The amazing thing that happened to me when I became Oba – Oluwo of Iwo
We need to upgrade our culture. There has never been a festival from Africa that has been celebrated like Christmas and Sallah. Where is our own glory? We need to create one
The Oluwo of Iwo land, Oba Abdul-Rasheed Adewale Akanbi, Telu I is a paramount monarch in Osun State. He is known to have no hold backs when it comes to issues concerning the nation. The 51-year-old monarch shared his thoughts on some issues affecting the country.
Can you share with us a bit of your early days?
I was born into a royal family. My father was an insurance broker and growing up, I didn’t know too much about royalty. But I know in Iwo, no prince or princess attached that title to his or her name. But my father attached that title to his name. We were living in Ibadan at that time in an upscale area and he was doing great, he has all these cushions that you put your legs on and his name was boldly written: ‘Prince Kolawole Adeyemi Akanbi, famously called Prince Kola Akanbi.’ I didn’t really know much about kingship, that if your father is a prince, you can also be a prince. Growing up, at the age of three, I was already telling them I’m the Oluwo of Iwo and people started making fun of me.
After my education in Nigeria, I travelled overseas where I lived in the late 1980s and early 1990s, which helped me to learn a lot about different people and cultures. Our culture is one of the best ever seen, especially the Yoruba culture.
Did you ever think you would become the Oluwo?
Yes, a long time ago because of all the signs from my parents. But I forgot about it because of struggles in life. But then before I came to the throne, I got signs, direct signs to me personally from Allah, telling me that it was time for me to get up and go lead my people. When I came back, I told everybody I was going to become king. There was a transformation that happened the day I was enthroned; it was like I was given another soul. I last visited Iwo in 1981. Before I became the king, when I spoke Yoruba, people would think I was from the East, South-East or from the South-South. But the day I became king, people who knew me were amazed with the kind of Yoruba I was speaking and they asked, ‘where did you learn this Yoruba?’ because it became very deep. I can tell stories of the old. I use Yoruba history of the past to resolve issues.
Speaking about Yoruba history, there isn’t much documentation…
Yes, our history is not written and that’s one of our major problems. We didn’t have a written history till the 1900s. Most of our history is oral. So if you want to see anything of the past and you want to relate it to the present, then you have to see the history of the people of the books such as the Bible and the Qur’an.
I thank God that I have been given this privilege to know the history.
We need to upgrade our culture. There has never been a festival from Africa that has been celebrated like Christmas and Sallah. Where is our own glory? We need to create one. Why can’t we celebrate the Sango, Queen Amina of Zazzau, Queen luwo Gbagida and their likes? I don’t call them Gods, I call them legends and heroes because they were also humans when alive. A culture that is not upgraded will go into extinction. We need to celebrate our heroes in a very colourful way.
What’s your take on traditional institution and politics?
Kings have to be in politics and so does everybody else, regardless of what you think about it. Politicians are people that you can’t really trust but then as a father, who has the best interest of his community and the nation, one has to be involved.
I consider myself a king over a nation. Anything that happens in Kano, affects me because if there’s insecurity there, if an investor is coming from overseas and asks at the embassy how Nigeria is, they won’t ask how is Iwo? There are many embassies that I know that have put Nigeria at the highrisk position of you come at your own risk. It affects me as well. So traditional rulers have to get up and become part of politics especially when it has to do with security of lives and property of subjects.
How do you think traditional rulers can help in the fight against corruption?
We need to educate our children and tell them about the past when there was no corruption. Now our children just see Shoprite and movie theaters. We used to have one in Ibadan, Lagos, Zaria, Kano and other places back in the days.
For the corruption fight, it will not take a day or four years. It will take more years but it has begun and everybody should join the train. Nigerians are ignorant most especially the young ones. They don’t want to listen. They want to be rich without climbing the ladder. They want to be politicians so that they can steal. If Buhari can forgive all the people who have wronged the country then we can all move on. I think Buhari should call a conference of all politicians and past leaders and advise them to unite for the love of the country. He can appeal to them to bring some money back, because we need to move on and let go with the persecutions and move on from there on clean slate. Also, the police should also be well paid. The police and other security personnel should be paid a minimum of N150, 000 to N200, 000. Security should be well funded.
You’re a devoted religious leader and people would ask: doesn’t this contradict the belief that traditional rule naturally comes with worshipping idols?
That was misplaced. Obas should not be worshipping idols. Obas are the heads and they shouldn’t worship the legs. The kings before didn’t know that Oduduwa himself only worshipped Oludumare (Alfa and Omega). Oduduwa never brought any deity to any Oba in Yoruba land. And that’s why I said I challenge any Oba in history to bring me the deity that Oduduwa worshipped. And that day, I will dethrone myself. Because what Oduduwa brought was the religion of peace and love. Oduduwa knows only what we call one God today. And that’s the same relationship with Islam and Christianity. Oduduwa doesn’t know Ogun or Sango.
Are there perceptions about the throne that you have changed or are trying to change?
Yes. That’s what we’re doing now. We’re tackling corruption the same way Buhari is tackling it. I have started with the crusade of fighting corruption in our traditional and cultural systems. Our culture is not moving because it is steered by corruption. So all those rituals and killings of human beings all around are what we need to take out.