Ooni Adeyeye: A king so rare!

Not once in the enviable history of this country, has it had a near selfless traditional ruler as the young Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Ogunwusi, Ojaja II. Many would wonder why the need for this but we must not be quick to overlook or feign oblivion over activities of the monarch that has almost arrested the focus of most media outlets both at home and abroad.  His footmarks are not subtle that one would go through inconveniences before you unravel who made it and that explains the degree of his benevolence to the generally indigent Yoruba race. It also brings forth the lessons from Quran chapter 14 verse 31, that says: (Oh my Messenger) tell those of my servants who believe, that they should establish prayer and spend out of what we have provided them with, both secretly and openly before there arrives a day when there will be no bargaining nor any mutual befriending, what Ooni tries to remind people of his status. This of course comes with a reward and certainly Ooni Adeyeye has been a billionaire before ascending the hallowed Ooni throne. He was a businessman with stunning achievements, which i would not want to digress into but that notwithstanding, we cannot rule out the fact that, Ooni Adeyeye, unlike several other businessmen-monarchs, except for Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrasheed Akanbi, who also typifies that which can be said of Ooni and one interesting thing is that, the two big wigs have now engendered a latent battle of the nice guy; given the fact that they both prioritise the well being and comfort of the people over every other thing, like acquiring materials that would not take them anywhere in history and particularly heaven. The messenger of God, Muhammed(SAW) was quoted as saying that, “whoever is made wealthy by Allah and does not pay the zakat of his wealth, on the day of his resurrection, his wealth will be made like a baldheaded poisonous male snake with black spots over the eyes, the snake will encircle his neck and bites his chest and say I am your wealth, I am your treasure,” as narrated by Bukhari. The basic explanation for the above excerpt is that when you are made wealthy it behoves on you to spend at least 10% of your wealth on those who don’t have that which you have been given. Just about a month after his ascension of the throne, he set out on a peace mission with the old foes of the ancient Ife town, Modakeke, which is one of the communities surrounding Ife and have been at loggerheads with Ife for a considerably long period after a bloodbath of riot, which rendered a number of farmlands annihilated and tens of thousands of lives lost. Children thrown into parent-less life and many women turned widows after the battle, which was a product of greed and supremacy on the part of the two communities.  Ooni Adeyeye, embarked on what could again be described as historic peace mission. That we can now begin to see a king who doesn’t fancy drawing daggers at those sharing borders with him rather, making peace is what he now feels as a way of proving supremacy, gets the best out the human nature. A confirmation to this is what played out some few months ago, when the monarch alongside some financial institutions, doled out a sum 2.5 million to widows in Osun state for empowerment, appointing a widow from Modakeke as the coordinator. This is of course enough as an indication that ‘Rifts be buried in our lands’ is now the slogan of riot-tainted Ife and Modakeke. Another interesting fact about the monarch is that he also made efforts in the areas of enacting a united Yoruba race and making every product of the race realise their identity through exhibiting its values. He took a trip to United States of America, the United Kingdom, Cuba and the host of the others where Yorubas are domiciled, especially the Ife and Modakeke in Diaspora peace meeting convened by the monarch, which has now birthed corporation between the two towns in the areas of development. Our clime is believed to be boxed in poverty, unemployment, unsocial government policies, bleak future or no future prospect for youths and other related evils of retrogression, people like the monarch are often looked up to for a reasonable living. No matter how infinitesimal the help from the workshop of of he monarch may be, has never disappointed those who sought him. Little wonder when an artisan, who served as a state boy under Aregbesola, now wears beautiful smile on his face. He languished in penury when the hopes Aregbesola raised before his election was dashed when he got to office by saying they would live fine if they help him become governor. He said he had a craft, which is soldering but said emphatically that he absconded the job when Aregbesola beckoned, saying he sold off all his tools and vehicles he got money from. He stated that Amitolu Shitu, who they worked directly with pretended as if he knew them not when they got what they longed for. I stumbled on him when he was fixing the imposing and strong standing main gate to the palace of the Ooni in recent times and he recounted how he got his life back on track and how Ooni procured for him, some soldering facilities, which he used in constructing the fine-looking gate - I thought within myself that a new man has just been given birth to. "There are still many of us who have not been able to get over the blows dealt to our faces. We all have since been rendered demoralised and lucky enough for me I got this job which transformed m life totally through three letter words. The person who linked me with me Ooni only told him 'he is a welder' and my life changed," he narrated. If the momentum is sustained and if emulated by other monarchs and leaders, the society which is going through a lot torture in the hands and whips of the social evils, would be extricated in no distant time. The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, as of recently, acquired 30 squaremiles of land in Ile Ife for cocoa, oilpalm and rubber plantation for jobs creation for no fewer than 40,000 youths, and as a way of reducing crime rate in Ile Ife and the state. According to his directorof media, Mr Moses, the targets of Ooni Ogunwusi are beyond the shores of Ile Ife and critical arrangements have reached the advanced stage to take the unemployed youths off the streets, with a view to checking the growing crime rate in our society.To achieve this feat, 30 square miles of land had been acquired at Ife reserve to drive massive agricultural revolution which would pave the way for cocoa, oil palm and rubber plantation. This scheme would create job opportunities for no fewer than 40,000 people. "I would drop everything I have to live a natural life by going under the bridge. Ride on motorcycle and I would board 'molue' to wherever I am going In Lagos. It was very stressful, though, they are my best moments in life because I get to relate with the real people. See their suffering and feel their plights. "When I ascended the throne I requested that the elders granted me the opportunity to continue the concept but they did not agree so, I coined a new one that would go in line with the throne, which stopping my convoy whenever I get to a particular open place with moderate crowd and I will buy ‘boli’ and other basic food items and even ‘dundu’ because we don’t have to forget where we are coming from in life. Which position are you that nobody has never been in life. When you serve mankind, you serve God. Our people have disconnected from the less privileged and the downtrodden. "Each time I stopped, the people are always happy and my security men are usually afraid so, they caution me to go in but, I always make them realize that I have not been harmed any day by this people. They are just excited and I am always happy to be in their midst. At times, I would not come out of the car but most time I do get out of the car to shake people’s hands and I would buy from them with and pay them higher than what they have sold. I will be sick if I am not with the people it has always been my lifestyle," Ooni Ogunwusi stated in an interview published on the punch newspaper. The August moon will surely tell the stars of the night that it watched a benevolent king sprout smiles on the faces of mankind.