To Oba Edward Kolawole Adejoyegbe Adewole, Oshalade II, the Osolo of Isolo Akure, the presidential philosophical statement of “I am for everybody, I am for nobody” has got a detailed interpretation as he told The DEFENDER during a media interview with BASHIR ADEFAKA in the ancient Osolo’s Palace in Akure, Ondo State, recently that others with whom he contested the stool, “I am the king to everybody in Isolo and I am not fighting with anybody”. He, like Emir of Keffi Dr. Shehu Usman Yamusa III said, also calls for constitutional empowerment for traditional rulers to effectively complement government’s effort to rid Nigeria of insecurity and achieve peace, unity and development. Excerpts:
After a long time of controversy, it is good to see that the Isolo Akure’s Osolo rulership is resolved now with the Akure’s main kingdom of Deji. As a United States of America-based, how did it come to you that you, from Ashinigbo Ruling House, would be the next king to succeed the Osolo Kayode Oluwatuyi of Abibiri Ruling House?
The Deji of Akure and Paramount Ruler of Akure Kingdom, HRM Oba Aladetoyinbo Aladelusi, 2nd right, the Osolo of Isolo Akure, HRH Oba Edward Adewole, and some Akure sons during a recent event.
Right from my primary school days I learned from my parents that I am a prince. I would say from then, I had been keeping my identity because I didn’t want anybody to call me prince. However, I have tie to the thrones of Osolo of Isolo, Deji of Akure and Oralepo of Isikan all in Akure Kingdom here. I can become any of them.
When I discovered that the stool of Isolo was open, then I put up a letter to vie for the Osolo’s stool and, after much of talking, moving from one chief to the other and the king makers…
“As for the Akure Kingdom, my advice to them is that we should all unite together, so that this our dream of AKURE AGENDA can come through. When we unite together, it is then we can make that dream come to reality. Otherwise, we will just be wasting our time claiming AKURE AGENDA. And with what our Paramount Ruler and Deji of Akure Kingdom, Oba Aladetoyinbo Aladelusi, has done, what he is doing now and what he will continue to do, we will be there.”
(Cuts in) By moving round from chief to chief and the kingmakers?
It was because I was the only person vying for the stool. We were about four. But in the end, I was selected as the Osolo of Isolo in the year 2016.
So, it really occurred to me like it had occurred to me since my primary school days that, one day, I would definitely vie for one those three ruling stools and which I did and I thank God for that.
You said you were selected as Osolo of Isolo Akure since 2016. What then happened that you were only mounting the throne in 2018?
A lot of things happened which I don’t even want to mention. Those that are on ground knew exactly what happened but I thank God, I was the rightful owner and I got what belongs to me; I am here now and I thank God that on June 13, 2018 I was installed as the Osolo of Isolo Akure, Ondo State.
At that, what is now your word to the entire people of Akure Kingdom as the Osolo?
You see there is one thing, when you are fighting for a position, about two, three people fighting for the single position, someone will surely emerge as winner. And if you happen to be the winner, you don’t have to make enmity with those who do not win.
So, my word will go first to the Isolo Akure people that I, Oba Edward Kolawole Adejoyegbe Adewole, Oshalade II, am the king to everybody in Isolo and I am not fighting with anybody. So, once you are the leader of a community you are the leader for everybody, not a subdivision.
As for the Akure Kingdom, my advice to them is that we should all unite together, so that this our dream of AKURE AGENDA can come through. When we unite together, it is then we can make that dream come to reality. Otherwise, we will just be wasting our time claiming AKURE AGENDA.
And with what our Paramount Ruler and Deji of Akure Kingdom, Oba Aladetoyinbo Aladelusi, has done, what he is doing now and what he will continue to do, we will be there.
The Deji of Akure is showing good example telling all of us that he wants us to unite because he is the father of all of us. We need to be persistent in this agenda.
Talking of peace and unity on larger scale now, traditional rulers are complaining that they have no constitutional role to effectively tackle insecurity in the society and therefore want same. How does not look to you?
Well, I will only say a little about that because, ensuring constitutional role for traditional rulers has to be done by our lawmakers.
If our lawmakers know the importance of traditional institution, they should have made a constitution that will enlist the role of the traditional rulers.
Those traditional rulers calling for them to be empowered with constitutional role are right because, for them to act effectively, it has to be backed by the constitution.
So, I will urge our lawmakers and executive to consider putting forward a bill towards making the constitutional role for traditional rulers a reality.
