Q: You have been one year on the throne. What are the significant things you want to thank God for in the last one year?
A: Thank you Oriwu Sun. You are part and parcel of the events. In the last one year, I want to thank God first for being there for me. The most significant things I can lay hands on are the unity amongst the Ikorodu people, reconciling issues among the communities and the belief and trust people have in me in bringing their matters to the palace. I think I am pleased with that.
Q: Can What are the developmental achievements you’ve made for Ikorodu, your trip to America for one?
A: Thank you. It is part of the achievements and if you can recall, when I was about to be nominated and we were asked to apply and later on asked to present our manifesto, mine was about what I can do to bring development to Ikorodu.
Part of what I wrote is now 50 per cent accomplished within one year. And if you can see, the Ipebi, which is the traditional shrine that housed whoever wants to become an Oba for three lunar months, I had to reconstruct, redeveloped it and turn it to a modern shrine, which we can feel bold to say is the best shrine that we can ever think of in the traditional setting of the Yoruba race.
If we think of other developments, Awofin is the first palace we have in Ikorodu. I was able to reconstruct it to meet the cultural heritage that our great-grand children will meet to know where the first Oloja Palace is and that is in Awofin. Our ruling house has never had a palace, so I initiated it and the palace is there and it is almost completed. That is one of my achievements within one year that really gladdens my heart. Having said that, we also intend to advertise Ikorodu and show the world where the division belongs in Lagos State political settings. Ikorodu has a paramount ruler for which I am the paramount ruler .
The American Human Activists, last January 30, 2016, gave me an award alongside the caliber of John Lewis, a congressman in the United States in line with Opral Winfrey, a renowned activist too in the United States of America and Doctor Robert J. Brown, who is former Special Adviser to American President. For me to be with them, I think it is an achievement for Ikorodu.
I have a very strong passion for education. Somebody has assisted me to be educated and there are millions of other children that need this opportunity. The American man, Dr. Robert Brown, who sponsored my education back then still believe in me and that is why he promised to do two things for us in Ikorodu.
One, he is going to build a King’s library for us, an American standard library which the Lagos State Polytechnic has given us five hectares of land to build this library.
Secondly, immediately I told Dr. Bob Brown we still have a lot of Ikorodu students that need textbooks, he said he is going to give us books, a promise he had fulfilled. About one hundred thousand volumes of books were delivered to our kingdom in January and as of today, the Lagos State government has embraced them and they have taken over the distribution of the books. They were happy and I have been able to have an agreement with the Lagos State government that the books donation will be a yearly event, that every year, Dr. Brown will be donating the books to us in Ikorodu kingdom.
Along the line, I saw that Ikorodu needs a befitting palace. I have made several calls to the indigenes of Ikorodu and they have rallied round me to say yes, they are going to put the new palace extension in place and as I am talking to you now, they have started the foundation and by August 6, during my one year anniversary, that foundation would be laid.
Also, the All Progressives Congress executives, Lagos State chapter, came to pay me a courtesy visit and it is one of its kind in the history of Obas in Lagos State. I think I am blessed and I thank God for it. That visit is also one of my achievements within a year.
As the Publisher of Oriwu Sun newspaper, you are a vanguard of the success I am reporting to you today. You have been there with me while I was in Ipebi; you never left me for a second. You were with me on my trip to United States on two occasions; you witnessed all the successes we recorded and I pray God to be with you. I am happy for Oriwu Sun newspaper, they are thirty-one years in business and that is why I like them. I am enjoying Monzor Olowosago; the NASFAT people are enjoying him.
Q: People want to know if you came from a poor background.
A: Thank you very much. As you can see, you cannot become an Oba if you are not from the ruling house. I am from one of the ruling houses and whoever is going to be an Oba can never be identified or predicted. Whether you are poor or rich, if you have been ordained to be a king, no matter how the journey is going to be, God will be there to keep you till that day that no matter your youthful exuberance. I thank God that we are not very rich but I thank God for where I originated from. My parents were able to send me to school and I am very happy.
Q: Before your advent as Oba, there were other contestants, but ever since you got to the throne, it has been peaceful. What is the magic behind that?
A: During the time of Governor, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN, I was given me the staff of office, he made a remark that Ikorodu is blessed, Ikorodu is a city and that is why we are seeing a number of contestants; about twenty-four people contested for the Ayangbure stool.
Out of the twenty-four candidates, God ordained me to succeed; it is not my making. So, all other princes needed to be pacified; I have to continue to tell them, “Let’s come together because we are the same,” and majority of the contestants listened to me. We continue to thank God for being there for us.
Q: People say you are humble to a fault. Is it part of your upbringing or just a political gimmick?
A: No, it is part of my upbringing. If you are hiding your character or your behavior, God will expose you one day. My upbringing accounts for that. Although, I was from a Muslim background, I went through Methodist school; I was once a choir of Methodist Church. Also, while I was very young, the morals were there and once you have such moral, when you were young, it can never go out of your system to know how you can endear myself to people.
How do I like Oriwu Sun? We were birds of a feather during that time and we are still together today; so we are managing ourselves.
Q: When you were an Odofin, I personally know how much you spent on your dressing; you were a powerful dresser. Can I say that is one of the reasons, out of the twenty-four, candidates you were given the Obaship post?
A: Well, thank you. My wife is the one that is kiting me and dressing me up. You are with me now, as you are seeing me now, you can access my outfit. It is in the range of two hundred thousand plus and each outing I go, it is always like that, but I know its God’s blessing.
Q: What can people do to get on your nerves?
A: If somebody wants to get on my nerve, snatch my wife;. I won’t go to the extent that people would lie against me or lie to me. If they lie to me, I will study it and make sure I look into the integrity of such thing. Even Jesus Christ was lied against. The only thing one should know is that no discipline is better than self-discipline; once you know that, what they have told you is not true, you don’t need to bother about it.
Q: As long as your wife is active, do you intend marrying another wife?
A: I don’t pray to lose my wife; so, I have only one wife. I don’t have the intention of marrying another wife. I have male friends and also platonic lady friends too.
Q: Sir, what has been your challenges since you have been on the throne?
A: My challenge is what is troubling Ikorodu community and that is the matter of land grabbers (Omo-oniles) and I thank God Governor Akinwunmi Ambode has been listening to us to know the root causes of all these problems. He has found out that it is due to poverty and poverty leads to many things. He has created a ministry he called Wealth Creation and that wealth creation will take a lot of people off the streets. That one has eased my mind. I believe the government are seriously working on it.
Q: How do you intend to celebrate your one year anniversary on the throne?
A: I want it in a very low-key because I realise that people I know are my friends. Like Monzor Olowosago (Oriwu Sun) that will stay late to discuss and to share idea with me such that I will not feel like they should go home. I don’t have a place to keep them in this palace.
That is why I have decided to have the palace extension. The people should rally round me to make sure we have the palace extension so that when all my friends like Chief Owolabi Shitta (Merin-merin), one of my chiefs that doesn’t stay in Ikorodu feel like staying with Kabiyesi, there will be enough space to accommodate them. So, that is why I want you, Oriwu Sun, Owolabi Shitta to stay with me overnight to discuss with you.
Q: What is the relationship between you and the Governor now?
A: Our relationship is very cordial. Right from the onset, the intimacy had been there and he said it openly that Ayangbure of Ikorodu, you have been given only the staff of office but your liability and assets belongs to me, and he has been fulfilling his promise; I thank him and I was with him yesterday and there is no place he invites me that I will not go and there is no place he will see me that he won’t recognize me. He is a wonderful Governor.
Q: What is your advice to the people of Ikorodu?
A: My advice to the people of Ikorodu is to please train their children in a Godly way so that they won’t join bad gangs. They should be able to talk to them and not wait until when government apprehends them that will now be saying they are not aware of their children behavior.
I am appealing to them that to join hands with me so that we can train our children. During our own time, not that we don’t have stubborn children among us but they were quickly take to the welfare home, so that they will integrated back into the society.
Q: You were talking about being the paramount ruler earlier in this interview but Ranodu of Imota, Oba Fatai Agoro, said there is no paramount ruler in Ikorodu division. What’s you take on this?
A: We can never have two paramount rulers in Ikorodu. I am not going to join issues with him. The government recognizes only Kabiru Adewale Shotobi as the paramount ruler of Ikorodu division.
Q: The message again for the cultists?
A: I told you before that the government has created a Wealth and Job Creation Ministry. That is to assist the youths. For you to know the government is serious about it, last December, we had Lagos fiesta. Governor Ambode ensured it happened in all local government areas/local council development areas and we had it in Ikorodu. All the youths were in Ikorodu Town Hall and I considered myself as a youth and I danced tirelessly and everybody was happy to see me with them. We did it throughout the Christmas and the New Year so that once we take the cultists off the streets, everyone would be happy.
Q: Sir, we heard that you have set up a security committee in Ikorodu as a result of the security challenges facing your people. What do you have to say on that?
A: Yes, our local vigilante has been tested and trusted; so the ONYABO local vigilante is what we want to promote because of the peculiar situation in Ikorodu. We want to make sure we give them back up. We want to make sure give them insurance and we ensure they have confidence. That is why we want to have Ikorodu Security Council.
Once we have that council, we have approached one of the senior citizens in Ikorodu, who has obliged to be the Chairman, in person of Prince Adewunmi Ogunsanya (SAN).
Once it is registered and we are able to develop it, we will inaugurate it. There are other organisations that are going to contribute to it and I believe by next Monday, it will be inaugurated.
Q: In the past, during the reign of Oba Salaudeen Afolabi Oyefusi, it is not easy for someone to be given a chieftaincy title unless that person meets all the necessary standards required of him. During your own time now, how do you intend to do it; what are the required criteria or is it on cash and carry basis?
A: You see, I have studied the situations and discovered that close to the one hundred honourary chiefs, we have, only few people are very effective. Some will come and abandon the institution of the palace and we will start running after them here and there.
Like Oriwu Sun, he stood by me; he is a chief and he is playing that role. Like Asipa Kaoli Olusanya, he is there all the time playing the role. So, I will not just give anybody who won’t perform. The ones coming in now are indigenes of Ikorodu; they are people that have made mark in their life. One of them is Majority Leader, Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. S.O.B. Agunbiade.
I have given a chieftaincy title to the Speaker of the House, who is not even from Ikorodu because we want the government institutions in Ikorodu. So, we lure them to be part of my chiefs and they are proud of it. I also gave the likes of Majority Leader in the House, OPOMULERO OF IKORODU, the Awomodu you were talking about. Maybe you don’t know the genesis why I am giving him the chieftaincy title.
Awomodu belongs to a royal family and that royal family and all the Obas they have in Shagamu will come to Ikorodu to come and pick them to Sagamu and make them king. He happens to be from one of those two ruling houses and that is why I call him OTUNBA ANOKO AND OGBONYARI, so that their own generation will not be forgotten. The people of Sagamu have requested me to change that name to OTUNBA OGA and I said no, that Ogboyari and Anoko is very significant. So, I have reasons for giving my chieftaincy to anybody.
Q: What should the people of Ikorodu be expecting in the New Year?
A: Like I have told you, I will always thank God for whatever I do. Within one year, I am making reference to my manifesto and the people of Ikorodu still have believe in what we are doing. The new palace extension, they saw it and they embraced it.
The New Year will be great, so let’s keep thanking God.
Q: Why have been very nice and friendly to all the staff in the palace unlike other kings?
A: There is no slave in the palace, they are all my children.