Youthful looking traditional ruler of Oke Ila Orangun Osun State, Oba Adedokun Abolarin, is a modern day monarch in every sense of the word. He had trained as a lawyer and built a career in the legal profession before he became the Personal Assistant on Political Affairs to former Senate President Anyim Pius Anyim. Then he got a call from his kinsmen in Ila Orangun to return home and become their monarch. The self-confessed lover of R&B music told PAUL UKPABIO the events that culminated in his emergence as a royal father, why he has not given up on style and why he still teaches History and Government in secondary school even as a monarch.
Could you recall where you were the day you learnt that you would become the next traditional ruler of Oke-Ila Orangun?
I was in Abuja, working as the Personal Assistant on Political Affairs to the then Senate President Anyim Pius Anyim. The news came to me as a shock because it was the last thing on my mind. As a matter of fact, I never thought that such a thing could happen to me in this lifetime.
But you knew all along that you are from a royal family?
That is true. But it just didn’t come to mind. It is not something that I remembered or had in mind, especially for someone like me who was already set for leadership at the national level in the country.
What were the first thoughts that came to your mind?
They were difficult thoughts. I didn’t know where to start from because there were so many things that came to mind. The call was sudden.
What was the immediate reaction of your immediate family?
For a whole year, the reaction was not so pleasant because it was unexpected. I became hypertensive. There was unhappiness in my nuclear family and even my extended family. My mom too was not in tune with it until after a long time.
But why so?
We were not prepared for it. I had prepared for leadership and my family knew that, but not at the traditional level. But then, what will be, will be. Leadership at any level is sacrifice, tolerance and service.
Did your family later have a change of mind?
Yes, but that was after a long period time. And I must confess that it led to one or two negative things in the family, which I do not readily discuss. But it is all the sacrifice for being on the throne.
What happened immediately you got the news?
I had to move immediately. But it was a different experience entirely for my family. I never liked a dull environment. I had always been an active person in terms of activism and participation in national affairs. I did not go to school to become a monarch. I didn’t even wish it for myself. I rejected it in my heart, but again, the pressure started to mount. My predecessor had joined his ancestors and it was the turn of my family to present a candidate for the Orangun of Oke Ila. Eventually, I became the king.
I was someone who was looking to serve at a different level, but here was another service that I was called upon to take on. What I have realised about life is that you don’t run away from service, despite the fact that I didn’t wish it for myself.
Where did you grow up?
I was born and bred in Ibadan. I had never spent seven days at a stretch in Oke-Ila before I became the king. It was a different kettle of fish when I got here as the king.
So after a decade as the royal father, how would you describe the journey?
I will actually be 12 years on the throne in December of this year. Like I said earlier, service is service. If you are ordained by God to actively shape people’s destinies, you should be happy. I thank God for the opportunity because I have found myself in a place where I change the attitude of a people, mould and re-direct their future, using the past to build a template for the future. It is a wonderful experience.
But again, it is not all a bed of roses in terms of followership. It is difficult for people to change their erstwhile patterns of life. I have realised that it has to be gradual. Development itself is gradual. But all said and done, I am happy doing what I am doing.
While you were working in Abuja, was becoming a full blown politician on your mind?
Not really. I was not in politics. I was working as a professional lawyer. However, I was very close to the political class by virtue of my training as a political scientist, a scholar of International Relations and a lawyer who was interested in the development of the parliament. I was a lobbyist and a legislative attorney. I had the choice to mingle with the political class and the people who were interested in shaping the polity.
Didn’t some of your friends think that going to Oke Ila to become the Oba would be a waste of your educational attainments?
Yes, a lot of my friends in the political class thought so. The then Senate President Anyim Pius Anyim, who was my boss, never liked the idea. The present Minister of National Planning too, did not like the idea. But in fairness, there were some other people who I also consulted in Abuja, who fell in love with it and said that service at any level is service. That it is not only when I stay in Abuja, New York, Toronto or Canada that I can be of service to the people. They said being at Oke-Ila would also be a service to the people. Some of the people who urged me on were Senator Ajimobi, the present Governor of Oyo state, the former Vice Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University who later became a Senator and other well experienced scholars of the bible said it is important for people like me to be in leadership at the traditional level so that we can gradually re-construct the institution for the good of the people.
After 12 years as a traditional ruler, what do you think of the traditional institution?
I think it is a great institution to develop our people in social, political and economic areas. We are the grassroots people. A whole lot of us have left our people for too long in terms of provision of leadership. When I got here, I found that it is a place where I have to think of development from the bottom and not from the top.
As one who has seen the world and had developed a cosmopolitan taste to comfortably resettle in Oke-Ila means that there must be something unique about the place. What is the unique thing about Oke-Ila?
Man itself, the epicentre of development even in his rustic form, is an attraction here. And to change the mentality of the people is tough and challenging. But the Yoruba say that ibi t’o ba le la n b’omokunrin (it is in tough situations that you find the real man). It is challenging. But to the glory of God, we are here.
You have always been a man of style. Has life in the palace affected your sense of style?
I have been a lawyer. But even before becoming a lawyer, I did not joke with style and looking good. I’ve kept my style. I enjoy looking good, and as a Yoruba monarch, I have a sense of responsibility to look good and project the advancement of the Yoruba culture and tradition in terms of style.
What vanities of life can you not be without even when you are in Oke Ila?
(Laughs) There are two important things that I do not joke with. I don’t joke with my sunglasses; it’s a Rayban, and my Aramis cologne, not only in Oke Ila but every other place that I am. These are two things I got used to early in life.
What part of the arts appeal to you?
I listen to all sorts of good music. I like R & B. I love the kind of music that my children are producing these days; they all make sense to me. I don’t joke with my son Davido’s music. There is beauty in our culture and there’s greatness in our language. The rustic nature of our Oke-Ila is beautiful; it is the most beautiful place in the world. There is waterfall, lush greenery; the environment is beautiful and lovely to be tapped into as a lucrative tourist destination. It is very good for rural tourism. A lot of our children do not even know what cocoa pod is.
We hear that you own a school and the students don’t pay school fees…
None of the students in my school pays a dime. The school is totally free. I beg people, friends to assist in one way or another to send the children to school. At the last count, we had 94 rural indigent students. And to the Glory of God, in the coming school year when we will be having children in SS2, we are going to have 114 in the school. It is a boarding school. What we are doing at Abolarin College is our humble contribution to the society. I actually teach in the school. I teach them Government and History because I am conscious of the fact that we want to raise great leaders among the poor.
It generally believed that a traditional ruler is entitled to as many wives. How have you managed to handle women who try to be your wife?
The choice is mine as a king or royal. It is a fundamental right of each soul to practice and do what he wants to do. I am okay with my Olori (wife). With the 114 projected students that I will be looking after, there is no way I will be able to consider having multiple Oloris. I cannot afford it. Culture is not static; it is dynamic. I am thinking of the future. I want a glorious future for the children around me. I want Nigeria, through these children, to be the best place in the world. It is doable. All hands should be on deck. The fear of children school fees has made me not to seek more Oloris.
