An Ode for Ohworode at 99
It is a brand new year for everybody, including his Royal Majesty, Ovie Richard Layeguen Ogbon, Oghoro Ogoni 1, the Ohworode of Olomu Kingdom, Delta State. But beyond the joy of the New Year, the Ohworode has other things to thank God for: on January 20, 2015, he will be 99 years on mother earth in a country where the life expectancy for men is 54 years. That is monumental. Four days before his birthday, the Urhobo Social Club, Lagos, a foremost association of Urhobo sons in Lagos, will hold a grand reception for the monarch at the Palace Ground in Ogoni-Olomu, Ughelli South Local Government Area. The reception, which will be under the chairmanship of the President General of Olomu Kingdom, Olorogun Moses Taiga, is in recognition of the quality leadership of the monarch not only in his Kingdom, but also in Urhobo land and Delta State in general, according to the president of the club, Chief Simeon Ohwofa.
Lending his voice, the chairman of the reception committee, Olorogun Edoreh Agbah said, “Urhobo Social Club is a proactive body that believes in celebrating our heroes while they are alive. Beyond his sterling leadership qualities, God has blessed the Ohworode with healthy body and mind. At almost 99, the Ohworode still reads without glasses and travels all over the world unaccompanied.”
We spoke with the revered monarch in his palace to find out the secret of his longevity. Hear him: “First and foremost, the secret is God Almighty; it is a special gift from God to be alive till this moment. I cannot say because I am a king, hence I have long life…I take good care of myself, I don’t eat anyhow, I regulate whatever I eat…I neither smoked nor took alcoholic drinks right from my youth. I try to avoid all forms of stress by not overreaching myself in achieving a lot. I don’t compete or compare myself with others, because I know all that I will achieve in life is not by my strength but by the mercies and favour of God. That is why I sleep like a baby all the time; I do not need sleeping pills to be able to sleep soundly.”
The monarch is also a canon of the Anglican Communion, Ughelli Diocese, Delta State, the only royal canon worldwide. How does he combine his priesthood with his royalty and attendant traditional practices? “It is not easy as a Christian to combine Christianity with a monarchy that has existed for hundreds of years. The fact is that most of my predecessors were not Christians. God knows, of course, that right from 1936 at the age of 20 when I converted to Christianity, I have remained steadfast in all Christian activities. I endeavor, by God’s grace, to avoid anything pertaining to idolatry. I do not take part in them.
“Many people in Olomu kingdom know that I am a Christian to the core, a practising Christian at that, in the Anglican Communion and also a communicant. So, when I became the King of Olomu kingdom I had serious confrontation because of my activities in the church vis-a-vis reigning over the kingdom. In Olomu Kingdom, we have an ancestral father whose festival is celebrated every 10 to 20 years, but nowadays it is celebrated within three to five years, and that ancestral father is known as Igboze. During the celebration of Igboze festival, a special animal (a cow) is used for the sacrifices and it is the traditional ruler that fixes the date for the festival, and the special animal (a cow) is always kept in the palace of the Owhorode (king).
“When I became the king, the urge to get me into doing this was very high, but I told them I do not participate in idolatry, so they had to do it themselves. Not only that after the cow is slaughtered, the waste was given to the tradition ruler. In 1989, when the cow was slaughtered for the sacrifices, my people and the Igboze priest tried to pressurize me into accepting the waste of the cow, but I told them I would not take it and be part and parcel of the feast. They even wanted me to attend the festival, but I did not go and at the end of it I was summoned to explain why I failed to eat the meat and participate in the Igboze festival.
“They were not satisfied with my explanation and position; the priest took a decision that I should be dethroned. By then, I had conferred chieftaincy titles on a good number of sons and daughters of the kingdom, so they went to court to ensure that I was removed from the throne and also nullify the chieftaincy titles I had conferred. The struggle was very tough. Many of the pagans boasted that unless they were dead, I would never be king again. The case dragged on from 1998 till 2011 in the high court and with God on my side, the case was decided in my favour. The court ruled that they had no power to remove me from the stool, that even if it were to be done, the governor alone could not do it; the state executive had to be involved. So at last I was victorious. Today, there is relatively peace; nobody comes to me to be part of rituals anymore.” The Ohworode was born into the family of Akpoduado Ogbon on January 20, 1917. He started school at age 19 in CMS Central School, Okpare-Olomu. In 1948, he gained admission into St. Michael’s Teacher Training College, Oleh, Isoko South Local Government Area, Delta State. He continued his teacher’s training at St. Mark’s Teacher Training College, Awka, Anambra State, in 1952. He was also at Rural Education College, Anwai, Asaba and Headmaster’s Institute, Benin, an affiliate of the University of Ibadan.
All through his formal education, the leadership qualities of the future King of Olomu Kingdom were manifest. No wonder he held various positions: At Okpare, he was general leader; at Oleh, he was the senior prefect; he was assistant sexton and minister of supplies at Awka; social organizer in Anwai and assistant head of house B in Benin.
Ohworode is a teacher through and through. He started work as a primary school teacher on January 1, 1944 and retired as a principal assistant education officer on December 31, 1980. While in service, he was financial secretary of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), Sapele Branch and President of NUT, Burutu Branch, at various times, among other positions, assignments and responsibilities. Towards the tail end of his teaching career, he founded the Okurame Farmer’s Multi-Purpose Co-operative Society in Ogoni-Olomu. He was also involved in many other endeavours.
On March 12, 1988, he was installed and crowned as the 12th Ohworode of Olomu Kingdom. Over the years, he has brought his enormous intellect and wisdom to bear in the affairs of not only Olomu kingdom, but Urhoboland and Delta State in general. He is currently the Chairman of Urhobo Traditional Rulers Council. Before then, he was spokesman and treasurer of the forum.
The Ohworode has been an active member of the Anglican Communion for the past 78 years. Between 1955 and 1965, he was a member of the Warri Archdeaconry Education Board; member, Urhobo Archdeaconry Education Board from 1965 to 1969 and Anglican Synod Delegate of Benin Diocese from 1963 to 1976. He was also Ex-officio Synod Delegate, Warri Diocese, from 1981 to 1988 and Bishop’s nominee and Ex-officio Delegate from 1988 till date.
He is a recipient of many awards among which is the Officer of the Order of the Niger, conferred on him by former President Goodluck Jonathan on September 29, 2014.
Among his hobbies are reading, collection of Urhobo proverbs and travelling. On January 20, 2017, the Ohworode will be become a centenarian. What a day that would be. The bible talks about a lifespan of 70 years and 80 years for the very strong. At 99, and still going strong both in mind and body, the Ohworode is extra-ordinarily blessed.
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