By Banji Ayoola
The Olowu of Kuta in Ayedire Local Government Area of Osun State, Oba Adekunle Oyelude, popularly called Makama, has recorded what would perhaps remain as his most outstanding achievement, by facilitating the completion of the age long bridge over Osun River to link Kuta, Ikoyi and Ede communities, and thus open them to the world. The bridge, which had for over 500 years perplexed the forefathers of the communities’ traditional rulers and people and retarded their socioeconomic development, was completed recently by the Nigerian Army through the royal father’s robust relationship with the Army and particularly the Chief of Army Staff, COAS, Gen Tukur Buratai. The communities are preparing for the commissioning of the Bridge, as if they are doing for a festival. In this interview, Oba Oyelude on behalf of the communities, paid glowing tributes to Buratai and the Army he leads for breaking the age long jinx, and for the commendable sacrifice they are making to keep Nigeria one. Besides, he spoke of other interesting issues. The royal father spoke in his magnificent palace on August 19 with Banji Ayoola of The Radiance. Excerpts:
Kabiyesi, we say congratulations on the completion of the Osun Bridge. But before we go to that Sir, how has it been staying on the throne of your forefathers all along?
To God be the glory, we give thanks to God and our ancestors. There are ups and downs; I believe my subjects would be in the best position to tell you the general overall assessment; but I think it has all been good.
At your coronation eight years ago, you said you wanted to make Kuta a new London. How far has it been?
My proclamation then was that this is new Kuta, Kuta tuntun; that the Kuta tuntun of my dream would be a mini London. And a mini London: turning an ancient community into a mini London is not a day journey. We are on it, and we are achieving it gradually. Like where you are interviewing me now. This used to be igbo igbale then. Over 500 years ago, it had existed as igbo igbale. But now you are seeing a magnificent palace that can compare with any other palace in this country. That is what you would find here. That is a mini zoo by the other side of the palace. And I can assure you that we are getting to the dream and destination of mini London.
Your forefathers were warriors; and this could be seen in the seal and all the art works decorating your palace. How do you feel being son of a warrior?
With all modesty, I feel sense of pride, having been an Owu monarch. First and foremost, I am an Owu son, Owu prince, then an offspring of Akindele Anlugbua the great Owu warrior. So I feel sense of pride.
Kabiyesi, among the royal fathers in the country, you are foremost as a supporter of the Nigerian army. What led to this?
Foremost and perhaps one of the vociferous traditional rulers in the country supporting and advocating for massive support for the Nigerian Army in particular. I am proud to be doing that and I would continue to do that because I believe that the Nigerian Armed Forces, the Nigerian Army in particular, are doing much and they are getting less support, most especially from fathers of the nation like ours. Any support that comes from the palace is an unusual quarter to the Nigerian Army. I would continue to do that. They are doing a lot of work, keeping the nation together. They deprive themselves of sleeping so that we can sleep. They deprive themselves of so many things so that the country can remain whole; and they are doing that while the country all we keep doing is castigating and criticizing them.
And the Army of today under the leadership of Gen Tukur Buratai is different from the Army of those days when we were in the military regime. The Army of today knows nothing other than one united Nigeria. We are overstretching them and we are still complaining while they are not complaining.
If you look at their funding, their funding is the lowest compared to the committee of nations. An analyst did something on Channels Television of recent, a week ago. He said the funding of the Nigerian Army, even now that we are in a war situation, is $12 per personnel. And we expect them to perform magic. The magic cannot come so close like that. What we have now is a highly mobile and professional Army; and they are doing their best to keep the country together.
Could you comment on the way they have been handling the Boko Haram and other insurgency problems?
I want to give great kudos to our Armed Forces, the Nigerian Army in particular because the mandate given to them is very wide and large. They are performing wonders under an excruciating situation. Insurgency or terrorism warfare is not a conventional warfare that you see who you are fighting. And there is no country that has ever been involved in insurgency or counter terrorism warfare that gets it right. I believe that though Nigerians are not being appreciative today, soonest, they would be appreciative of Gen Tukur Buratai because the Nigerian Army have successfully degraded Boko Haram to the extent that what they have now are pockets of soft targets. If you remove the political aspect that the North east leaders are putting into it, I think our Army has done the country proud.
You are close to Gen Ibrahim Babangida. Could you speak more on his personality and your relationship with him?
Gen Babangida is like a father to me; and his personality is obvious. Everybody knows that we don’t need to belabor ourselves. He is a pan Africanist, highly detribalised elder-statesman. Luckily for me, Gen Babangida created my state out of Oyo State, like he did in so many other places. He created Katsina. He created Osun where I hail from. So he is a pan Africanist. He is a highly detribalised leader, a passionate leader who believes in the entity called Nigeria.
You once described the Owu people of the Yoruba race as the Israelites of Africa…
I said we are the Jews of Nigeria.
How?
This is because you find us scattered all over. No matter how small an Owu stead or community is, you still find one powerful person there that you cannot do without. That is how the Jews are all over the world. After the holocaust, the Jews scattered all over; and after the Yoruba internecine war in 1820, Owu scattered all over. And today, you could hardly attain any height or do anything good without the involvement of an Owu son or daughter in this country.
Could you speak more on that?
I am an Owu person. I am an Owu Oba. The GSM you are using to transmit your information was made possible in Nigeria by an Owu general, who was our former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo. GTB Bank was started by an Owu son, Aderinokun. The likes of Adekunle Ojora are Owus; the Babalakins are Owus. We have many Owus that are contributing to nation building, that one way or the other you find that you cannot do anything successfully without the involvement of Owu. So that’s why I said that we are the Jews of this country.
What is happening within this Owu Dynasty?
Nothing is happening other than unity, cohesion. We are united now than those days. We meet quarterly and annually we have a large gathering of all Owu sons and daughters for two days. We call it Owu National Convention. We have an umbrella body that unites us. It is known as Royal Union of Owu People (RUOP). That body is headed by the former Governor of old Ondo State, Gen Ekundayo Opaleye. We hold meeting from one Owu community to the other, we rotate it. So we are united.
Altogether, you are about?
We are almost 27 communities.
What are the main challenges presiding over the Kingdom of your forefathers?
Changing people is the most difficult thing. You can change an animal. If you get an instructor, you say this is how you want your animal to behave and it would behave like that. But changing people, orientation and concept has always been a problem generally because some people still believe that they have to do things the old way. Yes, as traditional rulers, we are being enthroned to preserve culture and tradition. But we have to conform to modernity; and we have to move with the pace of time. In the past, people didn’t like coming home. We have sons and daughters of Kuta who are doing well in Iwo, Ibadan, Osogbo, England, Abuja, all over. But by coming home they believe they would be killed by witches and wizards. But we are here. No withes and wizards kill anybody. Few days ago, I flew my family from Badagry down here in the palace with helicopters. Witches and wizards did not kill them. So I use that to encourage others to come. The challenges have been let our sons and daughters, our kith and kin believe in their ancestral place because if you don’t come here while you are alive, we would reject your corpse if you die. We would just send the corpse back to where you contributed to. Those are the challenges.
How have your subjects, your sons and daughters living outside your domain been reacting to these your positive moves?
Most of them are happy. They believe they have never had it so good. You know I am a direct descendant. My forefathers founded the town. My great grandfather became a king, Tegbo. After that, my grandfather became a king. I am lucky to be a direct descendant of the Tegbos. I am Tegbosun the Third. So with what God has been using me to do, my subjects are full of gratitude to God. They can only pray for longevity of life from God. But I have created a history, and we are still creating.
There is an age long agitation on the Bridge. Over 500 years, my forefathers, and Kabiyesi Timi of Ede’s forefathers had been looking at it so that we would have a road network that links us; but the Osun River has been the barrier. Before the colonial era, they had been on it. But to God be the glory, our relationship with the Nigerian Army and the Chief of Army Staff, God has used Gen Buratai to become a jinx breaker. The bridge has been completed fully. Our able governor also has promised now that he is doing the road. Like I told Gen Buratai that he has given me retirement and pension because the day I was enthroned, before my community said a pregnant woman would deliver well, aboyun ile a bi were, agan a towo ala b’osun, the first thing they said was that l’asiko tiyin, oju ona Ede a lo. And it has gone. It’s a fulfilled mission.
So if God gives me a hundred years more alive, my people in Kuta are not expecting me to do any other thing. What they want me to do, what all my forefathers had not been able to do, I have done it. So if I do any other thing it is an addendum. I can pick my brief case and say I am going on holiday; I am going to Canada, Eskimos, or anywhere in the world. I have fulfilled the mission of New Kuta. The aspiration of my forefathers that they were unable to fulfill, I have fulfilled it.
The reactions of your subjects, your sons and daughters nationwide and worldwide have been electrifying…
Oh! It’s marvelous because they didn’t believe it could come this time around. They didn’t believe. Their fathers and forefathers had been contributing money and manpower to do it manually, but despite that, it didn’t materialise. Now without anybody contributing a penny the bridge has been completed.
And the second phase of the Bridge issue which is the road?
The Governor, Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola promised me a few days ago and he broke the news to me by himself. Mr. Governor told me: “Kabiyesi, I have directed the Ministry of Works to go and evaluate and see how we can do that road immediately.
And when is the commissioning of the Bridge?
It is the Army Headquarters that would give us a date. It would be soonest. We would get you notified.
How did you convince the military to even go into this project?
It is God.
Could we know your relationship with the military?
My relationship with the military is like father to son. The military is an institution and a father of the nation like every other traditional ruler should also be a father. So I identify with them while many others turn their back on them. I identify with them and I believe that they are one of the vital institutions to be identified with. The relationship has been robust.
Could you give us the story behind your additional name, Makama, and the meaning?
That’s the name of my guardian in the North. It appears in most of my credentials. So I see no reason to remove it. As you are aware, an outsider cannot be enthroned as a monarch in Yorubaland. The name issue came up while the Governor wanted to approve my selection as a traditional ruler in the State Executive Council then, then Governor Raji Aregbesola. The Secretary to the State Government placed a call to me and said: “We are in the Council, we are in Exco. The Governor is about to sign your nomination as a traditional ruler in the Exco; but he said the name Makama should be struck out.” I said “Okay, so be it. So it now remained Oba Hammed Adekunle Oyelude, Tegbosun the Third.” But after enthronement, the first time I would visit the Governor to pay him a thank you visit, he was the first one that said: “Ha, Baba Makama!” I said: “Your Excellency, but you removed it.” He said: “I don’t want it to be on record that I approved an Oba with a foreign name.” I said: “Well.” But he has been calling me Makama since then. We give God the glory.
Who is Oba Adekunle Oyelude?
Oba Adekunle Oyelude is an Owu Kuta born king; someone that does not believe no for an answer; someone that is so passionate about this tiny community but mighty in nature; someone that believes that Kuta could attain the pace which he dreamed of, that is becoming a small London. He is someone that is so open and friendly. He is someone that believes in the instrumentality of the traditional institution; and he is someone that believes in polygamy among traditional rulers; and he is someone that is so passionate about Kuta.
Your professional background?
I am a civil engineer by training.
Do you have some messages for your subjects?
My message for my subject is that this is New Kuta. I want them to look back home; most of them that are not even up to tenants in Lagos or elsewhere but back home they are landlords, they should come back home. A lot of good things are happening at home. They should come back home. Let’s build the New Kuta of our dream together. As a leader, I am leading by example every day. I am contributing financially to this community on daily basis, like no other is doing. And I know that my subjects are capable. They should look back home.
Your further comments?
My further comment is that may God continue to abide by all of us. May God give our military the strength and the courage to continue keeping the country one.
Thank you Sir.
Thank you.
