His Imperial Majesty, Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrasheed Akanbi, in this interview with AbujaCityJournal, bares his mind on salient issues bordering southwest security and the role of monarchs across communities. He insists Sunday Adeyemo, popularly called Sunday Igboho, has chosen the wrong method to resolve the herdsmen/host community feud.
ACJ: In view of the current security challenges in Nigeria and the sudden emergence of Chief Sunday Adeyemo, otherwise known as Sunday Igboho, as a freedom fighter, where do you stand, and what is your view about Mr. Igboho’s agitation?
I will throw back the question to you. Does Sunday Igboho have any agenda? What is that agenda? From what perspective is he fighting for the freedom of Yoruba?
If it is from the standpoint of the herdsmen, then we should narrow it down to whether he wants all the herdsmen to quit our land or not? What does he really want? I ask these questions because beyond the herdsmen problem, there are other challenges.
Are we now saying that there shouldn’t be recourse to the government or traditional rulers again while trying to find a solution? I will never support self-help because in most cases it gets out of hand and will lead people to a greater crisis.
Having stated this, let me put it on record that I frown at and reject in totality any act from any set of people that is capable of threatening the security of Nigeria.
I will also not be in support of anybody or a group of people that are making attempts to foment trouble in any part of Nigeria. I am of the opinion that there should be a thought process mechanism that would involve the security operatives, the traditional rulers, the government, and other stakeholders in addressing our security problem.
Nigeria as a brand or as a nation is so important in the black race to be thrown into war. Like other concerned Yoruba people, there are bad ones among the herdsmen, but it will be wrong to classify all of them as bad. There are bad ones among Igbos and there are good ones. Likewise, there are bad ones among the Yoruba and there are good ones.
In view of this, let us work towards investigating and apprehending culprits and punishing them, rather than resorting to blanket threats that could lead to anarchy in the country.
So, for people like Sunday Igboho to get my support, the approach must not be warlike or belligerent. I hate to hear statements like; “I want to free the Yoruba people from this government”, “we want to secede”, “Fulanis should go” and other related provoking statements. Igboho should have a clear vision instead of playing to the gallery.
He should also know that it will be difficult for him to singlehandedly champion the cause of identifying the kidnappers among the Fulanis or any other tribe without the support of other stakeholders. Nigeria is not a zoo but a federated country with a constitution. I have also urged my people in Yorubaland not to follow anybody blindly. Much as I want Nigeria's security problems to be addressed, I don’t want anybody to gang up against a particular ethnic group because I also have Iwo sons and daughters spread across the country and I don’t want anybody to gang against them.
Happily for me, I have my children in the north and they're well to do, they are not even herders or cart pushers; some are doctors, some are lawyers, we have engineers, there are professors.
It will interest you that there is no institution of higher learning in the north without a southerner as lecturers and we have many institutions in the South without a single person from the north.
Are we now saying that if a Yoruba man commits an offense in the north, all these people should be wiped off? It shouldn’t be.
ACJ: Kabiyesi, what is then the way out?
I have said it, the way out is for all stakeholders to come to the drawing board and reason together on how best to fish out culprits among the Fulanis. Are all herders criminals? The question is no. Then let's apply wisdom and go back to that popular Yoruba saying; ‘Ika to ba se, l’Oba nge’, which can roughly be translated to mean that law should be applied to whoever that commits the crime. To me, it’s wrong to tag only an ethnic group as perpetrators of kidnapping.
There are Yorubas and there are Igbos who are also involved in the nefarious practices. For instance, if you are talking about kidnappers, the last time I checked my books, the richest and the most celebrated kidnapper in Nigeria is an Igbo man called Evans. Now, can we say because of what Evans did and confessed to having done, should we force all the Igbos out of Yoruba or Hausaland?
When you forcefully chase out from your domain people who have lived there for, between 50 and 100 years and all that they go away with are backpacks, then you have sinned against humanity.
I felt sad when I saw children and women being pursued as if we were in a war situation.
I'm not condoning crime but he who has never sinned should cast the first stone. The fact that Jesus said you should not stone the prostitute doesn’t mean that Jesus endorsed prostitution.
No, honestly because I'm telling people not to hurt anybody that didn't sin doesn’t also mean I support rapping or kidnapping of our people. All I’m saying is that we should avoid war by not allowing Rwanda’s Hutus and Tutsi scenario to play out here.
If this nation fails, the whole black race has failed because this country is the hope of every black man in the world. On this note, I stand with those who are daily working and toiling that Nigeria shouldn’t fail. I can also tell you that nobody and no tribe are breaking off. I’m patriotic and confident enough to know that we will resolve all our issues in peace and we will leave together in harmony.
ACJ: The traditional institution which used to be revered even till after independence appears to be waning in influence every passing day. How in your opinion did things become this bad?
First of all, I want to tell you that when it comes to leadership, especially as it concerns the Obaship in Nigeria, there have been a lot of issues begging for attention since the pre-colonial era.
As a result of this, I have always advocated we have to go to the roots to resolve some of the disparities and challenges facing the traditional institution in the country. Every day, the question arises on why the traditional rulers, especially in Yoruba land are not regarded and respected, the way it should be.
The truth is that the issue could be traced to the colonial era and the trend has continued over the years. Before the coming of the white men, the traditional institution enjoyed what we called an absolute monarchy, but little by little, the status eroded as a result of many factors. However, some traditional rulers still enjoy absolute monarchy, even though they share some functions with the government.
For instance, since its inception, the Oluwo stool has been part of those that enjoy that Paramount rulership which I try every day to sustain.
Agreed, there could be some constitutional inadequacies but let me be frank to state that the government alone should not be blamed for the challenges facing the traditional institution.
At one time or the other in the days of yore, the custodians of our traditional heritage made some blunders by conspiring with foreigners to sell their children to slavery. This happened because the traditional rulers didn’t see their subjects as their own children. That singular blunder was one of the areas we missed.
To date, many traditional rulers still don’t know the type of relationship that should exist between them and their subjects. They are yet to see themselves as the custodian of that traditional stool as a servant-leader.
ACJ: You earlier alluded to the fact that traditional rulers were absolute monarchs at the beginning and our history books teach us that some of them became tyrannical in consequence of this power structure. Can you strike a balance between this in view of the fact that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely?
Your respected self may wish to also link this with your frowning at the early practice of selling their subjects into slavery when they should see them as their own children.
Let us get something clear, as Obas, Obis, or Emirs, we are representatives of God on the surface of the earth. Even God that created us still serves us one way or the order. He guides us while sleeping, He provides for our needs and we run to Him for help anytime we have challenges.
In dealing with us, God doesn’t leave the poor and attends only to the rich. He doesn’t leave the sick and the handicaps and attend only to those who are healthy. He sees everybody as his own.
Now, as God’s representatives, we are supposed to follow that trend.
Look, kingship should not be about amassing wealth; it is about leadership and serving people. Perhaps some traditional rulers get carried away because they are referred to as kings.
God is the only king because He is the only one that has the attributes of a King. We are God’s lieutenants here and we must serve our people to the best of our knowledge without getting drunk with power.
Some traditional rulers fail because they see their offices as meal tickets and they don’t see their subjects as their children. If you see your subjects as your children you will not want anything bad to happen in your kingdom. Our own absolute power is derived from the power God gives us as His representatives here.
For instance, as established by both the Bible and the Quran, God tells his angels that he was creating man. He gives the angels the impression of how much he values man. This explains why God sees us as special creatures and shows us mercy even when we appear to be transgressing. He always wants the best for us and always wants us to be saved.
The kings here are representatives of that invincible King who oversees the affairs of all. If you are a king of a town, you are in that position because of God and you are in that position because God does not show himself in the physical.
You are only representing the real king and should pattern whatever you are doing to reflect the qualities of the King you are representing.
As a worldly king, when you serve your people well, you become a good master and if it is the opposite, you become a bad master. Therefore, God has always been a good master because He serves the whole world well.
When you sleep, He guides you so He becomes a security man that you do not pay for service rendered. In understanding the meaning and functions of a king, we have to first understand the concept of God. It is those who fail in this regard that fails in their day-to-day activities and, in consequence, debase the institution.
Kingship is not about stealing lands or acquiring stupendous wealth to send your children to schools abroad at the expense of your subjects. Of all my achievements on the throne in the last five years, one thing that gladdens my heart the most was the servant-leader role I played in fixing the major road that connects Iwo and Oshogbo.
For more than 13 years, it was abandoned and a journey that should take between 20 to 30 minutes was taking 3 hours because motorists would have to take another back alley, a longer route to get to Osogbo. I told my chiefs and other stakeholders that we shouldn’t fold our arms and allow things to deteriorate more than it was.
We helped ourselves by resorting to a communal effort which made me and other prominent Iwo sons to resume on the road every 8 a.m in the morning till 5 p.m daily. We did this for three months and got the road fixed. Thank God, our amiable Governor, Gboyega Oyetola, has gotten the road permanently fixed now.
It thus became a case of ‘Omo to ba s’ipa, ni iya re agbe’. We made an effort and the Government crowned the effort.
Then in the last few years, beyond infrastructure development we have carried out or attracted to the community, I have tried to let my people see the essence of the dynamism of life. I have changed the orientation of my people, so much that their mindsets have totally changed.
We uphold our heritage and guide our history jealously, but we have also checkmated the dogmatic attachment to some retrogressive superstition.
In all these, the take-home for me is that we must go back to the basics and see our subjects like our children and love them sincerely. Biblically, ‘Love Your Neighbor As Yourself’ is the second great commandment of Jesus and Prophet Mohammed also says ‘You are not Yet a Muslim Until You Love for Others, What You Love for Yourself.
You can relate this to my position on what should exist between the king and the subjects. The world is established on love and without love, there will not be progress. Even in the traditional Yoruba institution, love is also preached by the progenitors.
In the Northern part of the country, their titles have nothing to do with their Hausa or Fulani backgrounds but Islam. Sultan or Emir is not a Fulani or Hausa word but a borrowed language from the Quran.
In Yorubaland, the Kabiyesi title can also be traced to the bible as well and that is to explain that the root of the entire institution is God. Even the traditional Yoruba setting appreciates that there is Olodumare, who oversees everything and the affairs of everybody.
During the ancient days, people hardly knew their right from their left, but civilization has made everybody acquainted with his or her rights. Today, your subjects see you as their father who is supposed to fight for them if a politician wants to cheat them. As a king, you are the one that is supposed to fight for your people.
ACJ: Your reference to Emir reminds us of the debate that trailed your pronouncement that you were an Emir two years ago in the Yoruba Nation where traditional rulers are known as Kabiyesi or Oba. What exactly were you trying to say that people did not seem to get at the time?
I think those who took that pronouncement as being odd didn’t understand the context of the statement or couldn’t relate with my understanding of traditional leaders. My argument has always been that for any Igbo man in Iwo, I, Abdulrasheed Akanbi is his Igwe just as any Iwo man in Kano must see the Emir of Kano as his Oluwo when in Kano.
To me, the Hausas, the Nupes, the Igbira, the Igalas, the Urobos, the Ibiobios, and the Igbos in Iwo land are all my children and they must see me as their traditional rulers. Having stated this, I am Emir to the Hausas in Iwo. It is as simple as that. I call myself an Emir, what is the meaning of Emir? If I call myself Obi or Igwe, must that become an ethical problem? We really preach love and appreciate the concept of one Nigeria.
In Nigeria, some traditional rulers protect only those who speak their language in the community. As at the time they are under you, you are the king over them. In many places, Kings only want to deal with rich people and this is what causes the problem in Nigeria. That is where we got it wrong because the people are so tired and are asking; who are these leaders? Do they even care for us?
That is why some people will also say; have you seen a Hausa king or Obi trying to say he is an Oba.
My answer is if he doesn't know he is supposed to be. Any Obi supposed to be able to say I'm an Oba. The sultan should also be able to say I'm the Oluwo to an Iwo man that lives in Sokoto. Any tribe that lives under me in Iwo, I’m their king and they can describe me the way they describe their kings in their domains.
Anyone in my domain is my son and if he needs anything he should come to my palace and the gate of the palace will be opened for him or her.
We should care for all, whether rich or poor, upright or not. Even a traditional ruler should see the touts in his kingdom as his children. Who knows, those we see as being not too important today can become the most successful in the future. I’m sure Buhari is from a humble background, but see where the King of Kings has placed him.
See where he has placed former President Goodluck Jonathan and other world leaders who have humble backgrounds.
ACJ: The people of Iwo have different religious backgrounds, how do you strike the balance?
In fairness, my people would have been in the best position to answer this but I will explain it in a few words because I had earlier, in the course of this conversation, laid a good foundation for it. As stated above, I’m the father of all that live in Iwo. In the light of this, I don’t only identify with both Muslims and Christians, I carry them along in my administration because the place of prayer cannot be overemphasized.
As part of the ways to demonstrate this, Christians come to my palace every Wednesday of the week to pray and Muslims come on Fridays. Besides, I go to church when I want and I go to Mosque too.
We are also appealing to the custodians of Traditional religion to reposition so that people will not see those who identify with them as members of a secret cult. There is some Yoruba heritage that has been bastardized because of the perception that whoever identifies with them is in cultism.
If a Pastor or Imam puts on a bead which is supposed to be part of our traditional dresses now, people will see him as a member of one cult or the other.
ACJ: In some trending videos, you were spotted moving from one house to the other distributing food items and cash to the aged people and people with disabilities. What informed this?
Again, this still dovetails with my belief that a king should be a servant-leader. Every day and every second I think of my people and their welfare. I have always invited and welcomed people to my palace and I’m also aware that there are many people out there who are incapacitated and therefore cannot reach my palace, either because they are aged or disabled.
They are also my children and I must not deny them of my service and what is due them. For God’s sake, am I not the king of the handicaps? Because we represent God, we have to be responsible to all and for all. Who does the blind call when there’s nobody? Who does the poor call when there is no hope? Who does an orphan call? All these people call no other person but God.
That’s why my style of kingship is a bit indifferent. If you see me with Buhari or Oyetola today, tomorrow I go back to my people and my first place of call is underprivileged. When I get to my community, my first place of call is not houses made of bricks but houses made of mud.
In wrapping up this, I want to appeal to leaders, whether traditional or the modern political platform, to earn the respect and confidence of their followers.
In particular, traditional rulers need the people to trust them more, and like I said it’s deeply rooted. Personally, I have changed the way people think about kingship in my place. My people love me and I love them. The first set of people I extend my love to, even before my wife, are my people. I do this because even my wife has become one of my people.
Having said this, I have to love my people even more than myself and it will be vice versa.
Everything is being reciprocated; what you sow is what you reap all the time. I love my people more than myself and if traditional rulers can do that, then there will be a level of trust between the subjects and the King.
ACJ: Kabiyesi, with all modesty you are one of the well-dressed traditional rulers in Nigeria. What’s behind it?
It’s still part of my desire to resonate with my people in all aspects of life. As a leader, I must stand out and they must be proud of me. However, events and circumstances dictate my dress sense.
It’s still part of that dynamism of life that I preach every day.
ACJ: Finally on a lighter note, you celebrated your former Olori every day while the relationship lasted. Considering the fact that nature abhors a vacuum, we want to know who takes care of Kabiyesi now in the palace.
(Laugh…) Sure, I have somebody already in the palace and you will soon know her. But in all honesty, it's not for public consumption.
March 14-2021 #abujacityjournal
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