His Royal Highness, Oba Tiamiyu Olabiyi Oladipupo, Alaba of Abanla, is one of the 34 baales recently elevated and installed as crown-wearing obas by the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Sen Lekan Balogun CFR, Alli Okunmade II. Oba Oladipupo, at the age of 116, is arguably the oldest person to be crowned as an oba in Yorubaland, nay Nigeria. The physically frail but brainy and quick-witted traditional ruler, in this conversation with Newscoven.ng, went down the memory lane on his journey to the throne.
Kabiyesi, congratulations on your recent coronation as the Alaba of Abanla. May God almighty grant you good health and long life on the throne. Sir, are you really 116 years old as some people said and how do you feel becoming a crown-wearing oba at that age?
Those who said that I am 116 years old are not far from the truth and those who are in doubt, I cannot blame them; it is left to them. However, I know that I am well and far above 100 years. I have been around for a very long time and I can tell you that I am up to that age.
I was so happy and highly elated. It was a dream come true, in consonance with the Yoruba song, Bi a ti fe ko ri, bee naa lori. Emi la o ni yo si? It was the dream of our forefathers. My grandfather, Okunola Akano, when he was on the throne, tried to ensure that having an oba in our domain is a reality. We have, right from long time ago, been seeking for our autonomy from Ibadan, but it was an effort in futility.
A former governor of the state, the late Senator Abiola Ajimobi, took same step, some six years ago and installed some of the baales as obas. You were one of the beneficiaries then. When the decision was reverted, after a court judgment, did it ever occur to you that you will one day eventually wear the crown as an oba?
Ever since the late Governor Abiola Ajimobi crowned us as obas and we were removed, it has always been in my mind to become an oba. This is because I know very well that an oba is greater than a baale in everything, including position, power and influence. I was not happy when we were demoted back to baale, but we were powerless. However, we resigned to fate and I said it then that, if what Governor Ajimobi did was in tune with the plan of God, it shall surely become a reality one day; and if it is not the will of God, to Him be all the glory.
So, now that I am alive to witness my becoming an oba, it is definitely in tune with the will and plan of God for me and for my domain. I was installed the Baale of Abanla on 21 July, 2003 and I told my people then that we too will have an oba. God gave His approval to it and, now, we are in a position of authority in my domain.
Now that you have been elevated from baale to become an oba, what would be the impact of your obaship on your domain?
Thank you. There is much difference between the two. Now that I have become an oba, there is much respect and honour, both for me and also for my people in my domain. It is very clear that an oba is greater than a baale. People are now according us more honour. I have about 50 smaller communities in my domain whose heads we referred to as baale (heads of family homes). Now that I am the oba, these baales (heads of family homes) will be elevated to the rank of baales (community heads). Their elevation would automatically translate to development in their respective communities.
By becoming an oba, the government itself has accorded us, the people Abanla, more honour, respect, dignity and recognition. The obaship position will also promote more development and progress in my domain. Now, we are in a position to approach the government to ask for what we want and the government may grant us our desire and wish, according us respect and honour because it knows that it is an oba that is talking and making a request and no longer a baale. Our own mind will also be at rest too.
Kabiyesi, can you tell us a little about your life history?
We thank God for His mercies. I am thankful to God. In fact, if there is anybody that should be answering the name, Opeyemi, I should be the number one; Opeyemi should be my right name. My story is, indeed, very long. Bi oju ba ri ibi ti ko fo, ire lo nduro de. I have witness some of what we called life experiences.
Number one is about education. Secondly is the role of destiny in my life. Early in life, I was told that some things will happen to me. They truly happened, but God made me to emerge victorious. I encountered so many difficulties in my life, but God made me triumphant. It is part of my gratitude to God that He made me to live to see a good thing like this. The wish and plan of God over my life were true and it has been fulfilled.
I knew and, early enough, I have the understanding that if somebody is not educated in this life, he or she will always be in at a disadvantaged position; he or she will always be cheated.
Kabiyesi, what is your level of education?
I loved to be educated, but God did not give me much opportunity to be well educated. I was already very old when I started my education. I went to school in 1932. When I started, I was told that I was too old to be in the primary school. In truth, I was old enough then to have a wife.
I was educated up to the secondary school level. I spent 15 years to attain that level of education, both primary and secondary school education. I went to James’ Primary School here at Abanla. I attended Ibadan Boys High School, Oke-Bola, Ibadan for my secondary school education.
Why did you not get married then as most of your mates were doing?
I was not interested in women; rather, going to school was in my heart. My late father used to tell me then that my elder brothers had moved to Ibadan to become farmers. Then, we only travel to Ibadan for the Sallah celebration. It was a long-distanced journey then, even traveling using vehicles.
Did your father own a car or you were traveling by public transport?
Aaaah, yes! My father, Yesufu Oladipupo, has been buying smaller cars over a long period of time. But he bought a big car in 1936. It was called Chevrolet which was like the Mercedes Benz. Even some obas cannot afford to buy such a car then. They were using second-hand cars that have been used by the Oyinbo people. But my father bought a brand new Chevrolet car in 1936. I don’t know how much he bought the car then but I knew it was expensive. I can also vividly remember the registration number of the car; it was numbered 001831.
Kabiyesi, does that mean you were born into wealth and opulence?
Yes o! Don’t you know the meaning of my name, Olabiyi? I was born into wealth and opulence.
Did your father handle you with firmness or spoil you as a child born into wealth?
No! My father did not handle me with strong hand, but he instilled discipline and moral virtues into us, his children. He taught us how to live a good and successful life. He will not tolerate laziness and indolence.
My grandfather, Okunola Akano, also instilled discipline in us. He will tell us every morning to follow the iwefas (palace servants) to the farm to cut grasses for the horses.
Kabiyesi, what were you doing before you became the Baale of Abanla?
My father died in 1945. You know that for somebody to spend 15 years to have his primary and secondary school education would be a thing of surprise to many people. The type of education that I had can be likened to evening or continuation classes and which can cause delay.
When I finished secondary school from Ibadan Boys High School, Oke-Bola in 1947, if you don’t have a godfather, to get a job would not be easy. So, I joined cocoa produce buyers. Then, for a farmer who does not have a farm cocoa, it will be difficult for his child to find a woman to marry.
So, I started out as the secretary to cocoa produce buyers. My late elder brother, Alhaji Bamidele Oladipupo, was the one buying cocoa. I also learnt cocoa produce buying from him.
I later joined the Civil Service in the old Western Region in 1958; I worked with the Ministry of Agriculture. While I was there, I was working at a department called the Confidential Room. It is only those who are brilliant that you can see working in that section of the ministry then.
However, I resigned from the Civil Service in 1973 when I realised that the salary of a civil servant of my level was not enough to train the children. More so, what I was earning as salary was not commensurate to the effort I was putting into the work.
What were you doing between when you resigned in 1973 and when you eventually became the baale in 2003?
I used to follow my elder brother to the defunct Eastern Region. If you can remember, the Nigerian Civil War has just ended then and you know that the Eastern Region was in the opposition against Nigeria. The south-eastern part of the country was then in ruin as a result of the war. As part of the reconstruction process, I was going to the East with my brother to supply them with building materials, including granites and roofing sheets. We traveled to the East every three days and this we were doing till 1974. I traversed almost all parts of the then Eastern Region within that period.
In 1974, I decided that I want to be on my own because we encountered so many hardships and hazards, traveling to the East. For example, most of the commercial drivers with whom we traveled did not understand English Language. Also, if the vehicle develops issues, I was the one that will have to go to Onitsha to buy parts. Even traveling in the night, we will have to park the vehicle somewhere along the road. Also, there is nothing coming to us as extras in the cause of doing all these.
Kabiyesi, you were also called Baba Oloogun. How did you come about the name; were you an herbalist or a trado-medical practitioner?
Thank you. When it was about two years that I was to resign from the Civil Service, I asked myself that, what would I be doing, if I should resigning from work? Then I remembered that I have an idea of what the medical doctors are doing. So, I decided that I want to be a patent medicine seller. If anybody falls sick, I would be asked what drugs can be used to cure the ailment.
Then, there was this very popular drug for headache and malaria, called APC. I will go the drug and buy for the sick. From there, if anybody has headache, I will be called upon to get drugs for him or her. If anybody has high body temperature, I will know that it was as a result of malaria.
By so doing, I made up my mind to be a patent medicine seller. I was selling the likes of APC, Cafenol, and Phensic, among others. I have a niece then, the late Amidat Oladipupo. She was the daughter of my younger brother. I registered my medicine store with the Ministry of Health, using her name.
But when I finally left the civil service, I now changed the name of the medicine store to TL Oladipupo Medicine Store, to reflect my name as the owner. So, when I was following my brother to Onitsha, I will be buying drugs because things were very cheap there, to sell here at Abanla.
I was also into several other petty things. I sold various building materials, including roofing sheets, nails and some other things. I was into general merchandising.
God gave me the ability to know many of these things, but people generally called me Baba Oloogun. Many people were coming to me from even as far as Ibadan to buy drugs from me. I became so popular with the name, Baba Oloogun, with which they were calling me till I was installed as the Baale of Abanla in 2003.
©Newscoven.ng 14 September, 2023.
