the policemen were invited back to Owo the people of Owo and Uso attacked the policemen, they went back to their station to report and were given the power to fire back, that was what I heard, the truth I don’t know . as a man of God, right now.
The late Olowo of Owo Sir Olateru Olagbegi and Apostle
ANOTHER STORY ON THE OWO SCHOLARSHIP
May God bless you, I heard the story as well as you did .What type of scholarship? My father did not …I don’t know about my three brothers ,the late Oba Of Owo Oba Folagbade , Professor Banji that read Town planning ,and former Chairman of Owena Bank, Prince Yanju I know nothing about them.As for me I never went through any scholarship .I am now 70 years old , 70 years eight months , now .My father did not get any scholarship, whether he got it that time I don’t know . I only know that my three brothers left for England to study whether it was on scholarship that I didn’t know but for me when I was in the secondary school my father used to give me check because I was the oldest among my brothers that were schooling with me together .My Daddy would address the check ‘ to your Principal’that is all I know about my Dad.
You know as an Owo indigene too I was told the story that no king has ever come up in Owo without rebellion- that is their business”
WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE OLAGBEGIS , AJASINS AND OGUNOYES?
What I was told was that the Ogunoyes, the Ajikes, the Olateru Olagbegis are from the same lineage but for the fact that people are interested in ……this is where the bitterness came up .Chief Ajasin was the first principal of Imade College, Owo. it was my Dad that introduced Chief Ajasin to Chief Awolowo and Chief Awolowo being the leader of the then Western region all these people were faithful to Chief Awolowo during the time he was in prison, and eventually by the time he came back , he toured all the then Western Region and when he got to Owo my mother said he promised that every rubbish in Owo will be swept off and a new carpet will be laid down – that is all I heard. As at that time people were urging that my father should leave the throne.
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE OLAGBEGIS AND AJASINS
”The truth is that Jumoke the lawyer …..I think she is the third child of Chief Ajasin, she was kind to me . When the Lord punished me, the Lord gave me instruction to become a full Minister of God after I was told to leave my former Church (I don’t want to mention any Church) of which I will not mention its name. I had trouble with them , they hated me for telling the truth,so that time the Lord gave me instruction ‘go and and preach the gospel’ and I said ‘no I can’t preach your gospel’.God be my witness, I sold my car , sold my land ; my wife suffered with me, my children suffered with me. But right now I am in my own bungalow at Ayobo here. So it was Lawyer Jumoke Anifowose who assisted me when I went to her she gave me a car and a driver to drive me round when I was looking for a house to rent ….we are friends , we are friends. She is a very nice woman .She is good to me .We are still communicating , we spoke on phone sometimes ago.”
Apostle with his lovely wife
WERE YOU VISITING YOUR FATHER WHEN IN EXILE
My father was dethroned and deported to Okitipupa rest house , we always go there to visit him most especially for our school fees and my mother Olori was one of the Oloris that was with my Dad then at that time , so we were communicating with my Dad . After he was released from exile he came back to Ibadan where we used to visit Baba and then in Owo my father had some houses where all the wives were residents and the children were all staying with their mummies and them , my father had another upstairs that harbored boys , most of us that were young as at that time. So I was visiting my Dad. When he was exiled in Okitipupa, from there to Ibadan , from there back to Owo rest house at Owo towards Ikare road , that was where I used to meet my Dad until he was reinstated back to the throne”
HOW WE FELT WHEN REINSTATED
Left for me I must tell you something, I am not saying this to ridicule my family, I am grateful to my God and also to my grandmother who was a Muslim , she fought tooth and nail to save my life , because in the polygamous houses…… so the moment you are born they know who to become the king ,so eventually it is not a big deal because my grandmother was going from one herbalist to another to save my life ,because she was Princess from Ipele and also a Sango Priestess.During the days of my grandmother , my grandmother would wake up early in the morning , she would face the East and would tell God saying ‘ Orisa Oke , heavenly God I didn’t offend anybody’s child if I try it destroy me , if anybody tries to destroy my children I will destroy him by thunder , Sango-that is what I used to hear from Mama, she lived for a period of 150years. So there was no difference .
YOU SAID YOUR FATHER HAD 170 CHILDREN
According to what he wrote in the paper during his lifetime
NOW YOU SAID YOU ARE 117 SURVIVORS NOW , DO YOU KNOW ALL OF THEM
The truth is that we know each other by facial appearances even when my late father whenever he saw anyone of us he would ask you ‘what is the name of your mummy?’ because my father had 42 wives,’What is the name of your mummy? ki loruko Iya re?’ So you would tell him the name of your mummy , eventually we were so peculiar to one another .
WHY DID YOU ADD ‘OLATERU’ TO YOUR NAME
My Daddy gave us instruction because when you get to the palace of Owo today you will see a Chapel there that was built by my father and when my senior brother Folagbade who died last year February ,while he was on the throne he gave the Chapel to Redeem Church because he was a member of Redeem. In those days when we were in the palace on holidays we always attend the Palace Chapel, where my father would serve as a Pastor , after that we would all go and greet him before we return to our mothers’ houses and then to our quarters so our father told us that his father’s name was ‘Olagbegi’ , his own name was ‘Olateru’ and we should combine the name together as a compound name that where ever we go in order to differentiate us from other Princess in the town , that is where we came by it. We came about that name – Olateru Olagbegi ,my father’s real name is James Titus Olateru, then his father’s name was Olagbegi ,but after the directive and instruction given to us by our late father , we all started bearing Olateru Olagbegi , when you hear that even my children who are all graduates are also bearing Olateru Olagbegi,by the time you hear Olateru Olagbegi you know the lineage.
TO BE CONTINUED
READ ; How I was almost killed by thunder-lightening last year, My Biafran War experience,Instruction from God ,Why I don’t go to Owo , How I became an Apostle, My grandfather etc