Iwo and the tale of its unbearable King
I have not stopped crying since Abdullahi Umar Ganduje broke the back of the culture of my beloved city, Kano by deposing its Emir. The removal of Muhammadu Sanusi II would have been an act of treason in 1804 for which, Ganduje would have been beheaded right in front of Gidan Rumfa or Kofar Kudu. […]
I have not stopped crying since Abdullahi Umar Ganduje broke the back of the culture of my beloved city, Kano by deposing its Emir. The removal of Muhammadu Sanusi II would have been an act of treason in 1804 for which, Ganduje would have been beheaded right in front of Gidan Rumfa or Kofar Kudu. Times have changed.
It was funny to read tales from people not conversant with history gloating that no political head would have dared to touch their powerful rulers. Such silliness would have come as a result of the momentary halt to the study of history in Nigerian schools.
The deposition of Ovonramwen Nogbaisi led to the classic play of the same name written by Ola Rotimi. Nogbaisi was deposed by a British consort and banished to Calabar from where the chalk broke as they say in Benin when a King passes. He is not alone; colonialism made casualties of a few of them. King Jaja of Opobo kingdom in the present Rivers State was one. So was Umar Mohammed, one-time Emir of Bauchi, Dan Yaya, one time Emir of Ningi. In Yorubaland, Oba Abibu Lagunju, the Timi of Ede and first Muslim ruler of a Yoruba kingdom is on that list. So was the one-time Alase of Remo. Sunshine Nigeria reports at least twenty in recent recorded history.
Post-independent Nigeria romanced traditional rulers with a house of chiefs. In the height of its power, Britain did not fancy colonies having kings. It smartly dubbed them as ‘chiefs’ with the demeaning title of ‘His Royal Highness,’ used by its own princes. That travesty has stuck till date.
The House of Chiefs did not last. The involuntary initiation of kings into the political arena left deposition casualties. King Olateru Olagbegi, Deji of Owo was sent on exile for 25 years. Oba Adeyemi Adeniran II, the father of the current Alaafin of Oyo was also unseated from his throne. On that list was Erejuwa I, the Olu of Warri.
Arewa land has a chequered history of not knowing whether to keep its trado-religious leaders or discard them. Muhammadu Sunusi I was deposed in 1963. So was Sultan Sultan Ibrahim Dasuki of Sokoto and Mustapha Jokolo, Emir of Gwandu. Abubakar Rimi queried the late Ado Bayero leading to riots.
Yoruba land would get a trophy for deposed kings. In history, an unpopular Alaafin was asked to – si igba iwa – or open the calabash something akin to royal hara-kiri. When Ooni Ogboru was cunningly deposed in a palace coup, six successor nominees died until he was appeased.
A prince of Ile-Ife is historically believed to have founded Iwo, a town in Osun State reputed for its love of Islam. Many Yoruba kings trace their ancestry to Ile-Ife and Iwo Kings have won crowns dating back to the14th Century. At 48, Oba Abdulrasheed Adewale Akanbi was crowned Oluwo in November 2015.
Akanbi, a ‘businessman’ decided to ‘modernise’ the throne. Social and traditional media initially did not know what to make of a Yoruba king dressed in jeans and blazer, sited on the throne or cruising around town in state-of-the-art cars. If Iwo felt embarrassed that their king would make outlandish claims to superiority to the Oonirisa, or camp in front of the homes of his opponents leading war songs, they perhaps felt he’d soon outgrow it. But rather than get better, the Oba courts more controversies.
He crowned a wife who did not speak the language and knows very little of the town’s culture and tradition. He fought the chief Imam of the town who openly accused him of trying to snatch his (Imam’s) wife.
Lately at a peace meeting between him and Obas of neighbouring towns, Oba Akanbi reportedly assaulted a fellow Oba inflicting injuries. An assistant inspector general of police who was appointed a mediator in a land grab gone wrong witnessed the assault. The state government has not issued him a query. His colleagues at the Osun State Traditional Council tried to redeem their image by suspending Akanbi for six months. Oba Akanbi laughed at the idea saying the council has no such powers. The assaulted Oba is in court but the Oluwo is yet to appear.
While the Oluwo carries on like a man above the law, his estranged queen has been releasing piecemeal bombshells on her ex-husband. She alleged that her first encounter with her ex-husband was non-consensual. This may not be a big deal in Nigeria, but rape allegations in the #MeToo era is a disgraceful setback. Both lovers have Canadian ties that make the allegation potentially embarrassing.
The same ex-Olori has released a video in which her ex-husband was rolling a joint. Hemp smoking is still a crime in Nigeria and not something to be associated with royalty.
Before Governor Ganduje or any other governor sacks another emir, they should take lessons from Governor Adegboyega Oyetola the gentle Iragbiji prince who obviously overlooks the excesses of senior royalty. For now, Oba Akanbi has institutionalised controversy into a revered institution and his governor has no problem with that absurdity. As he himself put it in an August 2016 TVC interview “if the Kings don’t get it right, we (Nigeria) cannot get it right. We are the head; and when the head is rotten, what can the body do?”