Oba Adesina Adenugba
The Ebumawe of Ago-Iwoye, HRH Oba Abdul-Razaq Adesina Adenugba turns 65 on Wednesday, 3rd February, 2021. In a chat with Great Achiever Magazine, the Royal Father went down memory lane to trace his journey of life which reveals that life is not a bed of roses.
Excerpts:
Kaabiyesi, congratulations on your 65th birthday. We would like you to share with us the experience of some of the things you’ve passed through before attaining this age.
To God be the glory for coming this far in life. It is no doubt the work of God, and I’m indeed very grateful to Him.
Yes, there have been lots of tribulations, ups and downs, life and death experience, but one still has to thank God for His mercy. When I look at myself and what God has done to me and my position as the Ebumawe of Ago-Iwoye, I would ask myself, why me? Though there are challenges, but I still give glory to God.
The most significant aspect of your life in the past 65 years is your reign as the Ebumawe of Ago-Iwoye. How would you describe your life since ascension to the throne?
If you are asking me about my reign, it means you are asking me to assess my rulership. But I think that is better answered by people out there who can give unbiased assessment of my performance on the throne.
However, I want to tell you that I’m focused and preoccupied with how I’m going to move Ago-Iwoye forward from where I met it. I thank God that I’ve been doing that because all the things that I’ve been touching, especially in the area of security, economy and commercial activities of the town have received blessings from God.
I’ve also embarked on reorganization of the traditional structure, thereby going back to the Isese of our forefathers. Settling of rancours among various villages who were clamouring for their respective Baales as village heads. All these are some of my achievements since I ascended the throne.
Tell us the roles of your family in the attainment of your 65 years
I got married in 1988 to my late wife, Alhaja Muibat Iyabode Adenugba, who hailed from Ijebu-Ode, but we met in Lagos. We had our introduction and engagement in Kano where her parents were residing then. We came back to Ansar-Ud-Deen Central Mosque, Ebute-Metta, Lagos for our wedding.
From there, I started a new life which prepared the ground for me to have my children. My first son, Omooba Farouk Adesegun Adenugba, is today by the grace of God a Professional Architect with a Masters degree, while his younger brother, Omooba Fuad Adenugba, is a graduate from Babcock University. It is an achievement to my own immediate family, although It was very tough for me to bring them up because they were still young when I lost my wife in 2001, preparatory to my ascending the throne. The younger ones, Omooba Faodthan Adenugba and Omooba Fawaz Adenugba, that I have from Olori Olanike Adenugba, while on the throne are also doing well. I married Olori Olanike as a second wife to Late Olori Femi Faridat before she passed on.
Today, I thank God that Olori Olanike is with me and doing her best to ensure that the family enjoys the throne while keeping the home front very well. Indeed, God has been very wonderful to us.
Kabiyesi, you are a highly sociable person with array of friends. What roles have friends played in your life, particularly as you are on the throne?
When people talk about social life, it is like hand writing or signature. You can only design your signature, but nobody can perfect it. Irrespective of your background or upbringing, you still have to design your social life. I started it roughly in life, but because I have focus that I must get to my destination, I had to relate with many people. In the course of doing that, I put it in my mind that I must relate with people who will give me backing to realize what I want in life, which is to have good education and exposure that would assist me to achieve as much as what my mates who were fed with silver spoons achieved.
Like I said earlier, I started it rough in life. My parents gave me the type of education they could afford then because I attended primary school and thereafter modern school. But some of my mates whose parents were well to do went directly from primary school to secondary school, while I sojourned to modern school. It was after modern school that I came back to secondary school. Later, I went to Teachers’ Training College and subsequently proceeded to the Polytechnic before attending University. You could see how I embarked on my education journey. But I thank God that at the end of the day, I had my first and second degrees.
This is to tell you that I was thirsty of education when I was nobody, but I was not discouraged. I made sure that I got what I wanted, even while working and doing some odd jobs. I once worked as a labourer with bricklayers, all in a bid to fend for myself to keep life going. I sojourned to the extent that when I was working in the bank, while my colleagues collected loans to buy pleasure cars, I took loan to buy Danfo vehicle which I was driving for commercial purpose after closing hours in the bank. After all these rigours, I still found time to socialize, sit down with my friends especially in Lagos to drink one or two bottles of beer. Night crawling had always been part of me.
I thank God that I did not have cause to live any wayward life. I am still relating with all my friends that we were together back in the 80s.
As a man with many friends, please tell us the good and bitter experience you have had with friends.
Friendship is ordained by Almighty God. I have chain of friends and I don’t see any that is not worthy of being a friend, but I’m selective and gain a lot from friends. I don’t keep bad friends. If I discover that you are a bad friend or your lifestyle is unacceptable to me, I will keep my distance from you. I have some friends in the past who wanted us to do ‘deals’ that would make us to have money, but when I thought about the repercussion of such ‘deals’ which can tarnish my image, I would remember what my father told me when I was going to Lagos, that I should not tarnish my family name. That is why up till today I will not do anything that will bring my name into disrepute.
If any friend approaches me for a ‘deal’ that will tarnish my image, I will tell the person to see me tomorrow morning. At that appointed time, the person will not see me and that will be the end of that friendship. At the same time, I have some good friends who are hardworking and have good opportunities. I have a friend who once told me that because I was working in the bank and living with my brother did not mean that I should not struggle for myself. That friend gave me an adage that says, ‘poverty in freedom is better than freedom in bondage’. That adage gave me the courage to have my own apartment and I started living another life. So, I learnt a lot from that friend whose name is Ayo Saliu. We met in Lagos and became good friends.
Also, when I became an Oba I have many friends too because of my open mindedness. I appreciate friends who are good, both young and old that I can learn from. I have friends who are younger than me and enjoy relating with me. Among the traditional rulers too, I have friends who are junior to me and others who are senior to me that we enjoy relating with each other.
However, if my relationship with any friend is not beneficial, I will not fight such friend but I will just keep my distance in order to ease that friend out.
What special privilege did your royal background confer on you while growing up?
This present throne that I’m enjoying was inherited by my father. It was after the demise of Oba Akadi Adenugba that my father got married to my mother. I was not alive when Oba Akadi was reigning. But by the chieftaincy declaration, there are four ruling houses in Ago-Iwoye. Oba Akadi Adenugba, Okokodana Meji was the first Ebumawe of Ago-Iwoye. The other ruling houses had taken their position before it came back to Okokodana ruling house which chose me to become the Oba. It was my grandfather who ruled that laboured for this throne which I’m now a beneficiary.
With my age when I ascended the throne, my life changed. I look at myself as the Oba who the entire community is bowing for, and I thank God because it was not my making. Whenever my former bosses in the office saw me, they would bow to say Kaabiyesi. I started having new friends. There were many people that I could hitherto not move close to their doors, but they started coming to me to either pay homage or seek my assistance. All the things that were hard for me to get are now coming my way easily, although to be on the throne as an Oba, there are personal challenges that one will be facing, especially considering the peculiarity of our town here.
Ago-Iwoye people are good, but no matter how good a person is there will still be shortcomings. The experience I have with Ago-Iwoye people is quite interesting and challenging. But thank God that with all the challenges that have been coming my way from various quarters, I’ve been putting my feet down. At the moment, I’m equal to the task because whenever there are issues, they have to come, sit down with me and iron things out. So, being on the throne up till this age of 65 years is a very big task and I give glory to Almighty God.
Kaabiyesi, at 65 years, are you fulfilled in life?
To the glory of Almighty God, I’m fulfilled. As an ex-banker, I’ve had some achievements before I came to the throne. I have my house, my children have good education, I’ve contributed my own quota and still contributing to the development of Ago-Iwoye and society at large. These are some of the qualities seen in me before I was elected by the kingmakers to become the Oba.
After I ascended the throne, I could point to many things that I’ve achieved. Don’t forget also that I’m now a grandfather because my son got married and now has his own family, while I also have children when I became the Oba. The only thing that can never be enough for any human being is wealth.
Kaabiyesi, some people say that you are temperamental. What is your reaction to this?
If some people say or see me as being temperamental, it is my nature. This is peculiar to anybody who has focus and doesn’t take nonsense or tell lies. I’m a socialite, and when I ascended the throne, my life changed. But there are some people in Ago-Iwoye who go about telling lies, saying what is not true. Definitely, that will trigger one’s temperament. But I want to tell you that I’m not temperamental. It is when people try to tarnish my image or come up with unsubstantiated allegations or do things that make me angry and I react, then they will say one is temperamental.
You can imagine the crisis that got my palace burnt, when few disgruntled elements alleged that I was killing people in my palace, something that was not true. It is still lingering in my memory up till today. Though I’ve forgiven those who perpetrated the act, but God will not forgive them. Therefore, it is situation that determines my temperament.
We want you to share with us one very harsh experience of life that happened to you but later shaped your life.
Before I came to the throne, people that were already my seniors had my respect because I cherished my relationship with them. When I came to the throne, I still give them that honour and respect.
But they see the respect as an opportunity to undermine my authority by saying that this is our boy, we should be able to talk to him. They tried to make my rulership very tough and difficult, to the extent that when I gave instruction or pronouncement in the palace, some people in Ago-Iwoye will still go to these seniors to tell them that, see what your younger brother is doing. But instead of them to advise those people who came to report me, they will say, don’t mind that boy, we will talk to him, is it not Sina? We will talk to him.
However, It got to a stage that I had to give one of these brothers confrontation and told him off. From there, I liberated myself, while all others who have been following his footsteps retraced their steps.
If I had said I would not like to disrespect or offend this brother, I wouldn’t have liberated myself. Since then, everybody knows where he or she belongs. There are many of such challenges, but I have to put my feet down because if I don’t do that, they will not allow me to enjoy the throne.
At 65 years of age, if you had not been an Oba, what would you have been?
To God be the glory. If I was not an Oba, probably, I would have been a politician because politics had been in me. Although, I might not be a full time politician but I move with politicians. Some of my friends who we met in the course of business are today governors, senators and top political functionaries.
Before I ascended the throne, we started Otunba Gbenga Daniel (OGD) movement before he became the governor. And when OGD became the governor, some of the people that were in the movement were appointed as commissioners. So, if I did not become the Ebumawe of Ago-Iwoye, I’m sure I must have moved on with my life in a very big way.
Looking ahead into the future, what is your dream of life?
My dream is to see Ago-Iwoye progressing and moving ahead in the right direction such that the town will be industrialized and people will not rely on Olabisi Onabanjo University alone for business patronage. There is land in Ago-Iwoye, and people are encouraged to practice mechanized farming here. Again, very soon, a private university will take off in Ago-Iwoye. So, the future of Ago-Iwoye is very bright.
How much of support have you been receiving from the people of Ago-Iwoye since you came to the throne?
Regardless of the challenges that I mentioned earlier, I still enjoy the support of the youths, especially people in the middle age bracket who have been very supportive. God has made us one family and they are very close to me.
This may be due to what I put in place because when I came to the throne, I resuscitated the Regberegbes (Age Group Associations) which always want to associate with the palace. Whenever they have any social event to do either individually or collectively, they always find me in their midst identifying with them. So, all the youths are very close to me.
Infact, I remember my 60th birthday that was celebrated for me by a group of friends that gathered themselves together to contribute money to give me a befitting birthday celebration. I was overwhelmed at that occasion with such a kind gesture, and this made me to pronounce the group of friends as Heritage Brothers Club, Ago-Iwoye. Since then, I’ve been feeling the presence of the club in the palace and the town with various projects the club has been executing which are widely acknowledged.
Kaabiyesi, as you celebrate your 65th birthday, what is your wish for Ago-Iwoye?
In Ago-Iwoye, we should continue to love ourselves, make our contributions to the progress and development of the town. As you know, Rome was not built in a day, while a drop of water makes a big ocean. We should all see Ago-Iwoye as our own because there is no other place we can call our own. Let us all join hands together to build Ago-Iwoye so that we can bequeath a flourishing town to the coming generation.
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