The paramount ruler of Owo kingdom, Oba Ajibade Ogunoye, was enthroned as the monarch of the community on August 23, 2019. The former director in the Ondo State Civil Service tells PETER DADA about his experience on the throne, among other issues

You have spent one year on the throne as the paramount ruler of Owo. How has it been?

It has been fun, interesting and challenging, and it has also been fulfilling. But I thank God for everything.

You said the past one year has been challenging. What are the challenges?

I cannot say there is no challenge. There are challenges. Why are we living? We live to face challenges. We have challenges of funding. I have plans for this kingdom. To have an industrial base requires funding. To ensure that our youths are trained requires funding, especially with the fact that some of our youths are limited by education or other things. But I believe with time, with focus and purposeful leadership, we believe we will be able to surmount our challenges and when you overcome a problem, another will come. That is the essence of life. We face challenges, we strive to overcome and development will start taking place. Life is not static.

We are equally challenged by security. Before I became a king, a lot of our youths were involved in cult activities. It was in the open. Immediately I came in, I ensured, using the instrumentality of our tradition, that they renounced their membership. And they did. A lot of them, I think close to about 500 renounced cultism. And to God be the glory, we are seeing the results, though a time came, during political activities when some of them became party thugs. But we were able to overcome that also. Now, the town is peaceful. As I said earlier, no society is without challenges but it is the ability to face and surmount them that matters. I am sure that any challenge, in terms of security, that comes around now, we can easily overcome it. A lot of those youths that I said were involved in cultism are now into farming. Some are also learning a vocation.

What are those things you miss? People say it is not easy to be a king of a big community like Owo.

Ordinarily, I must say I have missed majorly my freedom. Before I became the king, I had the freedom to move about and do other things I used to do. For instance, in those days, from home, I would go to the office and at weekends. I could move anywhere I like. Nobody really recognised me except those that were close to me. I could do whatever I liked to do. But now, what we have is a contrary situation. I cannot just move out without being recognised by many people now. People now know me virtually everywhere and wherever I go, people throng around me, showing affection. And all the things I used to do, I cannot do them anymore – no freedom to go out anyhow I like.

How are you coping with that kind lifestyle now?


I think I have been coping simply because my people are always around me from morning until very late in the evening. They are always around me and before you know it, from morning to evening, the day is over. So, people around me have prevented me from having nostalgia or feeling that I have missed something. It is good to be among one’s people to serve them and that is just the satisfaction – to ensure that justice is served, to take care of their welfare, to provide while able to tend to their desires and their wants. That is the essence of humanity and that is why someone should be on this throne and I think it has been fulfilling in this regard.

Now that you have been confined to the palace, how is your social life now?


Have many indigenes of the town in the corporate world shown interest in your planned programme?

Yes. They are already coming. We have been talking to them. Even those in the diaspora are already desirous of how to bring industries. We equally have a committee on commerce and industry that will propel the industrialisation of this kingdom and to ensure that our youths engage in commerce. Maybe you are aware that commercial activities in the town are in the hands of settlers – our brothers from the eastern part of the country, our brothers from Osun and Oyo states. They are the ones really in charge of commerce, whereas our youths are there without any concrete involvement. Now, we are encouraging them to work with those people, partner with them and compete fairly with them so that they will be so entrenched in our commercial activities.

With this plan, where do you see Owo in the next five years?

I see a great development in this town. I see Owo becoming a global attention. A centre of culture and industry is coming here. Youths will be engaged, agriculture will be rekindled. We used to be the best in cocoa production. The state governor has encouraged us in that direction, too. Our youths are there in the forest, planting maize, cassava, plantain. By this time next year, you will see trailers transporting plantain from this kingdom, and in the next two to three years, you will see more cocoa being produced on a large scale. I see a turnaround and I am hopeful in the kingdom and I believe in purposeful leadership. We can turn things around. I have the support of virtually everyone. If you can remember how I became king, it had never been experienced in this kingdom. The contest for the Olowo stool had always been violent. It had never been easy. The Olowo has always been a very powerful oba. The contestation for the stool had never been easy but the way I emerged has never been experienced in the history of Owo – for a man to be easily chosen. Those who were saddled with the selection were 15 and 14 voted for me, while one voted against. It was unprecedented. If you saw the mammoth crowd when the selection was done, you would know these people are in love with me and I am also in love with them. That is why I am ready to serve them.

Some of your subjects expressed their interest in becoming the state governor, how were you able to settle the matter without being perceived as biased or partial?

The political development of the South-West of Nigeria had its foundation from this town. The people of this town are politically sophisticated. The fact remains that the Constitution allows an individual to desire political offices. That is the more reason our people, a lot of them eminently qualified, came out to be governor. But at times, we find a situation whereby as brothers and sisters, we must still sit down and talk with those who came out. We advised them that the sitting governor has been performing and been representing us well. You know the governor has been able to espouse the Owo person in him.

Also, I am the father of all. I am not biased. What I am after is the interest of this kingdom. Whenever I see the interest of this kingdom, I have no option than to support it. It is an open thing that we know that the race to the Government House in Ondo State, come October 10, is like a 100-metre race. Believe me or not, he (Governor Rotimi Akeredolu) has covered 70 per cent. That is what I tell some people. Why are we disturbing ourselves and not just supporting him? He can easily be elected again, rather than somebody just starting afresh. It will be difficult to meet somebody that has covered 70 per cent in a 100-metre dash and for the fact that he has not disappointed us, it is better we support him. But the good news is that our brothers and sister from this town who showed interest in the race have now rallied round him, supporting him. We are from the same family. It has been well with us and, continuously, it will be well us.

You had a career in the civil service before you became a monarch. Do you miss the office activities?

Well, at times, when I look back, I miss those people around me then in the office because I used to be a jolly good fellow either to the junior or senior members of staff. I mixed and interacted with a lot people no matter their status. I am a man of the people. My people in the civil service loved me so much. They celebrated me when I was to depart. I miss them and you know I was at the top echelon of the civil service and I believe coming here (to the throne) is a call to service and there is nothing too much to sacrifice for one’s people because before I came here, I thought that if I could become a king, I could achieve a lot to impact my people positively. That is the essence, the major reason I have to do it. This kingdom is a known kingdom, a culturally-based kingdom. Our culture and tradition are superb. This is a treasure that I have desired and this should not only be preserved but also promoted.

We have a major festival here called Igogo festival. I have decided and I am working with my people to make it an internationally embraced festival and expose it to the rest of the world so that when people come, they will see that this is a culture to behold. I started that already in September, the usual month of the festival, immediately I became a king, I participated in the first Igogo festival and it was interesting. A lot of our people came from far and near to see culture at its best. It is a festival of love dedicated to Oranse, the queen of Olowo.

Do you have plans to marry more wives later?

I am an African. If need be, why not? Let me tell you something. Every man is polygamous by nature, even white men. The only difference is the application of laws. When I was in the university studying Law, I used to have a lecturer who taught us Marriage Act. He told us then that every man, whether white, brown or black, is patently polygamous. He asked us to underline the word ‘patently’. He said that in the West, the law allows them to have one wife but they still do polygamy. How? After marriage for like six months, there could be a problem and a man divorces and picks another woman. After that, if he is no more interested, he divorces again and picks another woman. If at the end of two years, he sees another beautiful lady, he may divorce the one at home and go for the new one again. He (the lecturer) asked whether that was not polygamous. Ours here, our culture allows us to keep them within. Ours is even better because it has solved a lot of social problems. Instead of divorcing and sending her to perpetual sadness, you keep her; you marry another one, you keep, instead of throwing them away. Ours has solved the social problems than that of the West. So, there is nothing special. So, if a man desires more than one wife and he has the sustenance capacity, let him marry.

Are you saying you can now sustain more than one wife now?

Before I became the king, I had the sustenance capacity. If I wanted then, I had the capacity. The thing is that I still have one ‘Olori’ (wife) here but I will not tell you that I will rule it out that I will not have another one. If you see me with another tomorrow, it is possible. And if I still keep one, so be it. It is an individual decision.


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Former Director in a ministry turned paramount ruler earning 5% of LGA allocation of all LGA in his kingdom is free to marry more wives

Not some poor people making babies all around creating multiple problems for the society

If not hardship and religion...many,if not all christian male for marry more than 1 wife.