Prince Dr. Ajibade Adebayo Adeladan of Ilaka Lawuwo Compound, Oyo is a medical practitioner based in United State, he is one of the royal blood aspiring to be then next Alaafin of Oyo, In this interview he gave an insight into his background and why he is interested in becoming the next Alaafin of Oyo. Excerpts
Can we meet you sir?
My name is Prince Dr. Ajibade Adebayo Adeladan of Ilaka Lawuwo Compound, Oyo and was born into the Royal family of the Agunloye Dynasty in Oyo. I am a medical doctor and live in California in the United State of America. Even though I work in the United State, I have actually been coming to Oyo, virtually every year. Late king passed on in April 2022 and shortly after he passed, we began to talk about all of this. shortly after this, I began to have interest and I have participated in the process, including taking my name to the relevant people, the Babayaji in Oyo town. We were about 89. Actually we were initially about 119 candidates, then it dropped to 89 and then, 65 of us were interviewed. The King makers are aware of my candidacy because they interviewed us.
Why do you want to return to Nigeria at this time that many young people are japaing? Why are you choosing to come back to Nigeria with your beautiful career, why do you want to come back to Nigeria, why do you want to come back to Oyo?
You will not be the first person to ask me that question, even in the United State, even my co-workers, the ask me every now and them. Just before I came, they asked me, why do you want to leave California for Nigeria. But I always tell them, Nigeria is the biggest economy in the whole of Africa and there are many opportunities in Nigeria and also, there are many people I think, I can be of help to in Nigeria. With all my experience, with how have seen how things are done, even though I have been on the medical field, I am very much interested about Agriculture. Why, because I worked in Nebraska. Nebraska is an agricultural state. I have interacted with farmers, I interacted with ranchers and I come to Nigeria, those things are not there, those things are not readily available, farms are small. In Nebraska, you are driving like 100 miles, you see corns, maize, wheat for more than 100 miles.
So, I say to myself, we can do all these too in Nigeria. We may not be able to build planes, build rockets or submarines but we can at least do all those things. We should be able to generate electricity, we should be able to have agriculture, especially in Nigeria. We should be able to take care of all of them. And now came the opportunity, biologically, I belong to the royal family and it is now the turn of our ruling house and I see myself as eminently qualified to do it and my family are also in support of that. So I said well, I think, I can do this and my interest has been growing since then.
Now, I am more confident that it’s something I ought do to be of help to people. If you are in the Western world and you are comfortable, it’s okay but if you come back to your own place, with the experience that you have and the idea that you have, you can begin to do things differently, you can begin to do things that will be of benefit to your people when you are back here. I always tell people, I have been to the Caribbean for instance, these are very small countries, Jamaica, you know the population is probably 5 million, the most popularly country there is Cuba, about 10 million. Lagos alone is about 20 million and in all these small countries, they have everything. There is water supply, electricity is 24 hours, they have all these things and yet we have about 250 million people we can not take care of things. I feel that with all those experiences have had, if I come to a place like this, I should be able to be of help, I should be able to contribute my own quota and I think that being an Alaafin, it is going to be an Alaafin that is experience and it is going to be of huge benefit, not only to the people of Oyo but to the people of Oyo State, South West and Nigeria as a whole.
Before you left Nigeria, you said you had your residence in training, were you a consultant?
Yes! I became a consultant. When you finish a programme, you become a specialist, you are a senior registrar. When a got my pert 2 from the Fellow of West African College of Surgeons West African College of Surgeons which qualified me to be a consultant and I was actually a consultant in a private hospital in Lagos for six months before I left.
The Agric that you are talking about, that means that is your hobby? Something you have passion for? That mean if you have not been in this Alaafin contention, you would have loved to join politics?
Well, I don’t know. But I would have wanted to be doing things in Oyo There are investors, there are people that can to do thing in Oyo and they may not be politician per say. What you said is something I could have thought about.
You talked about your family too, are they still base in the USA?’
Yes! They are based in the United State.
And they are thinking of coming back to Nigeria with you?
Well, not now because I have a 12 year-old son and he is gone to be schooling there for sometime. He is going to be coming to Oyo as frequently as possible. Everybody is going to be here.
You were talking about agriculture, have you started, do you have land, no matter how small or big that you are already practicing in Oyo?
No! But I have identified land. I have identified places where these things can be done. I would say, sometimes, when you get to a point like you want to retire, then you want to begin to think of other things you can do. For instance, the agriculture thing, like I said, I have identified land in Oyo. If you look at places that are outside Oyo, leaving Oyo and going to other cities, there are a lot of plans that one can bring in and those contacts of farmers that, I collected in Nebraska and even in California that I am now.
Have you started doing anything on Agriculture in Oyo?
No! But I have been advising remember, my dad is an agriculturist, we talked about that. We are coming up with plans. We have talked about that. Even things like palm oil, and all that, we are already working on them. Only that we don’t have anything on the ground, But we are already planning on things like palm oil, maize and other things, even coming down to the level of acres, how much can be produced per acre and all that.
You said you slow down the process in the course of your discussion, now you are igniting your process, why?
Yes! At the time we initially started, you know we had to do interviews, I had to do an interview with just an individual from the tribune but we were being advised because of what was going on at that time. There were still bone of contention. People coming out, saying they are this when they are not. They said, well everybody should calm down, that we should hold on and do what we need to do but Oyomesi have interviewed all of us. But there are people who wanted to take the government to court, who wanted to take the Oyomesi to court and which they actually did and some of them are still in court, that they were not allowed to be interviewed and they also belong to the royal family, the general elections were coming on that the time and other things. The government will not even have time to look into that and Ogbomoso also are having their issues, Iseyin, also lost their monarch then. So there were many things taking the time of the government. So, it was generally advised that we should slow down at that time.
When you look at the medical sector, the capital flight, how do you intend to turn Oyo State into a medical tourist center and also, Nigerians are migrating at record rate this time, you have experienced the both works and you are a medical practitioner, what do you think the government of Nigeria needs to do to stem the tide or do you think Nigeria should just allow all the skilled labour to just migrate?
On the long term plan, for instance at Oyo, Oyo is now a university town. There are three Universities there. One of the universities (Ajayi Crowther University) is well established. All of them are well established but I see that university as an institution that can have a medical school. Because when you have a medical school, you always have doctors. They may staff like 20 doctors every year and that will be very helpful to the community. There is no country in the world that has enough doctors but you see that in Nigeria, there are doctors that will finish NYSC and they say they can not find a job. That tells you that, there is something wrong with the system.
Because Israel has one doctor to 160 people and yet they say they don’t have enough. US have 50, 000 short fall of doctors. Right now, they need 50, 000 doctors and there is no way that can be met because it will involve only medical schools and others. And to now say they quickly need 50, 000 doctors, it is going to be a difficult thing. That is why the always attract doctors from all over the world, because people are retiring. So many doctors are retiring in their thousand every year and they need to replace all of those.
So, one of the things I want to do that I will be looking at on a long term is medical school but on a short term, as long as the economy of Nigeria is how it is now, they would find doctors that would also want to leave and again, there are no positions for them. There are not enough position for them. One of the things that we do in this country is like, when you finish your specialist training, you are not allowed to work as a consultant until you pass certain exams but the US for instance, once you go through the 5-year programme, it us more of training. For example, if you are in surgery everyday you go there you assist and do surgery and in 5-years you have all the experience and then you are a consultant, you can go to rural hospital and begin to work as a consultant and write your exam and become board certified. But here you have to pass all the exams and all that before you can not work as a consultant. So that is going to be in short fall of doctors. They won’t have enough specialist that way. For instance, if somebody has the experience you have done all the necessary things, you can go to rural area, you have done the 5 years, then you can worked there, and do everything doctors are doing at the medical school. But they will say because you have not pass the exam, therefore, you cannot work as a consultant. That is the problem and the economy too does not allow doctors to have positions as they should. Even in UCH, I think they have about a thousand beds for a city of Ibadan.
Whereas there should be probably about 20 of it in this city. So, they won’t be talking that doctors are done with NYSC and they did not have jobs. We don’t have enough hospitals in Nigeria. I think the government is not helping that sector enough as they should.
For now we have Primary Health Centers in Oyo state or all over Nigeria and there are many things that can be done with those Primary Health Centers. I understand also they have Health Care Insurance which is a big thing, which every community should have, I understand in Oyo state they have the OYSHIA and people are paying certain amount of money every year like 13,500. I will like to encourage Oyo indigenes that are investors, that have not been wanting to come home that are even in diaspora to come in to sponsor people. They can sponsor as many as they want. Pay those fees for them so that they have access that have not been wanton to come home and there are people that can sponsor people and pay those fees for them, in order to have access to Healthcare. Aside for me personally sponsor people. I intend to that as soon as possible. I have many Nigerians in the US that don’t know about this and if they knew about this, they will do something quickly. If they know that you can sponsor people, there are people that can sponsor 100, 200 1000 people. If it is 13500 every year, they can do that. So am gonna be vocal among Nigerians in diaspora and I myself will want to sponsor people
Question: Apart from the agro-medical policy aspect, Do you have any kind of our culture, art of the Oyo people, because the arts and culture of Oyo people if properly harnessed, the potentiality can boost the economy and tourism, do you have anything as regard to that?
Response: If you look at the palace in Oyo, I think that it is very important to have like a museum (Palace museum) in the Oyo to showcase the history of the Oyo Empire, the Oyo Empire has been great is well known not only in Africa but in the world. You go to USA, you go to other state and you mention Oyo Empire, they will tell you that they’ve had of it before. What I am saying is that the Oyo empire they’ve had of it, they know about it, you will tell them where you’re going they quickly Google it. Those people will want to come and visit. There’re Yoruba in Cuba, Europe, Caribbean Island and in Trinidad and Tobago. There is Yoruba in Brazil and they want to come and visit, so they should be able to come to the palace museum, the museum can be in the palace and another one can be in the city also. They come to the palace; they see all the different kings that have ruled in Oyo for 700 years. They see all the different kings like Alaafin Sango, Alaafin Abiodun that started the new Oyo Empire that we have now. Atiba and all that, they want to see all that. I remember when I was in new York a patient from Cuba, was a white from Cuba, he was supposed to take injection and he said NO he’s not going to have an injection, he‘ll rather take pills and I asked why he doesn’t want to take injection and he said because of his religion, so what is your religion and he said his religion is Babalawo and he’s white from Cuba so he’s never been to Nigeria before never been to Oyo before but is religion is Babalawo, what he meant by Babalawo is Yoruba traditional religion. Those things will track people, people will like to come and one of the things am looking at is how to encourage them, there’re people I have been talking to Prof. Wande Abimbola, she’s in Texas, she talks to me all the time, she is very much interested in that, she is actually Babalawo too herself.
Laughs….. She calls herself Babalawo (laughs)….. She is interested in that, she actually brought some people to Oyo almost every year, she brings Americans to Oyo, takes them to their compound, show them the idols, Ifa things and all that. There are many things that can attract people to Oyo and I will like encourage and i think the museum thing letting people to be aware and the Diaspora knows about it, so that we can begin to get ready to travel, in the western world they like to go to go to such places so tell them about Oyo empire they will like to come. (Our festivals) Yeah! Many festivals just like w have the Sango festival, Obatala festival, Oranyan festivals that a lot of people will like to come and see, (hopefully these will bring economic prosperity, influx of tourist to see our tourism, art and culture) Absolutely!, the last Alaafin of Oyo was a very big in that and then we intend to continue just to attract people to come around to bring people in. We are not just going to be talking about letting people know that you can come and visit and see the Oyo empire that they’ve seen, they’ve read about in the newspaper, online and all that and these people are white people that speaks Yoruba language. There are white people that actually study Yoruba language in the universities so these people will actually come to Yoruba land and see what Yoruba is all about.
Question: You said 65 of you were arranged, how many of you were from your Agunloye family?
Response: All of us. There were 2 ruling houses – Agunloye and Alowolodun ruling houses – so it’s the turn of Agunloye ruling house, (All of you contesting now are from Agunloye ruling house) YES.
Question: What role did the whole of the government, national institutions in selection of this particular in producing the 65 children, the government and the Oyo-Mesi? Other family contending in the process?
Response: I will say this to you that YES, there is, also included, there’s Agunloye ruling house, base on what the government decided since the 7 days, it’s the Agunloye ruling house, the Alaafin Atiba was the one that founded the new Oyo empire – Agbodoyo calling- and he has a lot of children, 2 of his children one was Adelu Agunloye and the other one was Alowolodun. These 2, he has other children but this 2 have been producing the kings and the government now certified it that its only these 2 (Alowolodun and Agunloye ruling houses) should be, it was after Atiba that Alaafin Agunloye became the Alaafin then later the Adeyemi so from 1937 till now it’s only the 2 ruling houses that so there are people now that are coming out that are saying that they also are the children of Atiba, remember that I said that Atiba had other children that is the bone of contention I think you should leave it that way, just to let you know that it is true people are saying they are also children of Atiba but it is only those 2 sons that have been producing kings in Oyo.
Question: Sir, one of the things that are lacking in Yoruba land is unity, what is your advice for the traditional rulers?
Response: thank you so much for that question. It is a big thing I’ve been thinking about that actually I’ve been working on, if you look at Oyo now there are some other smaller towns in Oyo like Awe, Fiditi, Ilora, Afijio all this town, settlement or areas are part of Oyo. You remember that not just remember that Oyo Empire extended from river Niger in the north to the Atlantic ocean in Lagos that was the extent, so even Oyo as it is now, the surrounding areas that are purely modern Oyo people – Awe and all that – so they has to be an interactions, Alaafin as the head needs to be meeting with the heads of those places, they need to meet, they need to sit down and talk about how culture can be promoted , how the whole place can be developed, before you know on when development start the whole place will just be like a warm place, the land between Fiditi will be occupied, there will be factories and so you will not be able to tell is this Oyo or is this Fiditi. All of those things with time will all be one city, one city in terms of when development starts. There has to be unity and this is why I am saying meeting with people (the heads of those places) letting people speak out their minds about what has been wrong what has not been done well, what has been problematic in the past? And what has been preventing people from coming to develop the place? Who is standing against the development of those places? So we need to sit and talk about those things that are the unity part. There are some other facet that we will be looking at if we can be united in Oyo then the whole of Oyo state can be united then the whole of Yoruba land there are people now that are agitating for Yoruba nation, we need to have unity first so that we can proceed.
Question: The late Alaafin left Oyo on a pedestal that is very high in terms of culture and traditions, sir do you have what it takes to fit into that shoe?
Response: Fitting into the shoe? Remember I mention when I was talking initially about the Alaafin Lamidi Adeyemi he was picked on culture and to a large extent that is to be continue, for example the promotion of Yoruba language is going to be paramount it use to be you have to pass English Math’s before going to the university in Nigeria, but I think Yoruba should be included for you to go to university in southwest you need to be able to speak Yoruba language very well you need to have a pass in Yoruba language it’s going to start from there. Now Oyo is full of traditions and there are people who try to bring modern religion into things, everybody should be able to do what they want they do base on their belief system, an Alaafin is the head of all, the Muslims the Christians the Onisese (traditionalist) they are all under him, he should encourage traditional things not religions now but traditional things, when you talk of religions there are Christians, Muslims that will stand up against such, as an Alaafin you must encourage in everything that need to be done it doesn’t mean he has to participate in everything that people are doing but he should encourage the culture, there a lot of thing that people are doing, cultural things that we don’t practice anymore, some are good and some are not good, everywhere in the world thee use to be a time when people come out naked down there or are doing sacrifice but they don’t do that anymore, there was time when the king die some has to die with him but they don’t do that anymore but there are either thing you can encourage, respect for instance children must respect their parent and all that, like the Omoluabi – all those things has to be encourage and promoted.
Question: Finally, this is very personal and interesting, you are an Oyo man, you are a prince, Those two means a lot to all of us in Yoruba as Oyo prince what does it feel to be and Oyo prince anywhere you go in the world, how does to feel to be an Oyo prince, By God’s grace when you’re crowned as the next Alaafin of Oyo, what kind of Alaafin are you going to be? What will define you as an Alaafin?
Response: Well I tell you one thing, this days even in the united state I put on this things when I am at work and people will begin to ask questions and you begin to explain – ohww I like this African suit – they call it African suit (LAUGH) and then you begin to talk, that makes you feel that is not your root, you’re not from here, you see what am saying, one of my son they ask him where are you from and he said he’s from Nebraska and I said you’re not from Nebraska, you’re from Nigeria. So now he’s realising that he is not an American he’s a Nigerian and he asked me question about the kingship, when are they going to do things and all that? So it’s different, and people say can I come with you? Come for the inaugurations, visit you when you are the king, and there are people that ask can I come and become the Olori (LAUGHS). So they Google it and they are asking you all these questions makes you feel different, you’re not California or that. So that is one feeling, at the same time I want to see if I can being a prince of Oyo, what can I do to make peoples life different, what can I do to influence people’s life different that will make them better, the Oyo Empire, the princes use to be very powerful, the Alaafin use to be very powerful and that’s why they call him Kabiyesi you cannot talk back to him, very powerful a prince is significant, from the day you’re born they begin to say Obalola! Obalola from a day old, so you’ve always feels different here and there and there you always know that this is where you belong.
I think that I’m going to be a modern Alaafin, let’s put it that way because things are changing in the world, the culture should not change but the outlook of an Oyo Empire, Oyo city, Oyo people should be different in terms of development, even if you look at the palace, there’s a lot of things that need to be done there – the library – we are talking about the museum, i will be looking at a modern palace , that palace need to be modernised and of course and maybe cultural things and the Alaafin has to be taking care of them and there are people who have been living there even before the last Alaafin and there are people that needs to still be sustained, women that has been there forever and there’s no place else they can go and yet you want to make their life different, structures to be built and it will still be in the palace and their life will be better for them to see the fruits of modernity to see that thing are different now. I want to be a modern Alaafin that will actually change Oyo that will make Oyo great. Remember Alaafin Atiba that was the founder of the new Oyo – Agodoyo – and the Alaafin Shinyanbola that reign from 1911-1944 he changed so many things it was during his reign that Atiba hall was built, Some other structures were put in place. His reign was significant, Atiba hall is prominent in Oyo it was during his reign that it was built, Shinyanbola was also the one that signed the Nigeria amalgamation in 1914, I want to be looking at the thing that will bring about development, you don’t want to come to a city and its dark and there’s is no light no electricity, things will be different in a way there’s going to be a resurgence of Oyo Empire, the people of Oyo need to know who they are and there root, it didn’t just start to in 1936 with Atiba, it started long from Oyo-Ile and the palace we have now is one of the biggest palaces we have in Yoruba land and yet one sixth to the palace at Oyo-Ile very big, so all those things has to be look into them, things has to be made different and there are people that will want to say because of culture they cannot be the way they are going to come down, you need to bring down some buildings, you need to put up new structures, you need to invite investors to come . I want to, that’s going to be big for me to bring people that will come and do things in Oyo at free hands and you will see people begin to leave Lagos to come and build things in Oyo, people leave Ibadan and come and leave in Oyo because of things that are going on here.
Questioners: Thanks so much sir.
