From CLEMENT ADEYI, Osogbo
Oba Almoroof Adekunle Magbagbeola, the Olufon of Ifon, Osun State, is the paramount ruler of Irepodun/Orolu Traditional Council. He is also king of three communities of Ifon, Ilobu and Erin-Osun, and deputy chairman of the state Council of Obas. He spoke with Daily Sun:
How was your growing up?
I started my life in Ghana, where I was born in the late 50s. I first stepped to the Nigerian soil in 1964, following my grandmother’s insistence that I must come back to Nigeria. I was very fond of her, I had to leave Ghana for Osogbo to live with her. But after my primary school in Osogbo, I ran back to Ghana because of language barrier as I didn’t understand nor could speak Yoruba fluently. I was only able to speak Ashanti, a Ghanaian language, and English, which is more or less their official language. My parents have houses in Ghana. But we relocated to Nigeria in 1967 when Ghanaian authorities asked all Nigerian nationals to return to their country (Nigeria). But we didn’t sell the houses. We gave them to our fellow Yoruba people who are still living in Ghana free of charge. I can say that by birth, I am a Ghanaian citizen and still travel to Ghana for different concerns.
How do monarch get to the throne in your kingdom?
We have five ruling houses in Ifon-Orolu Kingdom. They include Olumoyero where I come from, Oluyeye Kingdom, Morofolu Kingdom, Orisatoyebo Kingdom and Odoolu Kingdom. Each of these ruling houses has its peculiar history. As a result, kings are produced by each of the ruling houses in turns. When it becomes the turn of any ruling house, it exercises the right to present its candidate(s) within 14 days to the king makers. The community people, too, are involved in the selection process.
The choice of the king is determined by his credibility and pedigree because the people would want somebody that they can trust as having the necessary qualities to be their king. He must not be a puppet nor somebody that could be walked over at any time. Though academic qualification is not a prerequisite, in the contemporary Nigeria, every community or town prefers to have an enlightened, well educated and exposed king.
When did you assume the throne as king and how did you feel when you received the news of your choice?
I was installed on May 28, 2007. That was about nine years ago. On that day, I felt very bad because I realized that I was going to miss the beautiful office environment where I was working in NNPC in Warri, Delta State.
I also felt that I was going to miss my colleagues in the office. I thought bitterly about how I was no longer going to be interacting with them any longer. I got worried about how I was going to become a village man and how I was going to return to my roots for a new phase of life.
In fact, I had been installed as king before I resigned from NNPC as admin supervisor. When I was contesting for the throne, it was like a child play and when I was announced as the new king, I realised that I was going to carry a huge burden as the overall father and paramount ruler of three communities which include Ifon, Ilobu and Erin. I am also the deputy chairman of Osun State Council of Obas. Based on my position as the deputy chairman, I participate in the traditional affairs at both the state and the national levels.
What do you find interesting about obaship throne?
I find my interaction with my colleagues from other kingdoms across the federation –the North, the South, the East and the West during national meetings very interesting. At our meetings, you would see an Arewa king from the North, a Middle Belt oba from Kogi, Benue and Niger, an Ibo King, an Itsekiri or Orhobo king from the South-South among others. At the local and state levels, one also gets to meet traditional rulers from different towns and communities within the state as well as government officials during trado-political meetings. What I find so interesting in all these is that even as a monarch, one is making inputs into the socio-political and economic development of the country, both at the local, state and national levels.
Coming from an oil sector background as an administrative supervisor, do you have anything to regret for abandoning such a juicy job for the palace?
Apart from traditional responsibilities in your domain, what roles do you play at the government level to develop your state?
It is interesting that government recognizes the roles of traditional rulers in the affairs of the state. It involves obas in crucial decision making processes. It also invites them to crucial meetings to get their views on important issues that can help the growth of the state.
For instance, I have often times given pieces of advice to government when the need arises. An oba’s name is at stake if he fails to live up to expectation in issues relating to the peace and progress of his town.
But in a conventional public service job, leaders can do whatever they like because they feel that their position is not sacred like that of an oba. As an oba, you can not misbehave because apart from the fact that God is watching, your people believe that you are the custodian of their culture and tradition and must live above board to represent their interest. You must also encourage your subjects to live within the limits of the dictates of their cultural heritage.
History has it that Olufon Dynasty has a very mysterious background. Can you take us back into the history?
Yes, indeed. Olufon who is the father and progenitor of the kingdom is the first child of Obatala. According to Yoruba mythology, Obatala is a deity in the world. History has it that he assisted God in moulding human heads. That is why there is this saying in Yoruba: “Mori mori ti mori omo, Obatala morimi si ire o.” Meaning Obatala should mould my head very well. Obatala was believed to be a part of creation works by God. He and Oduduwa were brothers. When Obatala tried to become a direct ruler in Ile-Ife, he could not because of laxity.
According to Yoruba mythology, Olodumare, the s\Supreme God, ordered Obatala to create the earth. He was supposed to bring a feed back to God, but as a jolly jolly person, when he met some people on the way drinking palm wine and enjoying themselves, he joined them and drank himself to stupor. Consequently, he could not carry out the mandate.
In the circumstance, his younger brother, Oduduwa, collected the three items of creation from him, climbed down from the heavens on a chain and threw a handful of earth on the primordial ocean, then put a cockerel on it in order to scatter the earth and created the land on which Ile-Ife was built.
Oduduwa then planted a palm nut in a hole in the newly formed land. From there, a great tree sprang with 16 branches, which is a symbolic representation of the clans of the early Ife city state.
Following his creation of the world, Oduduwa became the first divine king of the Yoruba race, while Obatala is believed to have created the first Yoruba people out of clay.
God wanted him to be the head, but as a result of his negligence, he failed. Part of what he also enjoyed and loved so much was palm wine, which eventually became his undoing. That is why palm wine is forbidden among Ifon and Obatala’s descendants till date.
Even, Olufon as an oba, can’t drink palm wine. Neither can any prince nor princess drink it. At Obatala’s shrine in Ife, palm wine is also forbidden. Nobody dares drink it. No Obatala’s descendant drinks palm wine because it is forbidden, no matter his or her level of civilisation. Anybody that drinks it, risks terrible consequences.
How was Ifon town discovered?
History has it that Ifon is an ancient town that has been in existence since 1008 AD. When Olufon left Ife, he was asked to go to a vast land where he could find plenty vegetables known as “Olu”which means mushroom and where certain birds called “eye ega” in Yoruba language were seen spread on the vast land and he should settle there.
Our first place of settlement is between Oyo and Osun states. It is called Ifon-Ega. When they got there, the climate of the area changed. Till date, the vegetation of the area is so peculiar that if anybody gets there, he will have a swollen head. Later, they moved to Ifon-Erin, a very massive land and also acquired it. It was a virgin land where the Fulani Empire and the old Oyo Empire were also trying to occupy. Later, they moved to a place called Ifobale which remains our permanent cemetery. That is where every Olufon’s descendant is buried.
If any Olufon dies, he can never be buried in the town but must be taken to the cemetery.
What is the genealogy of Ifon Dynasty?
In the present Ifon, 33 obas had reigned. I am the 34th monarch. We have dynasties which include Guamodu in Oyo State. Olufon’s sons and daughters are spread across the South-West. For instance, we have many of them in Ondo State. Also, 99 percent of people from Saki are from Ifon. We have not less than 78 percent of Ifon people in Inisa in Osun State.
There is no gainsaying the fact that Olufon’s sons and daughters are spread all over the world. Record has shown that all Brazilians are Olufon’s descendants. They have invited me to Brazil a couple of times as one of their forefathers. We have a town called Olufon’s town in Brazil. That is why nobody can tarnish the image of Orisanla Olufon in the whole world.
What peculiar tradition and culture do you cherish most?
We have what we call Oduade. It is a special crown peculiar to Olufon. Olufon has different crowns. We celebrate Oduade Festival annually. On that day, I have to wear different crowns to pray for the whole town. There is a crown that can only be worn by the Olufon. It is called Desesefun. It is a purely white crown. Nobody else wears it, except the Olufon. There is also Ade Obatala, which is also peculiar to Olufon. We also have Adeari which is another special crown that not every oba can wear.
We have another festival called Oro which no woman can witness when it is being performed in the night. We also have Egungun Festival, Ogun Festival and Osun Festival. They are performed annually to pacify the gods and pray against any danger. We also pray for prosperity and increase in our farm produce.
Is there any kind of food that is forbidden among your people?
Yes. We have what we call “Olu” in Yoruba which means mushroom. Though so many tribes eat it because they feel it is medicinal, it is forbidden among my people. Even it is eaten for any reason, it must not be eaten anyhow. We have to respect it because our forefathers used to bear the name, Olu.
What religion do you practice?
I am a Muslim, but I also practice all other religions. For instance, I do fast for 90 days as Christians do, even though it is not a Ramaddan period.
I do so to purify myself and the community and to pray for my people. I also use the period to make consultations in the realm of the spirit so as not to be taken unawares by any evil circumstance.
Whenever I fast, I dare not curse anybody nor wish anybody any bad thing.