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Oba Okunade Sijuwade, Olubuse II, 1930-2015
August 18, 2015 : Niyi Akinnaso 6 Comments
Olofin
Oduduwa. Iku Baba Yeye. Iku Alase,Ekeji Orisa. Orisa gbogbo Oba Yoruba.
Oba Olori Alade. Jingbinni bi ate akun. Ekun Olori aye gbogbo.
Kabiyesi, Ebora Ile-Igbo!
The above excerpt from the oriki
(praise incantation) of the Ooni of Ife, draws attention to the
supremacy of the Ooni among Yoruba monarchs, while also highlighting the
deification, if not mystification, of the monarch in Yoruba tradition.
Once enthroned, the new monarch is believed to have been transformed
through various rituals into various roles, which he is believed to
perform at various times. Various appellations are used to reflect these
roles, including Kabiyesi, Ekeji Orisa, Ebora, Iku Alase, and Iku Baba
Yeye.
These
attributes recall a past when monarchs were truly revered and rated
over and beyond their humanity. I spent my youthful years in that past,
when the reigning Owa of Idanre, my hometown, was that legendary
monarch, who was believed to have lived beyond 120 years. It was widely
believed then that whenever the monarch came down to the valley below to
celebrate the Ogun festival, he would, on his return, vanish at the
bottom of Idanre Hills, being carried aloft by egbe, into his palace on top of the hills.
Over time, the belief system which
supported the ritual, if not magical, powers of monarchs was grossly
eroded, beginning with the subjugation of the monarchy under colonial
powers. The status of monarchs in the power structure of the state was
further relegated to the background after independence when politicians
became superior to traditional kingmakers in the selection and
installation of monarchs. Today, monarchs even have no constitutional
role. These developments led to the AGIP (Any Government in Power)
philosophy adopted by many monarchs today. Besides politics, the two
major religions of conversion, Islam and Christianity, and the new media
of communication, including the ubiquitous social media, pose serious
threats to royal rituals and secrets.
Perhaps, nothing demonstrates the
confluence of these forces than the reign and death of Oba Okunade
Sijuwade, Olubuse II, the 50th Ooni of Ife. The clash between tradition
and modernity came to a head when the Ife Traditional Royal Council
found it necessary to debunk the news of the Ooni’s death, which flooded
social and mainstream media in the evening hours of Tuesday, July 28,
2015. It would have been sufficient for the Council Chiefs to appeal to
the public to await the official announcement of the monarch’s death,
which eventually occurred on August 12, 2015, than to deny it and even
claim he was “hale and hearty”.
Underlying the ritualists’ action is the
idea that, although Oba Okunade Sijuwade might have died, the Ooni never
dies. This is what the transition rituals are meant to ensure. The
drive to preserve the sanctity of those rituals led to a conflict
between the ritualists and the news media. They also would later clash
with the organisers of the interdenominational service in honour of the
deceased monarch.
These conflicts provide a lesson to
palace ritualists in Yorubaland as to how to handle the death and burial
of a monarch in this age of social and tabloid media. It was difficult
to contain the news of Oba Sijuwade’s death in part because he died in a
London hospital, where there is no tradition of concealing information.
That the Ooni, like many other notable Nigerians, had to be flown
abroad for emergency care is itself a scathing indictment on the poor
state of health care in Nigeria.
The major dualities which pervaded Oba
Sijuwade’s 35-year reign already foreshadowed these conflicts. First,
Oba Sijuwade was a frontline businessman, which made him the second or
third wealthiest African monarch.
Trained in business management at
Northampton College in the United Kingdom, he worked as a manager in
A.G. Leventis and later as the Sales Director of National Motors at the
special invitation of the Western Nigerian Government. However, his big
break came in 1964 when he discovered business opportunities in the then
Soviet Union, which led to the formation of WAATECO, a company which
distributed Soviet-built vehicles and equipment in Nigeria. This became
the nucleus of a big business empire, which later included real estate
and a hotel business. One of the estates was the then famous Sijuwade
Estate in Ile-Ife, which was leased to the University of Ife and used as
Senior Staff Quarters for academic staff. I was among the first
generation of university teachers to live there in the early seventies.
By the time he ascended the throne in
1980, he had become a wealthy businessman, with social, business, and
political connections across the globe. Those connections and the crown
coexisted in a symbiotic relationship from which one benefited from the
other. There were occasions, however, when those connections, especially
his business involvement and the attempts at political arbitration,
conflicted with the crown.
Another duality that resurfaced at his
burial ceremonies was the combination of Traditional and Christian
religious obligations. In 2010, when I was his guest for a week, he
shared historical details about a number of palace rituals and sacred
shrines. He spoke from conviction about the efficacy of those rituals.
He claimed that even Nigeria was once saved by the observance of some of
those rituals.
“How,” I asked, “has the Kabiyesi been
able to combine this with his Christian beliefs?” He did not see any
contradiction. An Oba, he asserted, is the custodian of all traditions
within his domain. He quickly drew my attention to places of worship for
Traditionalists, Christians, and Muslims all within the palace walls.
The third duality, which drew the most
controversy, arose from his involvement with military and political
leaders. Oba Sijuwade was clearly the most courted monarch by military
and political leaders, especially at moments of crisis and during
elections. The notoriety of some of the military and political leaders
sometimes rubbed off negatively on him.
Be that as it may, no monarch to date in
Yoruba history has exploited the confluence of traditional, business,
and modern political systems as much as Oba Sijuwade. Just as he created
pseudo crowns within his kingdom, including the elevation of Ogunsua of
Modakeke to an Oba, he doled out chieftaincy titles to socialites,
businessmen and women, and politicians of all stripes from within and
beyond the country. This is yet another area, where the traditional and
political systems negatively rubbed off on each other as the award of
National Honours by the Federal Government has attracted sharp
criticisms as is the award of honorary degrees by the nation’s
universities.
None of these criticisms, however,
detracted from the grace and unparalleled majesty that surrounded Oba
Okunade Sijuwade. He created a majestic persona through his clothing,
cap, shoes, and carriage. Besides, he initiated the tradition of
travelling in a convoy of monarchs, even when he travelled outside
Nigerian borders. True, there might have been personal differences
between him and some Yoruba monarchs, the royal aura he created around
himself and the high esteem in which the position of the Ooni is held
certainly played into the periodic conflicts between Oba Sijuwade and
other monarchs.
Oba Sijuwade was revered across the
African continent and by the Yoruba in the Diaspora, especially in
Brazil, Cuba, Trinidad and Tobago, the United States, and the United
Kingdom. His appearance at local festivals among the Yoruba in the
Diaspora, such as the Odunde Festival in Philadelphia, often marked the
high point of the festivities.
Oba Okunade Sijuwade might not have been
everyone’s favourite in his politics, business, and royal carriage. But
no other Yoruba monarch came close in royal aura and prestige. By
whatever measure, Oba Sijuwade was a class act. He will be sorely missed
across the globe. I personally will miss his friendship, advice, and
telephone conversations.
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