*Says he, Attah of Ayede cannot fight war against each other
His Royal Majesty Oba Alhaji Idowu Adamo Babalola, the Onitaji of Itaji, has come a long way from the old Ondo State when he became not only the Chairman, Council of Traditional Rulers but also Vice President-General, Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA). The monarch, who started out in life as secondary school’s teacher of sciences and mathematics before becoming a senior Federal civil servant with the Federal Ministry of Works, paid host to The DEFENDER, during when he told the young but fast and very highly penetrating online medium how and why he chose not to become the Rector, Federal School of Survey, Oyo, and revealed some other information about his person and his kingdom. When Ekiti became a state out of old Ondo State, Oba Adamo Babalola again became Chairman, Ekiti State Council of Traditional Rulers, under the administration of Governor Kayode Fayemi. Excerpts:
“While in Federal Ministry of Works, the Federal Government sponsored me for my Masters degree in Canada. But let me ask: is there any Nigerian state or government establishment that still sponsors staff to further their studies like it happened in our own time? In our time there was government and not leadership tussles,” he said.
The DEFENDER was in Itaji Ekiti where it met with the Onitaji of Itaji Kingdom, Oba Alhaji Idowu Adamo Babalola, on Saturday 20th of August 2017.
Kabiyesi had expected his media guest on Friday the 19th but road situation on Ekiti road from Osun boundary would require a man working on his health to take things easy. Hence the meeting did not take place until early Saturday morning.
More significant about the visit to the Onitaji was his refusal to bother about the breaking of palace official protocol, which the media guest, who had arrived Ekiti late Friday evening, said he did deliberately.
Official protocol demands that Onitaji would not come out of Iyewu (his palace flat) to attend to visitors until it is 10 in the morning. But his media visitor arrived at the palace at 6.30am and requested to see the Oba, who was once Vice President-General, Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), South West Nigeria, during the era of late 19th Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the NSCIA, His Eminence Alhaji Muhammadu Maccido.
“If not because you said you are from Lagos, Kabiyesi does not come out to attend to visitors until 10am,” a female palace official said.
What is more? It was the wonderful discovery about the way the Oba handles his day from the time he rises from bed in the morning to the time he retires to bed in the night, which was a major point the media guest’s deliberate breaking of palace protocol to arrive as early as 6.30am wanted to achieve. At the time of arrival, the king was already in the mosque, having observed Solatul-Subhi (early morning worship), and was now seated supplicating to his Lord, Allah.
That became conspicuously interested to the visiting media guest, who inquired to know more about why an Oba in a Christianity and Paganism – dominated state like Ekiti could be so committed to Allah being that many kings have arrogated to themselves the attribute of God as one had repeatedly said of himself: “Emi gan-an-gan-an l’Ooosaa!”, meaning that, “I, and really, I am the god!”
“Who am I, under the power of Allah? I am only here as Oba on trust from my Lord to be in control of affairs of my people. I will be held accountable for how I handle the trust and that is why I have to be prayerful at all times and don’t have to – for once – distance myself from the worship of Allah because, through this way will I be opportune to get the mercy of the Lord on the day of account. So, no Oba must consider himself above the worship of Allah because, whether Muslim, Christian or Pagan, he is Oba, first and foremost, because Allah made him to be and He (Allah) alone can make him a successful Oba and He alone can cease him if He so will,” Onitaji said, when he emerged from the Palace mosque in Itaji to formally receive his visitor.
“I had expected you yesterday (Friday 19th of August) but as it is, Alhamdulillah that you arrive safely and see in peace,” the apparently pragmatic but selfless king said.
Me and my Kingdom
Sitting down to talk, Onitaji, in relaxed mood, explained some points to his guest about himself and his kingdom.
“I was born over 70 years ago. The year of birth I had in school is 1944 meaning that I am 73 years old but I know that because I don’t know precisely my date of birth.”
About growing up, “I was born in Itaji, had my primary education in Oye, my secondary education in Ayede at Ayede Grammar School and then proceeded to University of Ibadan, Ibadan, for my tertiary education and graduated in1970.”
After University, “Being the only one of us that indicated interest in teaching, after graduation in Ibadan, I was posted to Ansar-Ud-Deen College, Ikole, in the days of Western Region, as a teacher of sciences and mathematics, and that happened in June 1970, year of my graduation. So, I never had problem seeking employment.
“There were many schools wanting to have me but Ikole became important in my indicated interest because Ansar-Ud-Deen College Ikole had agreed to sponsor me to the University if I passed my prelim exam. But when I passed my prelim and result was out, the University of Ibadan itself gave me scholarship so I was in Ibadan as a university scholar.
“That scholarly by the University of Ibadan therefore made it impossible for Ansar-Ud-Deen College, Ikole to be responsible for my University education sponsorship as agreed. But because they wanted me to come to them at all cost, after my university education, they then started giving me pocket money, which I was then using to train my younger siblings. The first money they gave me was 25 pounds for book allowance.”
Oba Adamo Babalola continued, “I built all the sciences facilities: Chemistry, Physics and Biology and Mathematics as teacher of same in Ansar-Ud-Deen College, Ikole, and ensured that they were all approved. I later taught mathematics at Egbe-Oba Ekiti before I left teaching three years after and moved to the Federal Ministry of Works in 1974.”
His Majesty did not really specify how far he had gone in the Federal civil service before retiring but he said, “I could have become the Rector of Federal School of Survey, Oyo but, I turned it down because I was due for the Obaship of Itaji.
“I was in the Federal Civil Service from 1974 until I resigned in 1984 prelude to my Obaship, which I actually became in 1985.
“While in Federal Ministry of Works, the Federal Government sponsored me for my Masters degree in Canada.”
“But let me ask: is there any Nigerian state or government establishment that still sponsors staff to further their studies like it happened in our own time? In our time there was government and not leadership tussles,” he said.
Itaji Festivals
“We have many festivals here in Itaji but I will talk about the most celebrated of them and it is called the Oloa festival, also known as Agunlele. It is the main festival of Itaji that sons, daughters and friends come from wide and near to witness and celebrate. It can be called a Day but it is more than to be called a Day.”
On how Oloa is celebrated he said, “One month to the festival, some special women, specially selected for the festival, would have started prayers for the success of the festival. Night (eve) of the festival, princes dance round the town. That is the night those princes and other members of the kingdom community would be judged, by a panel of chiefs called the Igbo, to determine who among them is good or bad; who among the princes is either a womanizer or has a kind of bad habit. That arrangement by the Igbo team is Itaji customary way of getting people to self-discipline.”
But how can an Igbo panel that is a panel charged with such trust-based responsibility achieve equity where princes are involved? Oba Alhaji Idowu Adamo Babalola said the panel has independent authority to carry out their duty without external interference either from the king or anybody else. So, he said, prince or not, it utters nothing in the resolve of the Igbo team to do their job diligently.
“I know nothing about how the judgment of those princes is planned. It is only the Igbo team that know. They are the ones who would have done a thorough research to identify who is good or bad. But they must come to me as Oba early in the morning of the festival day to report what the outcome of their research and investigations is regarding which prince has bad character or good character and I, bounding by customs and tradition of the land, have no power to influence the judgment and that goes to the point when the outcome of their findings will be announced at a gathering of all people including the princes, later morning of the festival day.”
However he said, “After that day of announcement of who is bad, you don’t hear that information anywhere again. It ends on that day and within the town. And no one ever opposed the judgment of the Igbo panel because it has bad consequences. There was a man, very close friend of mine, who opposed and wanted me to influence a judgment of the panel and I could not come out because for seven days I don’t come out and don’t even attend to grievances during the period of the festival. For opposing that judgment, he faced his consequences. How it happens I don’t know. Note that for the seven days that I don’t come out, there are Elegbe and chiefs meetings going on in the Palace.
“Part of the way the festival is celebrated is that, on the day, there is Igbo Egun (Egun Forest), which is settlement of Onitaji a long time ago. There is a person, traditional priest who in charge of that rites and he goes to that Igbo Egun only with a ram in his hands in the morning while dance is going on in the Palace. The ram does not come to Palace but is provided by the Palace for the ritual. Then the chiefs and people of the town, after the Igbo Egun ritual, converge on the Onitaji Palace and the Onitaji, that is, I pray for them all and that marks the end of the festival.”
Coping as Muslim Oba in pagan-related environment
“Oloa is a taken care of, not by myself but, Obal’Egun on half of Onitaji. I don’t prevent my people from carrying out their rites according to their believes but they too don’t tamper with my rights to my religious practice and belief. But I take care of all by feeding them and spending money for them.”
Relationship between Itaji and Ayede
“I knew the sitting Attah of Ayede, Oba Alhaji Abdul-Mumini Adebayo Orisagbemi, long before he became the Oba. We used to have cordial relationship particularly as Muslim brothers.
“What really pained me was that, the 6th of the seven days that I observe staying indoor was when the Ayede people came to attack a settlement in my kingdom. One would therefore think otherwise that, what could have prompted this when the Ayede people know that these are days that I don’t come out to attend dispute or grievances? It is just as simple as that. Nothing else!
“But truth is, I cannot turn my sword against the Attah of Ayede. I should be imagining at all times that, if both of us face each other in fight, will he shoot? Will I shoot? The best thing is for us to remove our hands from the triggers and get to a secure place and turn down the long nose of our guns. Insha Allah, Attah and I can never fight,” the Onitaji said as it appears that the interaction initiated by two princes of Isolo Akure, Ondo State and Itaji Ekiti effected the truce that eventually settled the huge conflict that had led the two towns to the Ekiti State Police Command, where the then police commissioner – before he was removed – was accused of inequity in the land dispute between the two towns, and had led them to court. But the Attah has agreed to work with the Onitaji to withdraw the case from court and put a final stop to the land dispute as criminals that caused problem between the two towns are now said to have been apprehended.
The Defender is really doing a good job at showcasing our traditional institutions and culture. What a nice work there! Glad to know that the rift between the two communities is resolved amicably now.