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| Oba Gbadabiu Asiwaju, the Onikotun of Ikotun, Alimosho LGA |
SENATOR Solomon Olamilekan
Adeola clocked the golden jubilee age of fifty years in the month of August. One
of the numerous Nigerians to send him birthday greetings was Oba Gbadabiu
Asiwaju, the Onikotun of Ikotun.
The First Class Oba’s greeting was a mix of prayers and counseling for the Senator. But soon after it was published in Civics Journal, mixed reactions from the public, particularly from politicians across Lagos and Ogun states followed it along the respondents’ perspective understanding of the 6 by 9 code counseling message the Monarch sent to the Senator.
The First Class Oba’s greeting was a mix of prayers and counseling for the Senator. But soon after it was published in Civics Journal, mixed reactions from the public, particularly from politicians across Lagos and Ogun states followed it along the respondents’ perspective understanding of the 6 by 9 code counseling message the Monarch sent to the Senator.
In the birthday greeting, the
monarch wished Senator Adeola many more years in good health and abundance of
wisdom and materials he would need to sustain his relevance as a reputable,
God-fearing and people’s politician he is well known to be.
Oba Asiwaju
said: “The ancestors of all kingdoms making up Alimosho as his political origin
shall continue to guide his path such that his wish of masses' welfare shall
always be fulfilled”.
He however
observed “in his open mind” that the Senator would need to constantly remember
his origin as if it was just only yesterday, noting that Yayi, as the Senator
is fondly called, had been far from the Royal homes in Alimosho.
Onikotun gave
reasons for saying this. He said: “Yayi is our son in all the Royal homes in
Alimosho and we Obas as his royal father should always be free to guide him
with the right counseling. One of the facts about this is that he has been far
from us and he has exhibited this in so many ways.
“For
instance, it was from the media we got to know about his inauguration or
victory party for his election to the 9th Senate, and the question
is: are we Obas not eminent enough to be invited to grace the occasion? I raise
this poser, bearing in mind the role we played as a royal institution to the
progressives’ government of Lagos State before, during and after the elections
– and I think he would understand me better what I mean by this”.
The Monarch
also explained the place of Royal Palaces as a rallying point for the people in
the grassroots which he observed that Senator Adeola surely knew to be a
reality and did not fail to utilize it for his political aspirations in the
past.
He said:
“The people know and they take the Palace as the first place of local authority.
For that, Obas are the closer government to the people. In matters of community
affairs, it is we Obas the people will come to – be it the APC faithful or non
APC people; the native or settlers.
“If he
(Senator Adeola) could remember the origin of his political aspiration as if it
was just like yesterday, from the Lagos State House of Assembly to the House of
Representatives and to the Senate now, going from grace to great, we were here
in the various palaces to receive him and use the peoples’ powers to endorse
the aspirations. So I do not know when we were no longer relevant in the scheme
of politics and governance.
He
concluded with the coded message: “To drive home this counseling point, let me
bring him back home as son of elders. So I would want him to remember that Ki ato so eji d’ogun, ani lati ri odo –
before we can turn two to twenty we would need a zero. Likewise, when two
people sit facing each other, a figure 6 on the table before them can never be
the same to both of them. One would see the figure 6 while the other would see
it as figure 9.”
From the
correspondents Civics Journal
received over the publication, many commentators commended the monarch for his
wisdom applied in presenting a seemingly grievances of the institution of Obas
in Alimosho. Indeed, all centered their comments on the two proverbs the
Monarch used to conclude his counseling, particularly the 6 by 9 code they
wished he could clarify in context.
Bolaji kayode from Ikeja commends “the free mind of
the monarch to let the politicians know their shortcomings. But I want to know
if the 6 by 6 code is a proverb or a society language?”
A councilor from among the 36 councilors in Alimosho Federal
Constituency sought anonymity for his comment to be published for obvious
reason. He commended the Onikotun for finding it fits to commit funds into
giving Yayi a birthday advert. He said: “That shows the depth of Onikotun’s
love for Yayi and Kabiyesi has won my heart for this singular act”.
The
honorable used the Onikotun’s action to condemn a “Leader of the House” in one
of the six local governments in Alimosho for his (the leader’s) comment to his idea
of giving the Senator such media greeting. “The Leader posited that it amount
to a waste of resources for the about 36 councilors in Alimosho to contribute
tokens for even a quarter page media ad to greet Yayi. He said “Yayi ti yo – which literally means Yayi
is already a big man”, he said.
The
Honourable then queried: “Is Tinubu not a big man already that some local
governments’ chairmen across Nigeria would find it fit to post birthday advert
for him? It is a common place thing that we see always between end of March and
early April. So why would it be a waste of resources for the councilors to
contribute N1.500 each to great Yayi as a man with Alimosho origin.
So I
commend Onikotun for doing what we politicians considered a waste of money to
give one of our leaders a befitting recognition.
Orilowo
from Ijebu-ode, Ogun State, queried: He said: "What is 6 by 9? Though I know Yayi is omo odo agba to know what the Kabiyesi meant. But my
question is to know if the 6 by 9 code is a proverb or a society language.
To all
this, Civics Journal hopes to reach the Monarch for answer to all the questions
that may have been raised in the rejoinders received, published or unpublished.
