AN OPEN LETTER TO THE OLUWO OF IWOLAND by Oguntola M. Oyeniyi

His Imperial Majesty, Oba Abdulrasheed Adewale Akanbi, Ilufemiloye Telu 1, let me first of all rejoice with you and congratulate you on the occasion of your 52nd birthday anniversary, I am doubtless that even as a paramount ruler of National significance and repute, your best years are still ahead of you, the least of what I bid you is longevity in life, Happy Birthday and many happy returns sir.

Sir, for minutes, I was in quagmire as to whether I should proceed or halt penning this open letter to you, my initial indecision on this piece is not borne out of fear of been attacked or insulted by your usual self recruited overzealous army of admirers and ardent supporters, neither does it stem out of fear of falling out of your own good book, it was rather for the fear of falling, yet again, out of peace with my mum who would rather have me keep mute on issue of National, State or Local significance that could cause uproar on social media. Of course as you may also know, I am also one of your pronounced admirers, my problem, however, is the refusal to be a praise singer head or tail.

Kabiesi sir, taking you back the memory lane when you were still a Prince moving about lobbying for the ascension of the throne of your forefathers, I was one of your earliest young ‘friends’ who believed and keyed into your project, we became so connected and close, the love and respect I have for you grew with days and you reciprocate it in no small measure. I am someone who thinks critically and secure personal conviction before posting anything on social media, that is why when I post, I don’t care whose ox is gored and I don’t care about the resulting consequences, no matter how dire it is. So it will take something extraordinary or request from someone I hold in high esteem to bring down any of my social media posts. Throughout my life, I have had to delete my social media posts only twice, one of those at your behest, it was in 2015 while still a Prince, I posted a piece criticizing the then Governor Aregbesola, you called in almost immediately from Canada explaining to me why I should never have done that, I gave you my reasons why I feel what I did was right, after several minutes of argument and counter-argument, we reached a parley and I promised to pull it down as a mark of respect for you, which I did almost immediately, this you may have forgotten, but I do hope you recollect as you read this.

Again in 2017/2018 sir during the course of your very fierce battle with Hon. Toogun who happens to be my dad, as tough as those months were between you two, not once did I talk ill of you either publicly or privately with anyone, neither did I attack or talk back at any of your foot soldiers, who certainly you did not recruit to do the hatchet job, but who were throwing all sorts of insults, tantrum and curses at my dad as a way of pledging their loyalty and support for you, as a matter of fact, those times were the moment I flaunt your pictures the most on social media. I did not say a word on the issue or attack your said foot soldiers, not because I was short of word, but because I do not know how I can say anything without desecrating the stool of the Oluwo and the personality of Oba Adewale Akanbi whom I hold in high esteem. I recalled an incidence that happened one day during that time, my dad came home visibly angry, he summoned a meeting of the trio of himself, I and my mum and was very furious with me that I have, despite my ever presence on social media, not say a word in support of him or at least debunk many of the false accusations that has been reeled out by those attacking him, specifically, I recalled he angrily said “I know if you are asked to choose between me and Oluwo, you will choose Oluwo”, I did not say a word throughout the period he used in letting out his anger and I did not apologize to him because I did not even feel there’s a need to do so, he although may have said it out of anger, but if truly I was boxed into a corner where I have no other option than to choose who to support between the two at that particular time, Oluwo would be my pick, that is how much I love and respect you.

Another instance was the 2018 FILSU National election where I was a Presidential candidate, as the father of all, the expectations were that you’ll be neutral to all parties involved in the election and only mediate objectively where necessary, the opposite was however the case, I couldn’t ascertain if you backed any candidate, I can however confirm your insistence on anybody but ME for the union top seat as a way of punishing my dad, an ‘arobafin’ as at the time the conflict between you two was still in top gear, throughout those challenging period, I did not say any desecrating word against your personality also as a sign of love and respect for you until when the election process was concluded. Two weeks after, all the grudges I held against you became a thing of past without been talked to by anyone and I again made that public through a piece I posted on Facebook. I only got to see you 8-month after that election, your words and body language that afternoon sounds very remorseful and apologetic for something that happened 8-month ago, if there was anything that shot up the love, admiration and respect I have for you, it was that singular act.

Sir, I highlighted these 3 instances among several others to show to you that this piece bears no negative thought, no ill feeling and no string attached, but rather purely and solely borne out of love, mutual respect and admiration for you. I also appeal to you to take every word contain herein as that of a son to father humble and respectful advice.

As Winston Churchill puts it, “Truth is incontrovertible, panic may resent it, ignorance may deride it, malice may distort it, but there it is”. That Iwo has not been the same positively since you came on board with the help of your various developmental stride in an incontrovertible truth, for those who are not of Iwo extraction that may be reading, let me reel out few developmental initiatives of the Oluwo in the space of four years:

  1. Creation of Food and Clothing banks to assist the less privileged in shelter and feeding.
  2. Time to time rehabilitation of important roads in Iwo to ease commuters affairs
  3. Annual Telu Children Day celebration with distribution of gifts and prizes
  4. Constant and time to time visitation to compound houses to relate with people, feel their pulse and provide immediate succor
  5. Provision of 1 billion naira (not sure) worth medical equipment and facilities to our hospitals
  6. Oluwo is also a LinkedIn or job creation magnate of sort as he has secured jobs for scores of people as well as empowering so many others.

All of these and many more are the interventions of Oluwo within the space of just 4-year. Perhaps, one other thing I cherish about the Oluwo is his accommodating spirit and his easy assessability, the Oluwo’s palace is open at every point in time to all and sundry regardless of your tribe, religion, political belief and social status. In many occasions, I have linked people (indigenes and non-indigene alike) seeking for help or otherwise directly with the Oluwo, sometimes I give out his WhatsApp line without his consent for people to chat with him directly, and the feedback has always been heartwarming. In fact, sometimes, in the midst of my friends, I have had to put a call or WhatsApp text through to Oluwo for no other reason other than to show-off and never has Oluwo disappointed, his reply is in fact always spontaneous which makes people around me to be surprised as to how such leader still exist in a clime where rulers and leaders are demi-gods who cannot grant ordinary people audience…

These and many more are the beautiful sides of the Oluwo that people may never get to read on social media, but again it is also an incontrovertible truth that the leadership style of the Oluwo in the last 4-year has been largely uninspiring and tumultuous, there’s perhaps no month in the last 4-year that Iwo has not been in the news for certainly the negative reason and disgraceful controversies, we certainly can do better sir.

Telu sir, in the space of 4 years, you have had spat with political leaders and followers across party lines, traditional rulers both in and outside your domain, spat with students, market leaders, palace chiefs, community groups and leaders, government functionaries and dozens of eminent individuals. There’s perhaps no one who was your friend 4-year ago that you have not fought at one particular point in time or the other, it certainly cannot be these people’s fault all the time. In just 4-year, we have had to deal with controversies on issues of not observing kingship full rites, crowning of the Olori, leading Muslim prayers, picking up the Emir title, picking up the Emperor title, changing of the fixed Iwo Day date, public face-off with the Ooni of Ife and recently alleged entrance denial to the VIP portion of the Eagle Square on Democracy day and the Iwo Central Mosque uproar to mention but a few. Whether false or true, I will not go into any of the above-listed issues for 2 reasons; it belongs to the past and cannot be helped, and secondly; it is not within the purview of this piece. I am rather concerned about how we can do better going forward.

Sir, if your position as the Oluwo of Iwoland land is an elective one, you would by now be rounding up on your first term in office and working towards a re-election, assessing the last 4-year in preparation for another term in office, do you in all sincerity think you will garner enough numbers and enough support of the power brokers to secure a re-election? Kabiesi sir, if your answer to this imagination is a No or anywhere near been in doubt, then, it may be time to sit back and reflect.

Kabiesi sir, let me respectfully again take you back the memory lane. In 1948, during the successful reign of Oba Adesoji Aderemi as the Ooni of Ife, the “Egbe Omo Ibile Ife” led by Victor Aderotimi and 2 others and secretly backed by Fani Kayode among others constituted a menace to the peaceful life of the people of the Ife community, aiming at blackmailing the Ooni, Oba Aderemi, and trying to bring his administration down, some of the wrongdoings they accused Oba Aderemi of was to question him on levies on citizens, they also criticized the salary grade of the Ooni as at that time as being too high compared to the chiefs low income even when the situation was not Ooni’s doing, neither were the Chiefs complaining. The “Egbe Omo Ibile Ife” war on Ooni was certainly political as they also criticized his private business activities, this turbulent moment reached it’s peak when with the Aderawo Forest Reserve issue, the Ife natural forest reserve with many types of timber trees was a property of the royalty, the then Ooni, the reserve was legally procured and backed up legally

Oba Aderemi throughout this trying times remains undaunted and unruffled, but despite his traditional clout, financial prowess and political power and connections, he never descended and use his power to suppress his subjects. In fact, when asked as at that time about his views on the attack he was receiving from the group, he said “it was customary for all societies to offer him advice and criticism” which he said had guided him. The “Egbe Omo Ibile Ife” however charged the Ooni to court accusing him of profiteering on the property owned by the town, they won at the Supreme Court, but Oba Aderemi with Chief Rotimi Williams as his lawyer approached the Privy Council, the then highest court in Nigeria to seek redress on the Supreme Court verdict which they won. Surprisingly even after winning the legal tussle on the ownership of the reserve, Oba Aderemi on his free will surrendered the Forest Reserve to permit peace to reign in his domain. What I want to bring out of this is that nothing is actually too big to give in or give out for the sake of peace, tranquillity and stability, Agba ma n gba n kan mora ni Kabiesi.

Your Majesty, I also respectfully beseech you to desist from using cruel and unsavoury words on any of your subjects, apart from the fact that you are not an ordinary mortal and anything you say may come to pass, when you are in a bad mood, as you will have many times to change your mood, but you may never get the opportunity to take back your words. I understand that, sometimes some of these things are not about you because a leader, no matter how good must have problem with the subjects, but all these tantrum and furore can be better managed by you even if you are the one on the right path. Also, kindly try to consider things from other people points of view

Your Highness sir, when you are loosing old friends, it is time to reflect.
When your subjects are becoming your woes, it is time to reflect.
When you are always in the news for the wrong reason, it is time to reflect
When litigations are coming from all angles when you are not a politician, it is time to reflect.
When you are on the side of the minority, it is time to reflect. Even if you are in the majority, reflect.

Baba mi sir, in social, political and traditional life, perfection is an ideal; it is to be pursued but not to be realised. You are also a human, susceptible to mistake and errors, infallible and doesn’t know it all, it is not your making, it is what makes us human being. No one is asking for perfection from you, but you certainly can do better.

May I end this lengthy piece with Xi Zhi quote “You should examine yourself daily, if you find fault, you should correct them, if you find none, you should try harder”

You have the assurance of my profound and highest form of regard, loyalty, support, admiration and love at all time!

(148)

Donate to osun.life Good journalism costs a lot of money. Yet only good journalism can ensure the possibility of a good society, an accountable democracy, and a transparent government. For continued free access to the best investigative journalism in Osun State, we ask you to consider making a modest support to our efforts towards a just and equitable society in Osun State. DONATE NOW

Are you an indigene or resident of Osun? Click to join our WhatsApp group and receive instant news alerts JOIN NOW

To share a story on osun.life: CLICK