Omo odun merindinlogbon(26) ni Oba Sikiru pe ki won to wa ni ko wa joba. Iwadii si fi ye wa wi pe oun kan naa ni oba alaye to ti lo igba to pe ju lori oye oba ni gbogbo ile Naijeria pata. Awujale setan bayii lati se ayeye ojo ibi ogorin odun laye (80), eleyii ti yoo waye ni ojo Kewaa osu karun-un odun ta a wa yii.
Awon dongari oba ko da SULAIMON OLANREWAJU to je oniroyin Tribune duro rara nigba to de aafin Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona ni Ijebu Ode. Ohun to mu bo re e...
You have been at the forefront of the creation of Ijebu State. Are you confident that Ijebu State will be realised in your lifetime?
I am very optimistic that we will achieve it. Don't forget that Nigeria during the colonial days was made up of 24 provinces. Ijebu was one of those 24 provinces. If at that time Ijebu was fit to be a unit out of the 24 which Nigeria had in those days, now that we have 36 states, it is only right and proper that Ijebu should be one of them.
In addition to, the fact is that Ijebu is a viable state, I am very optimistic we will achieve it.
During the Abacha regime, you were one of the obas invited to see the Diya video. Can you tell us what really transpired on that day?
The Abacha era is gone. But when we go back to the past, it is because we don't want to repeat the mistake of the past. What transpired that led to Abacha taking over and later the arrest of (Oladipo) Diya is known to all of us.
When the obas were invited to Aso Rock, I was not there on that occasion. What happened was that I think it was (Sam) Ewang who gave me a message from Abacha to come over to Abuja. And I could not go for some days; it was almost a week before I could go. When I was going, I took along some prominent Ijebu people.
I was made to attend a meeting where all the military administrators were in attendance. Abdulsalami was the one who presided over the meeting. We were briefed about what happened after which we were showed some video clips.
After seeing the video clips, they wanted me to make a comment. I looked at all of them and I said they should go and pray and talk to God that He should guide them and show them the right way to go. And I told them that they should think twice before taking any action.
Later, I saw Abacha and he briefed me about what happened, how, according to him, Diya was planning a coup to oust him. It was a surprise to me that Diya could be part of a coup attempt. He also spoke to me about Adisa, who he said was close to him, and how on three occasions he invited him to talk to him, believing that he would brief him about what was being planned. He said he was surprised that Adisa never opened up to him.
Of course, after what he said, he expected me to make a comment. Then I also advised him to think twice about the matter. I said it would be wrong of him to expect me to say that he should kill Diya. I pleaded with him that he should tread cautiously. That is how we ended it.
As we discussed, the issue of the creation of Ijebu State crept up and I said I thought he would have given us the state. He told me that he was ready to give us Ijebu State but that it was Diya who made it difficult to grant that request. And the way he put it was that Diya was insisting that the capital of the state should be at Odogbolu (his hometown), which Abacha said he refused. He said he refused to take the capital to anywhere but Ijebu Ode. Abacha explained that because the two of them could not agree on where the capital would be, the idea of creating Ijebu State was dropped and Ekiti State was created instead.
How do you see the role of traditional rulers in present day Nigeria?
You can't expect much from traditional rulers these days. If you look at the position of traditional rulers in the country in those days, you will realise that they were the power base. That was the system in those days. When you talk of the traditional rulers you talk of the government of the people. But it is quite a different thing now. There have been many changes in our traditional institution. Starting with the colonial era up till the present day; there have been quite a lot of changes in the position and roles of traditional rulers.
But that notwithstanding, it is still quite a very strong aspect of our life, because it is our culture. By the time you remove any culture, there is nothing left about a people. That is why despite the changes, the culture is still valued till today.
For example, to know how important the traditional ruler's position is in the society, if the Commissioner for Information should announce that people should gather somewhere, nobody will heed the call. But if I should announce, everybody will be there. That shows the importance of traditional rulers in the society.
You ascended the throne at the age of 26, about 54 years ago. Is this the Ijebu you envisaged?
We thank God for what He has done in Ijebuland over the years. There is no doubt that great developments have taken place in Ijebu Ode, especially and Ijebuland in general over the years. It was my plan and prayer that Ijebuland would develop greatly during my reign and that is happening. We thank God.
Before I ascended the throne, there was no tertiary institution in Ijebuland, now we have so many of them. We have so many first class medical centres. Even industrially, there are so many new companies in Ijebuland. We give thanks to God for all these.
Above all, there is peace and harmony in Ijebuland. Religion has not divided us here. When we celebrate Ojude Oba, all Ijebus, irrespective of their religious persuasion participate. We see one another as brothers and sisters.
When I was ascending the throne, I envisioned a greater Ijebuland devoid of rancor and division. I envisioned a well developed Ijebuland. Although, we are not there yet, I can tell you that we are making steady progress.
What is your happiest moment after 54 years on the throne and what are the challenges?
I have had so many challenges; I cannot remember all of them. No matter the situation you are bound to face challenges. It is the normal trend in life. No matter how big or small you are, having challenges is inevitable. I give thanks to God for His grace that saw me through these challenges.
Over the years so many good things have happened. The most important thing is to thank God for His grace because He has really been helpful to me.
You ascended the throne at 26, did you not feel that you were being denied your youth by being saddled with such a huge responsibility?
It is a thing of honour to be called upon to serve your people. Don't forget that I was not the only one nominated for the throne but for me to be the one that was eventually picked was for me a thing of joy and honour. So, the issue of feeling that I was going to lose anything did not occur to me. I felt honoured to be called upon by my people to be their leader. That is why I resolved right from the outset that I would give my best to my people.
It is a privilege when you are called to serve. And in that situation what you do is to pray to God. One of those things that can make you to be successful is when you serve the people honestly. With that, God will assist you.
It appears that other Yoruba ethnic groups are skeptical about the Ijebu. Even now, some communities will frown at one of their own getting married to an Ijebu man or woman. Why is that so?
It is borne out of envy. The Ijebu are businessmen and women, so they are usually wealthy. It is because of this that the Ijebu are envied because they can afford the good things of life. If you see anyone who speaks ill about the Ijebu, it is because of inferiority complex, the Ijebu are the best crop of people you can find around.
How do you cater for family needs despite your huge responsibilities as a paramount ruler? What is the relationship between you and other rulers in Ijebu in terms of separation of powers?
With regards to family, there is division of labour. The wives are there to take care of domestic issues. There is no way my official duties can stop my domestic responsibilities. There is no conflict at all and everything is working perfectly.
Now between myself and the other obas, there is unity and friendship among us. And I want to tell you, Ijebu is a very monolithic community unlike what happens elsewhere. If you go to Ekiti, they are different. In Abeokuta, you have Ake, Owu, Oke Ona etc but Ijebu is different. We are one. There is no Ijebu oba that will be installed without passing through this palace.
To show you the friendship among the obas, you have other Ijebu obas here today. And what you see here is found among our people. All our towns and villages are the same. There is peace, unity and progress.
Among other obas you were young, how did you command respect?
Age is one thing, office is another thing. For example, if you put a man of 10 years as president of Nigeria, that is his office, but his level of intelligence is another. But the office is intact and he will be held in high esteem in the society because of the office he holds.
Therefore if you put a man of 20 years as governor of Ogun State, and you put a man of 90 yrs as governor of Zamfara State, it is still governor versus governor.
However, there should be mutual respect and understanding. Irrespective of age, one requirement of leadership that I know is wisdom. Of course you have people around you; advisers and all who can influence you. But if you yourself are wise, you will always weigh whatever advice you get, and ask which one is better.
Let me cite an example. On Tuesday, April 5, 1960, shortly after I was crowned, I attended a meeting of the Western Region House of Chiefs. At that meeting some obas and chiefs nominated me to be the president of the House. I was 26 years of age and a new king; there were much older and more experienced obas in attendance, yet, I was considered fit by some of my colleagues to be the leader. So, really it is not about age but what the individual can do.
What is your view on corruption?
It is not only when you give money for a favour that you are corrupt. When you do injustice that is also corruption. If I give you a story and you don't write it until I give you money, it is corruption. Therefore, when you talk of corruption, it is not only money, it goes beyond that. There is corruption in every area of our lives and that is why we must be careful. If you do injustice because you like my face it is corruption. If you do it because you don't like my face it is corruption. This country is blessed with leaders that are corrupt.
Therefore, we must pray to God. This country is very rich. It has everything and we must pray to God to help us. Until we have dealt with corruption, we cannot develop. When you take money before you vote it is corruption. If you give or take a bribe you are corrupt.
If our electorate take money before they vote, they mortgage their destiny and the future of their children. This is the greatest problem in the country. And that is why we are not making any headway. It is only God that can deliver us. This is the greatest problem this country has. It is so endemic and pervasive, from top to bottom. Everywhere you find it, even obas are not exempted!
In the past, the Ijebu had a strong economic base. How are you mobilising Ijebu in this direction now?
The Ijebu are not farmers; we are commercially oriented. In every sector of commerce, we are very functional. But having said that, you have to appreciate our present circumstances. If you come out today and say you want to set up a company, there are some processes you will go through. They will ask you for tax clearance. Can you imagine, tax clearance for a company you have not yet formed!
Two, if you are going to secure loans, they will put in conditions that will obstruct your path. This is not right. I think government should go out of its way to support every investor. They should give them special incentives to set up industries, not putting obstacles in their way.
This is the worst problem we have now in this country. The moment you make an application for something in an office, you go there several times, you keep calling their numbers, no head or tail, they push you up and down; they are not helpful at all.
This attitude has to change. It is not that people are not willing to set up companies to create employment opportunities for our teeming youth, the problem is that government agencies have installed roadblocks that make it difficult for industrialists to set up companies. The government has to deliberately put in place structures that will facilitate setting up of companies in all parts of the country.
Awon dongari oba ko da SULAIMON OLANREWAJU to je oniroyin Tribune duro rara nigba to de aafin Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona ni Ijebu Ode. Ohun to mu bo re e...
You have been at the forefront of the creation of Ijebu State. Are you confident that Ijebu State will be realised in your lifetime?
I am very optimistic that we will achieve it. Don't forget that Nigeria during the colonial days was made up of 24 provinces. Ijebu was one of those 24 provinces. If at that time Ijebu was fit to be a unit out of the 24 which Nigeria had in those days, now that we have 36 states, it is only right and proper that Ijebu should be one of them.
In addition to, the fact is that Ijebu is a viable state, I am very optimistic we will achieve it.
During the Abacha regime, you were one of the obas invited to see the Diya video. Can you tell us what really transpired on that day?
The Abacha era is gone. But when we go back to the past, it is because we don't want to repeat the mistake of the past. What transpired that led to Abacha taking over and later the arrest of (Oladipo) Diya is known to all of us.
When the obas were invited to Aso Rock, I was not there on that occasion. What happened was that I think it was (Sam) Ewang who gave me a message from Abacha to come over to Abuja. And I could not go for some days; it was almost a week before I could go. When I was going, I took along some prominent Ijebu people.
I was made to attend a meeting where all the military administrators were in attendance. Abdulsalami was the one who presided over the meeting. We were briefed about what happened after which we were showed some video clips.
After seeing the video clips, they wanted me to make a comment. I looked at all of them and I said they should go and pray and talk to God that He should guide them and show them the right way to go. And I told them that they should think twice before taking any action.
Later, I saw Abacha and he briefed me about what happened, how, according to him, Diya was planning a coup to oust him. It was a surprise to me that Diya could be part of a coup attempt. He also spoke to me about Adisa, who he said was close to him, and how on three occasions he invited him to talk to him, believing that he would brief him about what was being planned. He said he was surprised that Adisa never opened up to him.
Of course, after what he said, he expected me to make a comment. Then I also advised him to think twice about the matter. I said it would be wrong of him to expect me to say that he should kill Diya. I pleaded with him that he should tread cautiously. That is how we ended it.
As we discussed, the issue of the creation of Ijebu State crept up and I said I thought he would have given us the state. He told me that he was ready to give us Ijebu State but that it was Diya who made it difficult to grant that request. And the way he put it was that Diya was insisting that the capital of the state should be at Odogbolu (his hometown), which Abacha said he refused. He said he refused to take the capital to anywhere but Ijebu Ode. Abacha explained that because the two of them could not agree on where the capital would be, the idea of creating Ijebu State was dropped and Ekiti State was created instead.
How do you see the role of traditional rulers in present day Nigeria?
You can't expect much from traditional rulers these days. If you look at the position of traditional rulers in the country in those days, you will realise that they were the power base. That was the system in those days. When you talk of the traditional rulers you talk of the government of the people. But it is quite a different thing now. There have been many changes in our traditional institution. Starting with the colonial era up till the present day; there have been quite a lot of changes in the position and roles of traditional rulers.
But that notwithstanding, it is still quite a very strong aspect of our life, because it is our culture. By the time you remove any culture, there is nothing left about a people. That is why despite the changes, the culture is still valued till today.
For example, to know how important the traditional ruler's position is in the society, if the Commissioner for Information should announce that people should gather somewhere, nobody will heed the call. But if I should announce, everybody will be there. That shows the importance of traditional rulers in the society.
You ascended the throne at the age of 26, about 54 years ago. Is this the Ijebu you envisaged?
We thank God for what He has done in Ijebuland over the years. There is no doubt that great developments have taken place in Ijebu Ode, especially and Ijebuland in general over the years. It was my plan and prayer that Ijebuland would develop greatly during my reign and that is happening. We thank God.
Before I ascended the throne, there was no tertiary institution in Ijebuland, now we have so many of them. We have so many first class medical centres. Even industrially, there are so many new companies in Ijebuland. We give thanks to God for all these.
Above all, there is peace and harmony in Ijebuland. Religion has not divided us here. When we celebrate Ojude Oba, all Ijebus, irrespective of their religious persuasion participate. We see one another as brothers and sisters.
When I was ascending the throne, I envisioned a greater Ijebuland devoid of rancor and division. I envisioned a well developed Ijebuland. Although, we are not there yet, I can tell you that we are making steady progress.
What is your happiest moment after 54 years on the throne and what are the challenges?
I have had so many challenges; I cannot remember all of them. No matter the situation you are bound to face challenges. It is the normal trend in life. No matter how big or small you are, having challenges is inevitable. I give thanks to God for His grace that saw me through these challenges.
Over the years so many good things have happened. The most important thing is to thank God for His grace because He has really been helpful to me.
You ascended the throne at 26, did you not feel that you were being denied your youth by being saddled with such a huge responsibility?
It is a thing of honour to be called upon to serve your people. Don't forget that I was not the only one nominated for the throne but for me to be the one that was eventually picked was for me a thing of joy and honour. So, the issue of feeling that I was going to lose anything did not occur to me. I felt honoured to be called upon by my people to be their leader. That is why I resolved right from the outset that I would give my best to my people.
It is a privilege when you are called to serve. And in that situation what you do is to pray to God. One of those things that can make you to be successful is when you serve the people honestly. With that, God will assist you.
It appears that other Yoruba ethnic groups are skeptical about the Ijebu. Even now, some communities will frown at one of their own getting married to an Ijebu man or woman. Why is that so?
It is borne out of envy. The Ijebu are businessmen and women, so they are usually wealthy. It is because of this that the Ijebu are envied because they can afford the good things of life. If you see anyone who speaks ill about the Ijebu, it is because of inferiority complex, the Ijebu are the best crop of people you can find around.
How do you cater for family needs despite your huge responsibilities as a paramount ruler? What is the relationship between you and other rulers in Ijebu in terms of separation of powers?
With regards to family, there is division of labour. The wives are there to take care of domestic issues. There is no way my official duties can stop my domestic responsibilities. There is no conflict at all and everything is working perfectly.
Now between myself and the other obas, there is unity and friendship among us. And I want to tell you, Ijebu is a very monolithic community unlike what happens elsewhere. If you go to Ekiti, they are different. In Abeokuta, you have Ake, Owu, Oke Ona etc but Ijebu is different. We are one. There is no Ijebu oba that will be installed without passing through this palace.
To show you the friendship among the obas, you have other Ijebu obas here today. And what you see here is found among our people. All our towns and villages are the same. There is peace, unity and progress.
Among other obas you were young, how did you command respect?
Age is one thing, office is another thing. For example, if you put a man of 10 years as president of Nigeria, that is his office, but his level of intelligence is another. But the office is intact and he will be held in high esteem in the society because of the office he holds.
Therefore if you put a man of 20 years as governor of Ogun State, and you put a man of 90 yrs as governor of Zamfara State, it is still governor versus governor.
However, there should be mutual respect and understanding. Irrespective of age, one requirement of leadership that I know is wisdom. Of course you have people around you; advisers and all who can influence you. But if you yourself are wise, you will always weigh whatever advice you get, and ask which one is better.
Let me cite an example. On Tuesday, April 5, 1960, shortly after I was crowned, I attended a meeting of the Western Region House of Chiefs. At that meeting some obas and chiefs nominated me to be the president of the House. I was 26 years of age and a new king; there were much older and more experienced obas in attendance, yet, I was considered fit by some of my colleagues to be the leader. So, really it is not about age but what the individual can do.
What is your view on corruption?
It is not only when you give money for a favour that you are corrupt. When you do injustice that is also corruption. If I give you a story and you don't write it until I give you money, it is corruption. Therefore, when you talk of corruption, it is not only money, it goes beyond that. There is corruption in every area of our lives and that is why we must be careful. If you do injustice because you like my face it is corruption. If you do it because you don't like my face it is corruption. This country is blessed with leaders that are corrupt.
Therefore, we must pray to God. This country is very rich. It has everything and we must pray to God to help us. Until we have dealt with corruption, we cannot develop. When you take money before you vote it is corruption. If you give or take a bribe you are corrupt.
If our electorate take money before they vote, they mortgage their destiny and the future of their children. This is the greatest problem in the country. And that is why we are not making any headway. It is only God that can deliver us. This is the greatest problem this country has. It is so endemic and pervasive, from top to bottom. Everywhere you find it, even obas are not exempted!
In the past, the Ijebu had a strong economic base. How are you mobilising Ijebu in this direction now?
The Ijebu are not farmers; we are commercially oriented. In every sector of commerce, we are very functional. But having said that, you have to appreciate our present circumstances. If you come out today and say you want to set up a company, there are some processes you will go through. They will ask you for tax clearance. Can you imagine, tax clearance for a company you have not yet formed!
Two, if you are going to secure loans, they will put in conditions that will obstruct your path. This is not right. I think government should go out of its way to support every investor. They should give them special incentives to set up industries, not putting obstacles in their way.
This is the worst problem we have now in this country. The moment you make an application for something in an office, you go there several times, you keep calling their numbers, no head or tail, they push you up and down; they are not helpful at all.
This attitude has to change. It is not that people are not willing to set up companies to create employment opportunities for our teeming youth, the problem is that government agencies have installed roadblocks that make it difficult for industrialists to set up companies. The government has to deliberately put in place structures that will facilitate setting up of companies in all parts of the country.
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