ut of deference to my grand father's life and legacies, documenting the history of Akure has become my passion in my twilight years. Why? Because I cannot think of any single individual in our city who has shaped that history better than my grand father. Kabiyesi Olofinlade Afunbiowo Adesida I, the 41st Deji who reigned for 60 eventful years from 1897 to 1957.

advertisement

He was 125 years when he changed mortality for immortality. He died before many of us fully understood the full ramifications of the prayerful statement he often made to all Akure gatherings in his palace that he would remain on the throne forever and would remain the reference point in Akure History for a very long time. His subjects without knowing the full ramifications of that constant prayer always unanimously replied "Amen" because the man was exceptionally good for Akure and he was truly loved and treasured because he was a priceless jewel of inestimable value to his people To Deji Afunbiowo death was not the end but the beginning of another life in the realm of spirits. "Akure Emi ni a ba", "A se, a fari fo t'Owa se" his subjects would respond with affirmation in pure Akure dialect The man made his transition in 1957 at 125. I am not kidding. But that was only the tip of an iceberg.

By a miracle which has never happened in 800 years of Akure History Deji Afunbiowo was succeeded on the throne in sequential order by three of his direct children namely Kabiyesi Agunsoye bi Oyibo, Ademuagun Adesida II who carried the touch for 16 years plus 2 for his first daughter Princess Adebusola Adesida who acted as regent after him. There was Kabiyesi Otutubiosun Adelegan Adesida III who carried the mantel for another 16 eventful years plus another year for his first daughter, Princess Aina nee Adesida who again served as regent. After Adelegan came Kabiyesi Ataiyese Adebobajo Adesida IV who added another 8 years of his own while his first daughter Princess Adeyinka Adesida who carried the touch as the regent of Akure for upwards of 6 years, making a total of 100 years plus for Deji Afunbiowo and his cubs as documented in my best seller, "The Lion King and the Cubs" published in Nigeria 2007.

What is so remarkable is that Akure has metamorphosed from being a tiny village or hamlet to a provincial Headquarter, and then to a State capital, and now to one of the 8 UN Millennium Centers for development in Africa during the reign of Afunbiowo and his offsprings. Check it out if you are in any doubt about this statement. The pronouncement to make Akure the Millennium Center was made during the last few years of Regent Adeyinka Adesida on the high visibility throne of Akure. The building of the old and the ultra modern Palace were all spearheaded by one Adesida or the other. Deji Afunbiowo had led Akure Community to build the old Palace which has was upgraded into a historical landmark/monument by General Ibrahim Babangida in 1989 during the reign of Deji Adelegan and in large part as an honor to the first Akure son to be named the Secretary to the Federal Government of Nigeria, our own Chief Oluyemi Falae, the Gbobaniyi of Akure and the current Olu Abo of Ilu Abo in Akure North Local Government.

Chief Falae has succeeded his father Kabiyesi Alekete Falae the first Oluabo of Ilu Abo. Our longest serving Community leader, Chief Reuben Faseide Totomo Fashoranti now leader of the Afeniferes of Yoruba Land was also made a Chief by the same Deji Adesida. The Adesida era has been most rewarding for Akure any way you slice it. Chief Adewumi Adegbonmire popularly known as Omo Ekun, a prominent Akure son journalist and politician was also made the Asaju of the Youths in Akure by the same Deji Adelegan. The Adesidas have all held the title with pride and fulfillment that cannot be matched in Akure History. They have therefore remained the reference point or the "fons et origo" of progress and top notch development in Akure. Akure has remained one indivisible Kingdom under God with one Adesida or the other as the Deji. Every effort made to break up Akure during their tenure did not succeed "toripe Udeyin agbo no fapon re" in Akure dialect. You don't and you cannot successfully cut off the testicles of a ram while he is still alive. You must, first of all, put him to death or else you are going to have a hard time getting your wish. The Adesidas demonstrated that like no other Deji of their generation and era. The first Deji to emerge after the break-up of the only Asodeboyede Ruling line in Akure for political expediency has been a total disaster from what we are all witnessing in Akure today. I did warn the Government and the king makers. They have created this conundrum and they have got to deal with it is my point.

What is going on in Akure today, with the disgraceful scandal involving the current Deji, was predictable. It has never happened under the Adesidas and could never have happened because they held that title with pride and distinction. The family has a fiduciary obligation to keep the title that way for generations yet unborn and for posterity. That is why Akure people at home and abroad view what is happening today to our sacred institution as pure sacrilege that cannot be tolerated come rain or shine by all lovers of History and those who follow the History of Akure as closely as I do. It is something I enjoy doing and I do it with effortless ease for posterity. The world is only a stage. You play your part and get out but the struggle continues but the good and the evil that you do live after you as Deji Osupa will soon find out. He should be busy making History because God has been very kind to him in his 50 years in this world and arguably for the rest of his life but he blew it. He is today making hysteria because he has woefully failed to live up to the discipline and the responsibilities of his high office and he has himself and nobody to blame for the tragedy that has finally caught up with him. When Akures turn their back on you like they are now doing to him from all corners of the Earth, forget it, it's all over.

I applaud the Ondo State Council of Obas for their immediate action and total condemnation of the Deji's behavior as totally beyond the pale and must be treated with all the urgency it truly deserves. I associate myself with the Akure Development Forum, the Akure Inner Circle to which I belong, the Akure National Union, the Akure Progressive Association in Diaspora based in New York but serving the Empire State, New Jersey and Connecticut, the Akure National Union based in London and the Akure Descendants Union based in Los Angeles and all over the world for their sensitivity to the seriousness of what is happening to the Deji as an Institution and their determination to bring back sanity to our cherished tradition and customs by letting the state Government and Governor Mimiko appreciate, in no unmistakable terms, that we value the Deji's institution the same way his own people in Ekimogun would never allow the name and reputation of the Osemawe to be dragged in the mud on the altar of political expediency or the political spoils system which has been the bane of today's Nigeria. Late Osemawe O sun gbede N'ola Kabiyesi Festus Adedinsewo Adesanoye was my former Permanent Secretary. The current Osemawe a medical doctor by profession whose mother comes from Uro quarter in Akure is today holding the Osemawe title with honor and prestige just like Osemawe Adesanoye who built the new palace. Akure deserves a Deji of the same stature and caliber as the Osemawe. Governor Mimiko has to appreciate that and stop playing games with Akure on an issue so critical to our prestige and reputation as the State capital. If he does not want to part with this Deji, he has a choice to make. He could take him to Ondo and see if Bayo Akinnola the unflappable Lisa of Ondo would welcome him as the Osemawe. It is as simple as that.

Yes there is something called "Due Process in Law" for adjudicating the kind of double bind the current Deji has found himself by behaving irrationally and desecrating the institution he has been selected to preserve and protect beyond his narrow selfish interest and his propensity to abuse his powers as the Deji against the better judgment of his own people. Akures at home and abroad are paying close attention to how Governor Mimiko handles the Deji's affair and we are serving him notice not to ride roughshod over the sensitivities of Akure people. He has been a good Governor so far from reports reaching us. He has remained so not because of his loyalty or friendship with the Deji , but because of what he has been doing not only to recognize and develop Akure as the capital city but what he has been doing to lift up Ondo State at a time the State is now number 6 in terms of adequate funding by the Federal Government due to revenues coming from Oil.

Mimiko must never forget the source of that wealth, and he must make sure that the people in the riverine areas whose livelihood is being threatened and crippled by oil spill are adequately compensated and cared for. I could not have expressed this position better than Elemure Ogunyemi, my favorite country Music idol who once said and he was absolutely right that "Omi to ba gbagbe orisun re, gbigbe ni o gbe". Any river or stream that totally forgets its source is bound to dry up sooner or later. Agagu was roundly defeated in the last gubernatorial election in Akure and environs because Akures voted in great number for Mimiko, and we all fought tooth and nail to have him reclaim his stolen mandate even though it was not necessarily in our best interest to support him, but we did nonetheless because we thought he truly won the election. He must allow justice to prevail on the Deji's scandal and the investigations that are under way. It is a straight forward case to establish unless the Governor is out to pull a fast one on Akure by rigging his friend into office in Akure regardless of what the people say. It is all up to him if he has quickly forgotten how he himself had come to office in Ondo State.

That said, I submit in this article that the Deji may be hurting himself and compounding his problems by his latest "Divide and Rule" strategy on the Akure Council of Chiefs. It is now clear that their unanimity on what the Deji has done is now being seriously undermined by 2 or 3 amorphous renegade Chiefs led by the Odopetu who himself still nurse the ambition of getting the same treatment with Kabiyesi the Osolo and Kabiyesi the Iralepo of Isinkan forgetting that his history and those of the two former Chiefs in Akure have never been the same. He was nearly removed by Deji Adelegan Adesida when he chose to wear his Oliki crown across town in total defiance of Akure tradition.

There is a possibility the embattled Deji could be enticing him with a promise to let him pursue his mission to become a minor Oba in Akure if he breaks with the rank and file of the Akure Chiefs to support him in his desperate bid to beat the wrap on the sword of Damocles currently hanging over his neck. This Deji has to know he has to be singing his" Nunc Dimitis" now unless he knows something that the rest of us don't know. There is also a chance that The Deji may have promised the Odopetu he is going to restore him to number one in the hierarchy of Akure Chiefs as he, the Deji was determined to remove the Olisa, "Oteru Oba Ode o mori j'Oloja mo dade". Little wonder that this Deji has had the audacity to issue a removal notice to the Olisa because historically he knew he could do it, if he has the support of the people but the truth is that he does not have it. The Olisa and the Sashere Eru Oba titles are the two titles that are not automatically. hereditary in Akure by their History There have been a few instances where the Deji has bypassed family lines to pick on a candidate to fill a vacancy in the two chieftaincies, But that was then, and this is now. This particular Deji cannot do it and get away with it.

My grand father Deji Afunbiowo once did it when he chose one of his favorite Palace servants, Sashere Gidi, Olowu Opotopata to succeed Sashere Akerele because too many Sasheres were dying in quick succession to the displeasure of Kabiyesi who consulted Ifa Atererekaiye about what to do to stop the rapid turnover in the Sashere title. Ifa advised him to pick a candidate from another family for a change and he did. Sashere Gidi was given the title and he reigned for more than 25 years. The Deji has the power to do that but he is not allowed to do it like a dictator or as an instrument of vendetta like he has just done in the case of Chief Olisa. Never. He has not succeeded because Ulisa people would not agree and the top echelon of the leaders of thought in Akure led by Chief Fashoranti and Oluyemi Falae have called the Deji's bluff on that. He, the Deji had lost the peoples' confidence at the time he made the move in total desperation. It was therefore an exercise in futility. It is far much easier to remove the Deji himself than for him to remove any of his Chiefs at this point.

If the Deji is a student of history and not just a rabble rouser, he should have known that for a fact. He is compounding his own problems by going on a vendetta jamboree that will lead him to no where. His latest honey moon with the Odopetu was like a tale told by an idiot full of sound and fury signifying nothing. The Odopetu would definitely jump ship as the ship begins to sink and I predict it will, in a matter of days. Mark my words. The Odopetu lacks the backbone or the moral rectitude to get the Deji out of the current mess he is in. It still remains to be seen how the Odopetu hopes to accomplish his goal. We are just going to have to wait and see.

The Deji is compounding his problems by parting ways with this particular Olori in the way he has done. His description of the woman as a lunatic or psychiatric patent and a prostitute is the rantings of a drowning man who will cling to a snake because the grape is now sour. He even went as far as raising some doubts about the paternity of the two boys the abused wife has had for him. If he knew that going forward why has he not subjected the kids to a DNA test before the scandal broke out. Olori Bolanle, if you know her well, was the wind beneath the wings of Deji Osupa in Akure. If she is taken out this Deji is history. Late Eyelua, the mother of late Papa Adedeji played the same role for Deji Afunbiowo. Olori Adebola Adesida played the same role for Deji Ademuagun. Mama Josephine played the same role for Deji Adelegan and Olori Lanre, Mama Dapo had played the same role for Deji Atayese. Behind every successful man is a woman. That woman in the case of Deji Osupa is Olori Bolanle from Ifon or Owo without any question in my mind. This Deji has irredeemably hurt himself by parting ways with Olori Bolanle and running after an "Igi da, eiye fo" Olori, a one time wife of M.K.O Abiola and a lawyer by profession. She accompanied the so-called Kabiyesi to the last straw that has broken his back. he may not realise it now, but sooner or later, he will as Akures have turned their back on him and governor Mimiko who is backing the wrong horse in this race.

Olori Bolanle's evidence or statement is far more credible than the Deji's cattle fodder which will collapse on cross examination when the Deji is put into the witness box. The time is long past when it was a taboo to place a Deji in the witness box in any Court of Law. Gone are those days when a son of a king talk less of a king himself cannot be prosecuted if they commit a crime. I recall Aremo the first son of Alaafin Adeyemi, the father of the present Alaafin who ran foul of the law for what today would have been classified as statutory rape of a peasant girl (14 years old) about the same age as Senator Yerima's newly acquired wife from Egypt.. Newly qualified and young attorney from the UK, Bode Thomas was the lawyer representing the peasant girl's family free of charge to teach the Aremo a lesson.

The Aremo was found guilty by a colonial court presided over by a British magistrate, but out of deference to the Alaafin and his Aremo, it was the Aremo's wrist watch that was imprisoned for 6 months. Still the Alaafin was so embarrassed and upset that he fell out with Bode Thomas putting a voodoo on him that turned the young lawyer to a psychiatric patient in a twinkle of an eye. The disgrace was so monumental that late Bode Thomas had to be put to sleep because his family could not stand the tragedy. That was one reason Alaafin Adeyemi never saw eye-to-eye with the old Action Group under Obafemi Awolowo. Eventually the Alafin was banished and a new Alaafin was installed.

I recall Deji Afunbiowo being sued by one of his younger wives who had filed for a divorce because she claimed that Deji Afunbiowo at 120 years of age was just too old to satisfy her libido and sexual proclivity. The Court members had to go to the palace to take the statement of Afunbiowo. He was a much wiser Deji than Deji Osupa in his response to the Court. He appealed to the court to help him beg his wife not to divorce him because he still loved her very much. That was a cradle snatcher 120 year olds begging a 19 year old wife he could easily have ordered to be beheaded if he were Deji Osupa who had led a band of thugs to go teach his Olori a lesson for parading herself as an Olori. Can you believe that in this modern age? If you cannot , you have got the answer to the outrage being expressed by the rank and file of Akure people all over the world on the Deji's scandal

I again recall the Deji Afunbiowo being put in the witness box one time by Obafemi Awolowo, the leading lawyer for Idanre in their protracted Land dispute litigation which Akure has always won by the way. Deji Afunbiowo who never went to school could tell from the body language of Awolowo that he was probably being rude to him. He immediately called Awolowo to order telling the colonial Judge he was leaving the Court because Awolowo was just too inconsequential to address him the way he was doing. With that statement Deji Afunbiowo stormed out of the Court returning to his Palace with his people praising his decision to tell Awolowo off. The British judge did not charge the Deji for contempt. The presiding judge had to bend over backwards to go appeal to the Deji not to take offense.

In the meantime Awolowo had left the Court to return to his car. He stumbled and fell down. It took the intervention of late Pa Fabuda and other passers by to lift him up. Awolowo knew there and then, he was in trouble. He had to specially send a powerful delegation to appease Kabiyesi who later forgave him. I am not making up the story. Those were the days when traditional rulers stood for something unlike now when they are two for a penny and when Deji Osupa would leave his Palace accompanied by common criminals and thugs to go engage in a street brawl with an erring wife like a guttersnipe. It is unheard of, I might add. I am recalling this story to underscore the gravity of the Deji's offense.

Two wrongs don't make a right. The Deji who said he would not tolerate indiscipline by leading thugs to go do justice to one Joseph Isijola for disobeying his orders at past mid night is the same Deji who wants his wife crucified and sprayed with acid for being a terror in his palace and for going against his plan to take a new wife who had the effrontery to accompany the Deji on his disgraceful mission that could conceivably cost him his throne. Can you believe that? It is the same Deji that has ordered his Olisa, his second-in-command to pay to him multiples of the price he had paid on a piece of land where he has built his Cash Hold Petrol station in Akure. It is the same Deji who is now accusing the Olisa as the cause of all his problems in Akure. It was the same Olisa that led the majority in the Akure king maker to vote to recommend him to the State Government as the most qualified candidate to be crowned the Deji in Akure.

I happen to know the erring wife the Deji wants the whole world to believe is no good because she has been very promiscuous. Everyone that knows the woman must doubt the validity of the Oba's statement. I recall that the same Olori was the emissary sent by the Deji on December 19, 2007 to represent this Kabiyesi at the launching of the biography of Deji Afunbiowo Adesida I at the Auditorium of the Federal University of Technolgy, Akure. I was personally shocked that this Deji could not appreciate the import of that occasion. He was in his Palace that day because the only public function he had for that day was going to Yidi with the Muslims to observe the Ramadan as a guest of honor. The Yidi ceremonies ended several hours before the launching ceremony started at FUTA. The occasion which was presided over by Dr. Ige Ogunleye as Head of the Osupa/Odundun Ruling House in Akure was attended by Senator Bode Olajumoke as Chief Launcher and Chief Oluyemi Falae as the keynote speaker. The Deji was conspicuously absent and yet he was the one given the honor to write the foreword to the book. I knew right there and then that this Deji's order of priorities as a leader have left much to be desired. I was disappointed and surprised but Olori Bolanle showed up at the ceremony and she carried herself very well apologizing for her husband's unavoidable absence. That was my closest association with the woman. It was through her that I got the Odudu Dancers from Owo to entertain the guests at the occasion. She was clearly an asset to this fumbling Deji, many Akure people will tell you.

This Deji has a whole lot of issues on his plate than leading thugs to go fight a woman down town. Akure is being divided into three kingdoms on his watch. Assuming that he could not stop Agagu from going ahead to upgrade the Osolo and the Iralepo to first or second class Obas in Akure, he ought to have found some ways to get his bosom friend, Governor Mimiko to revisit the issue not by having the new Obas returned to their status quo but to do what Governor Oyinlola of Osun and Ooni Risa Sijuwade had done with regards to the Obalufe in Ile Ife and Kabiyesi Ogunsua in Modakeke. If Government is wise enough to create a king, the same Government ought to be wise enough to define and demarcate their kingdoms and their boundaries and what should be the relativity in seniority and ranking between these newly minted Obas and their former prescribed authority, the Deji of Akure.

This observation has been a sticking bomb for all of the Akure High Chiefs in the Iwarafa Mefa including the Ikomo Group and the Ejua Group in Akure. Rather than addressing this time bomb this Deji has time fooling around, making his own rules and undermining and intimidating his own people by behaving like a tout.

This guy schooled in London and ought to have learnt something from what he saw during his sojourn in the UK. Rather than do that and comport himself like a true Royalty, he is busy desecrating his sacred institution and cutting it down to size or bastardizing it. He has completely failed to appreciate the blood and the sweat of generations of Osupa and Odundun descendants who have fought tooth and nail to give him the opportunity to reclaim the title his forebears last occupied as far back as 1845. If he was ever thinking about those souls and individuals like Dr. Ige Ogunleye one of the unsung heroes of that family who spent much of his adult life fighting for the recognition of their line or late Pa Aladetoyinbo the first recognized Osupa family head or the toils of Mr. Alewi who was for many years the secretary to the family, he would have realized he could not afford to toy with the fortunes of the family as the title goes back to the Ojijigogun Ruling line again once this Deji is removed.

if Oba Osupa loses the throne, he has not only foreclosed his own options and those of his children or family members who may be interested in that position in the future. He has made it that much harder for the Osupa/ Odundun ruling line which was an aberration, to begin with, to consolidate their claim, because there is only one ruling house in Akure. It is the Asodeboyede Ruling House if the truth must be told.

The fallout from creating another family has made it that much harder for the king makers to tell or ascertain genuine princes in Akure. Added to that mix is Nigerians' inordinate quest or inclination for bribery and corruption. Money has become the root of all evils in Nigeria. The king makers look upon the selection exercise as an opportunity to take undue advantage of all the candidates showing interest in the title. More often than not, the highest bidder carries the day regardless of their leadership credentials. They do no background check or character profiles before their selection. Don't be surprised if you find a hardened criminal or a psycho patient who has been in intensive care unit at some hospitals for years getting the nod because he has plenty of cash to throw around. Very soon an Akpojiyovi from Okpe who has lived long enough in Akure and has plenty of money can be crowned a Deji in Akure because there is no one to say he does not belong

That is the where we are headed and that is why the excesses of this Deji cannot and should not be dismissed with the wave of the hand out of sheer sympathy or sentiments.

I rest my case.

NEWS UPDATE: Why we dethroned Deji � Ondo State govt � Police arrest banished monarch
From TUNDE RAHEEM, Akure (Daily Sun) - The five-year reign of Oba Adesina Adepoju Osupa III, the Deji of Akure Kingdom ended abruptly Thursday as the Ondo State Government dethroned him for flagrant abuse of office and violation of Yoruba customs and traditions.