One of the aspirants to the stool of the Alaafin of Oyo, Prince Adedolapo Atiba-Adediran, tells OLUFEMI OLANIYI about his dream Oyo Empire
Tell us a bit about yourself.
My name is Atiba-Adediran Adedolapo Hassan. I was born on December 1, 1983. I’m a direct descendant of the Alaafin Atiba of Oyo Empire and everybody knows my great grandfather as ‘Omo Oba Ese Apata.’ I am interested in becoming the next Alaafin and I have signified my interest.
Why do we have such a large number of Oyo princes aspiring to succeed the late Oba Lamidi Adeyemi?
So many people are interested in becoming the Alaafin because the palace belongs to our forbears and all the descendants of Atiba are entitled to the throne. The race is open because the 1976 Alaafin Chieftaincy Declaration stated that there’s one Atiba Ruling House and this comprises all Atiba descendants. The throne is not meant for just two families. Agunloye happened to be the first son of Atiba and the fourth son is Alowoloju. Descendants of these two families have been occupying the throne, rotating it between each other but the stool is not meant for only the two of them. It is meant for all the Atiba descendants, according to the 1976 Declaration, which governs the selection of the Alaafin of Oyo, which was put in place by the then military governor, Col. Adeyinka Adebayo.
How about the statement making the rounds that it is the turn of the Agunloye Ruling House to produce the next Alaafin?
Nobody can say that because the situation that warranted that to happen in 1961 has been declared void in 1976. That was done and perfected immediately after selecting the new Alaafin of that time, which was Alhaji Adeyemi Atanda, who just joined his ancestors in April. So, with that 1976 Declaration, all Atiba descendants are now qualified and that’s why I applied on the 23rd of this month. My application is backed by the entire Adediran Atiba Ruling House and I’m the sole representative of that ruling house. After meetings and consultations with Ifa, everyone agreed that I’m the only candidate of the family. They all chose me to represent the ruling house and we have done the due process. My letter of intent has been submitted to Alhaji Mukaila Afonja, who is the person in charge of collection of letters.
How close were you to the palace before now?
I have been very close to the palace. I was close to the palace long before the demise of Alaafin Adeyemi. I was born in the palace.
The late Oba Adeyemi left many wives and a number of domestic servants. Are you financially buoyant to shoulder this responsibility if you are selected as the next Alaafin?
Of course, I am very much ready to do that. The money the late Kabiyesi spent while alive was not from his personal purse. Money was coming from all the corners of Oyo Empire and royalties are still being brought from Iseyin, Ila-Orangun, markets, government etc. He (the late Alaafin) got money on a daily basis from all many sources. We have land on which we cultivate crops, we sell, we trade and we generate income. What comes in is more than enough to take care of everybody in the palace. Even the wives he inherited from the past king, he took care of them efficiently. So, if I become the next Alaafin – and I know I will succeed with the support of Oyomesi, Omo Obas, Baba Osokan, Baba ‘Yaji and others – I will take care of them all; forget what Bishop Ladigbolu is saying.
Now, Archbishop Ayo Ladigbolu, who is 84 years old, is also in the race to become the next Alaafin. Do you consider his age and experience a threat to your aspiration, you being a young man?
I’m a young man but I will never discredit anybody on the basis of age. Bishop may be above 80, but he is qualified to vie for the Alaafin stool because he is a prince. However, the issue is that since the demise of his grandfather, Bello Ladigbolu, it has been unanimously agreed that only young and agile men would become the Alaafin. So, it is not likely that an aged person will become the next Alaafin.
Aside from that, the entire Oyo Empire, including the kingmakers, have been saying that anybody from Ladigbolu or Alowoloju families should step aside for now. Agunloye family has occupied the stool four times; Alowoloju family has been there three times. So, they should step aside and allow the other families who have never had a shot at the stool to have a turn.
Oba Adeyemi has been described as a monarch who did so much to develop Oyo. What will be your own focus if you emerge as the next Alaafin?
If I am given the opportunity, the first thing I will embark upon is reconciliation because of what we’ve seen. There will be reconciliation among the royal families. Once there’s reconciliation, there is going to be peace and where there is peace and harmony, definitely development will happen. After that, we can talk of other things. I will pursue reconciliation and development.
Do you think the Oyo Empire is occupying its rightful place in the Yoruba race now?
Even before the demise of the late Alaafin, we can see that development has eluded Nigeria as a whole. Leave Oyo Empire for now and let’s discuss Nigeria as a whole. The country’s development has been slow and this is also affecting the Oyo Empire itself. But the Alaafin has enormous influence. Once I assume the throne, I will use this influence to bring development to the Oyo Empire. I won’t be selfish about it; rather I will ensure we spread goodness around. We will engage with the state and federal governments to bring capital projects to Oyo. We will tell them that 50 per cent of all major projects coming to Oyo State should be sited in the Oyo Empire.
Do you think education will be a consideration in the choice of the next Alaafin? Not long ago, someone said Ifa will not pick an illiterate as the next Alaafin.
It has been clearly stated that only educated persons can be nominated to vie for the stool of Alaafin. That is well settled. Though no particular level of education was stated, it has been clearly stated that an illiterate is not eligible to vie for the throne.
What is your academic qualification?
I studied Pure Mathematics at the University of Lagos and I have master’s from St. Mary University, United Kingdom. I have ATS 3.
You said your name has been presented as the sole candidate of your ruling family. What happens after that?
Baba Yaji is going to call us for interview. He will ask us one or two questions and he has already told us that we should get set because he could call us at anytime for verification.
Do you have an idea of the number of contestants in the race?
From what I heard, we are about 44.
But I know that I am going to emerge the next Alaafin by God’s grace.
What do you think stands you out of the pack?
I have the grace of God. But I know that there are bound to be enemies, no matter how successful one may be; no matter how plain and clean you are, not everybody will be your friend. I know that not everyone likes the fact that I have been chosen as the candidate from my ruling family, but I am confident that by the grace of God, I will be the next Alaafin.
Meanwhile, there are some strangers that are claiming they belong to our family, the Adediran family but we have quickly alerted Baba Yaji that they are not from our house. They should stop posing as Adediran’s children; I am the only candidate from the Adediran family.
There are claims that some of the contestants are descendants of female children. Are you aware of this?
They cannot (become Alaafin) and that is why we have Baba Yaji, who knows the roots of everybody.
What is your advice for the Oyomesi on the selection of the new Alaafin?
My advice for the Oyomesi is very clear and I have told them face-to-face that they should be plain. They should follow due process because we want development in Oyo. The current state of Oyo is not what we are proud of; we want the town to be more developed in order to match up with the fame of the Oyo Empire.
There is a belief that the conduct of some Yoruba monarchs is demeaning the Yoruba traditional institutions. What do you think can be done to curb such royal excesses?
This can never happen in Oyo. The Alaafin of Oyo is the head of all the Obas in Yorubaland, but I won’t leak the secret of how to curb that to you. What you’ve pointed out only happens among small Obas. When I get to the throne, you will see me in action and all those things will never happen again.
What advice do you have for the government on how Obas should be treated?
I don’t know anything about politics beyond knowing the names of some politicians. I have never been involved in politics beyond casting my vote during elections. But I am confident that I will emerge as the next Alaafin because I am qualified and have the needed knowledge to direct the affairs of the town. I know I will ascend the throne by the grace of God.
The late Oba Adeyemi was a Muslim. Do you think religion will be a consideration in the choice of the next Alaafin?
No, it won’t. I think about 99 per cent of the princes are Muslims; so, the chances of a Christian ascending the throne is very slim.
