Oba Abdul Rasheed Adewale Akanbi
Though deep in Yoruba history and those of other nations, his word,
action and dressing style naturally stand him out as a unique king
determined to make important statement in cultural harmony.
His local accent in a meeting with his traditional chiefs and
subjects is a sharp contrast to his long sojourn in Canada. He speaks as
if he never ever stepped out of his hometown.
In this interview with the Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdul Rasheed Adewale
Akanbi (Telu I), who ascended to the throne in November 16, 2015 and was
coronated two months after on January 16, 2016 following a path
severally described as manifestation of destiny, has spoken on sundry
issues.
Below are excerpts from the chat;
Between January 16 when you received your staff of office and now, what has the experience been?
It has been beautiful and I am extremely happy. We are moving
forward. I am a working Oba. I think everyday on how to better the lots
of my people. We started from the Palace and built a befitting Palace
that my sons and daughters are proud of. You can see how beautiful the
palace is now. But I cannot be in a palace like this and my people
remain poor. So we move to health care need of my people. When my people
are free from sickness, they have strength to carry on their daily
jobs. Then we went for food. We have food and clothing bank for them.
When you put these together, health, food and cloth you have happy and
motivated people. You can see the hope in them. You can see the
enthusiasm in them. I have a dream and I am happy the dream is coming to
a reality gradually. Already, the National Open University (Study
Centre) project has been completed. We are only waiting for the federal
government to inspect the place. It has been equipped with computer,
library and other equipment needed to operate. There is a revolution
going on in Iwoland and I am very happy my people are taking note of it.
They are appreciating the passion with which I mounted the throne when I
was on the streets personally filling pot holes on the roads. Some were
mocking while majority were sharing my vision.
It is believed in some quarters that an Oba must be seen in
certain attires. Is an Oba actually restricted to wear certain dresses?
If you are not wearing rags, you are okay. What you wear as a
traditional ruler depends on what statement you want to make. I don’t
wear anything without making a statement. When I put on something,
people should not rush to judgment but ask questions the way I ask
questions on what is not clear to me. You see me in jalabia but you
don’t ask me question. Is jalabia our dress? But when you see me in
English dress, you make an issue out of it. If our forefathers had the
opportunity to wear suit, they would wear it. If, as a traditional
ruler, who cares for development, you are invited to the United States
during winter, the weather will force you to wear jacket. Is that jacket
from here?
Do you think it is right to call yourself an emperor?
Does government give anyone ‘his royal highness’ or ‘his imperial
majesty’? No! Everybody picks what suits his dream. Emperor tallies with
my dream and vision for Iwoland because I have a picture of an empire.
The history of this town has not been told and I am telling it. I will
continue to emphasise it that Iwoland is a special town of authority
coming into existence since 10th century.
The king's wife being interviewed at an event
Is there any difference between the Oba of today and that of the past?
There is more information today. We tend to have more knowledge
about other environment. Many Obas have come and some are not popular at
all. It depends on your reign. If I am going to spend one day, I want
it to be exceptional; that history will always talk about me. If it is
100 years, it must be beautiful and exceptional years of achievement. My
era will sell Iwo to the world beyond your imagination. This is my
vision and it is already playing out. I have a huge responsibility. I
have set a high standard for myself and God willing I won’t disappoint
in delivering the job because my people need transformation that will
match their status as Iwoland. We are building an empire that is going
to be famous not only in Osun State or Nigeria but also in the whole
world. They will know that there is Iwo. They will know the rich history
we have here. They will know how important we are. They will know we
have a king. They will know we have an emperor.
Click here to read the full interview on The Tribune.
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