Alaafin should draw aggrieved Oyomesi closer – Ladigbolu

In this interview with WALE AKINSELURE, 88-year-old Methodist Archbishop Ayo Ladigbolu, who contested the Alaafin throne, speaks on the controversies surrounding Alaafin Abimbola Owoade’s emergence, his 17-month reign, the roles of government and Ifa, and the lingering divisions within the Oyo traditional institution

You were 84 when you contested for the Alaafin stool in 2022. Looking back, do you still believe you were right to enter the race?

Yes, I was convinced that I should be in the race because of the fact that all male members of the Agunloye ruling house have the right to contest, and I was one of them. Also, I have been involved, for so long, in the development activities in Oyo Town and Oyo metropolis that I believe that if I were on the throne, I would already have so much knowledge of what’s going on and what could be done to make things better. Furthermore, this is something that belongs to my heritage, and there is no point in this qualification if I enter the contest; I felt it was right.

There is a strong argument that the traditional process for selecting Alaafin Akeem Owoade was subverted when the Oyomesi’s choice was rejected and Ifa was consulted by the government. Do you agree that the traditional process was subverted?

Well, these details are historical facts because they are already on record, not only of the Oyo people or Oyo Empire, but of the global community. But, let me be honest with you, these matters are before the courts, so it would not be proper for me to make any comment or pass any judgment, and I believe that is the normal way to handle this.

Even if the matter is before the courts, as a prince of the Agunloye ruling house who contested for the stool, do you personally believe the process was properly followed?

Since matters are in court, I believe, according to my little knowledge of the law, that making comments about them for or against their significance is illegal. So please permit me not to comment on that.

Should the Alaafin be chosen primarily according to traditional rules, the decision of the kingmakers and Ifa, or should government have the power to intervene? Where should the line be drawn?

The problem we have in our country is that sometimes there may be no consistency in the way we administer whatever we need to do, and then, with the way that modern politics has been organised and the way it’s been running in this country, the government has a kind of overwhelming power over everything and everybody, including even the kings.  This is because the government makes the laws, decides what to do with the kings, how to deal with the kings, and sometimes the law gives them the power even to remove the king, and we’ve seen examples. Long ago, there was even a time when the government decided to pay only one shilling or one pound to a king as salary, just to show that power does not belong to the king, and it was the government that would dictate what would happen. And the government makes and approves the declarations, and they adjust them as they please. So, how to find that balance of adhering to the traditional process without any intervention from the government? I do not see the possibility, because the dominance of government over traditional issues, as well as the total welfare of the citizens, is there. So, most of the time, tradition is now having to bow to the rules and laws of government, and so I don’t see how that balance can be found at the moment; maybe in future it could be found.

Don’t you think the controversies surrounding the emergence of Alaafin Owoade affect his legitimacy in the eyes of some Oyo people?

Oyo people are very happy to have a king on the throne, and the present Alaafin legitimately belongs to the Agunloye ruling house. He has been chosen, and he deserves the support of his people. The community and I have been part and parcel of those who are seeking, in every way, to give that support because that’s our king, and we can do nothing to dishonour him. We will do nothing to bring down the glory of the Alaafin, which is global. Of course, there will be other perceptions, and people have the freedom to think the way they want to think, and to act the way they want to act. Since we are in a democracy, people have the right to their own choices. But generally, the people of Oyo have accepted our new king, and the elders of Oyo have accepted our new king; the youth have accepted our new king, and we are working with him. And our focus is the progress of this community, and our focus is on innovations that should be visible in a historical city like Oyo, and that’s our concentration at the moment.

It has been about 17 months since Alaafin Owoade emerged, yet some members of the Oyomesi who rejected his emergence remain in court. At what point should the Alaafin take the initiative to reconcile with them?

Well, the situation is a bit complicated because part of the Oyomesi you’re talking about are in court challenging both the government of Oyo State as well as all others concerned with the choice and the installation of the present Alaafin. People have their own choices. They have the freedom to choose the way they go, the way they act, what they do. Of course, the law is also there to check excesses, to deal with aberrations, and to correct wrongs, but those people are mature adults who, on their own, can decide why they are not working with the king, and decide when they are ready to do so. So, we all just have to cross our fingers and wait. Of course, one and a half years is long, but if the time comes that God wants all these things to be resolved, I’m sure they will be resolved. So we just have to wait and see how things go.

The Oyomesi traditionally advise the Alaafin, but some members have distanced themselves from the palace. Does that mean the Alaafin is currently operating without the full traditional advisory structure?

Well, the totality of the Oyomesi has the responsibility of advising the Alaafin and of being with him. But since they have chosen to distance themselves, at the moment, the Alaafin can, on his own, constitute an advisory committee of eminent citizens and knowledgeable elders, and carry on with the governance. And of course, you know it’s not all of them that are not there. There are times when things don’t work out as they should; you just have to adjust, and I’m sure Alaafin is adjusting well to the situation because everything is going on smoothly.

When Alaafin Owoade challenged the Ooni over the conferment of a chieftaincy title, was that simply a defence of historical tradition, or was it an attempt to assert the Alaafin’s supremacy over the Ooni?

Unfortunately, the incident you are referring to happened, and it is regrettable for me personally that people have made so much noise over this issue. Thank God, everything is quiet now, and we are all able to see that these two Obas that you have mentioned are relating as brothers the way they should. Of course, we cannot know or see everything about their relationship, but there is no longer that kind of tension that was prevailing at the time the statement you are quoting occurred, and all we need to do is let the past be in the past and seek ways to build a very good road for the future.

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There have been disagreements among Yoruba traditional rulers over hierarchy, protocol and political influence. Is there really unity among Yoruba Obas?

It is an assumption that the Obas are not united. In the past, kings were in their different domains. They don’t even see each other, but they relate spiritually. They connect spiritually, and when they meet for them to meet physically the meet, but I do not see any disharmony among the kings. There might be differences of opinion on specific issues, but nobody can give us an example of any basic issue on which the kings have disagreed to pinpoint the point of disunity among them. I do not see any evidence because they belong to the same family; they are fathers of their communities; they are venerable creatures. They are elders of our community. They are guides for our journeys. They are to be respected. They are to be honoured. And I’m sure when issues of national interest occur, they have a way of participating and together moving us forward. But if they are united, they can now begin to think of symbolic things that they can do together to let the public know that they are one.

There is a perception that Alaafin Owoade has been closer to the Federal Government than to Governor Makinde, despite the governor’s role in his emergence. Is that perception justified?

Well, if that notion is yours, or shared by others who think like you, I would say that you are wrong because the Alaafin is not only a king of Oyo. If you go back to history, and nobody can deny this, because there are official records, he did everything you needed to do for the entire Yoruba land, and so his interest should be beyond Oyo State. His interest should be national and global. Also, it is worth noting that all the kings in Oyo State still belong to the government of Oyo State, and all of them are supposed and expected to be loyal in their service to, first, their community and then to the government in their region or state. But, if, for any reason, the Alaafin needs to visit or relate to the government at the centre, it must be for the benefit of the people. So, I will not see that as a sabotage or disrespect. I will see it as diplomacy, because, after all, kings are not supposed to be partisan. Obas are not supposed to be partisan, because they are fathers of everybody, whichever party the people may choose to belong to. So, it will be wrong to begin to insinuate that because the Alaafin visits Abuja a few times, he belongs to anybody. He doesn’t, and I can vouch for that. But I think he has the right and freedom to move and relate to whoever he chooses to relate to.

Why has Alaafin Owoade not been fully involved in the Oyo State Council of Obas and Chiefs? Is his absence a sign of disagreement with the emergence of the Olubadan as chairman?

That is a controversial issue, and it is better for me not to dabble in it.

Do you support permanent chairmanship of the council for the Alaafin, rather than rotation?

It is a complicated issue, and I don’t want to pass any judgment or express any opinion because I believe these problems will be solved. So, let’s wait and see.

Historically, the Alaafin was regarded as a major voice in Yoruba affairs. What concrete steps has Alaafin Owoade taken to justify that wider role?

Since he ascended the throne, he has been able to reconnect the Oyos in diaspora to Oyos at home. He recently went to Brazil to see for himself what’s happening to people of Oyo origin and of Yoruba origin, and to let them know that we are together, and to invite them to come and join us at home to develop our various Yoruba communities. And I believe we got an overwhelming response of support in that direction. There have been some Oyo settlements that people assume belong elsewhere. For example, in Kwara State, there are plenty of Oyo communities. Late Oba Olayiwola Adeyemi was relating to all of those royal fathers, and the Alaafin has continued to do the same. He has even gone beyond what was done before his ascension to the throne, as he has gone to the part of Nigeria that people consider the North. He has been to Jebba, for example, and he was received very warmly by the people. He is trying, by all means, to draw the Oyos from around the world. In December of this year, there will be a celebration of the Oyo Empire which we have titled “Oyo Empire Day.” Members of the planning committee are drawn from across West Africa, and they are working, at the moment, for the realisation of that noble intention. And, if you go to the palace, you will discover that guests are in and out from all over Yoruba land, and from countries far away from here, of people of Oyo and Yoruba origin. So, the Alaafin is doing very well in that direction, and I’m sure things will get even better as he continues on the throne.

You were an adviser to the late Alaafin Adeyemi, and you also contested the stool that Alaafin Owoade now occupies. What role do you personally play in the current Alaafin’s administration?

The new king is a member of my family, and the name he bears is my name. Even though most of you know me as Ladigbolu, Ladigbolu and Owoade are the same because we are sons of the same mother and father. So, in terms of closeness, in terms of proximity, in terms of who belongs to what, I can say that surely Oba Abimbola is on the throne, but I am on the throne with him, in that I have the statutory obligation, religious obligation, to support him, to stand by him, to help him in every way I can. This is because all members of the Agunloye family are on that throne at the moment, and I happen to be one of them.

After 17 months on the throne, what are the three most important things Alaafin Owoade must achieve in the next two years for Oyo people to say his reign is delivering results?

I have not discussed that with Iku Baba Yeye in detail, but the steps I have seen him taking give us a lot of hope. Immediately after his ascension, he publicly announced to us, in Oyo, that he is not on the throne to take over anybody’s land. He then set up a land matters committee so that anybody who has complaints about land issues should go to that committee. And that committee has been working for about a year, and they have settled so many disputes that would have taken people to court. They have made people more relaxed about their ownership of land and properties. One innovation that has come out of that is that the Alaafin is creating a land bank which will be available for industrialists and business people who may require land for their enterprises. Nobody has ever done that in Oyo, to my knowledge of our history. He is bringing into Oyo foreign business owners, giving them freedom to visit him, dialogue with him, and we know we are going to see more enterprises spring up in this community. Also, there is a community hospital that he has been able to acquire for us, donated by a woman. He has also said that if he is choosing anybody and honouring them with chieftaincy titles, he doesn’t want them to bring him any money but ask them to do something for the development of this community. In the next two years, I am sure Oyo will be so transformed that everybody will be happy and there will be greater progress and development.

What should those who believe Alaafin Owoade’s emergence was wrong do now, and what responsibility does the Alaafin himself have to reconcile with them?

I know some are still aggrieved; I know there are those who are still in court. I appeal that we should all give peace a chance. There is an assumption that Archbishop Ladigbolu is pushing them too hard. But this is our heritage, and only one of us can be on the throne. Once a king has been chosen, it is the responsibility of all of us, who are of royal blood, to seek to support him, to work for his success, to work for his honour and glory, to ensure that he will have peace of mind to administer the kingdom. I thank so many who have given their promises to work with the Alaafin. And I will appeal to Alaafin himself to seek ways of drawing these people to himself because we are all useful. We all have expertise in one thing or the other, and that can be useful to the king and to the kingdom. My appeal is not only to those who could not ascend the throne to give peace a chance, but also to the king himself to seek ways to draw them closer to himself so that they will have a sense of belonging and cooperate with the king.