Exactly 75 years ago today (15th October, 1938), a child was born to the royal family of the then Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Adeniran Adeyemi and Olori Ibironke Adeyemi 11 of Epo Gingin Compound, Oke- Afin, Oyo in the western part of Nigeria.
When the time came for his christening, he was called Abdul Lamid Olayiwola Atanda Adeyemi. Little Adeyemi did not enjoy the tenderly and loving care of a mother, having lost his at a very early age.
He got the Quranic education at the Quranic School, Iseyin; later went St. Andrews Primary School, Oyo. His primary school education was disrupted when he was moved to Abeokuta to live with the then Alake of Egbaland, Oba Oladepo Ademola.
However, his stay in Abeokuta was again to be truncated by the rebellion led against "tax without representation" by Chief Mrs. Funmilayo Ransome Kuti between 1947 and 1948.
The struggle forced the Egba monarch into exile in Osogbo, the present Osun State capital. Undaunted by the setback, the young Adeyemi stayed back to face life squarely, engaging in menial jobs to survive. When it was time for his secondary education, he got admission into St Gregory's College, Obalende, Lagos, having come second in the entrance examination. His experience in Lagos was equally a challenging one.
He soldiered on, wrote his Senior Cambridge Examination and got excellent grades that qualified him to study Law at the University of London. His London trip was facilitated by the late Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, who organized a financial support for him through the African Continental Bank (ACB), Yaba, Lagos.
However, while arrangements were on for the trip to the United Kingdom, fate played a cruel game on him. Exactly on the 14th February, 1960, 48 hours to the scheduled date of departure, his father, Oba Adeniran died, thus aborting the plan of studying abroad.
The alternative was to get a job with the Royal Exchange Assurance, Marina, Lagos. Though without a university education, Oba Adeyemi has put to effective use his mastery of English Language, English Literature and History, the three subjects that gave him the UK law admission. He is a prolific writer. In the area of Yoruba and world history, he is in a class of his own.
He had been guest speaker at numerous forums organized by professional bodies and groups. Of great importance were two of such articles written as far back as 1968, which have today become fulfilled prophecies. The first was "I Shall Be Great" and the second "I Shall Be The Next Alaafin".
Barely a week after the second article was written, the young Adeyemi was selected as the Alaafin-elect by six of the seven Oyo-Mesi in March, 1968. That marked the beginning of his tortuous journey to the exalted throne.
Because the then government of the day was not well disposed to his emergence as Alaafin, the selection exercise was repeated three times and he won on all the three occasions. Rather than endorsing his appointment, the Western Region government hid under the cloak of the then on-going civil war to halt the whole process.
Though, the process was reopened again after the civil war in 1970, but it was a new beginning. His nomination was announced on 18th November, 1970; and the government eventually approved and gazetted his appointment in December 1970.
And so at a tender age of 32, he became Alaafin Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi 111. Alaafin Adeyemi 111 is an energetic, diligent, courageous and irrepressible leader.
He has taken traditional leadership to another level, using his exposure, wealth and power to benefit his people and mankind. The immediate family of the late Sam Ojebode, a former skipper of IICC Shooting Stars of Ibadan, will forever be grateful to the Kabiyesi for building and furnishing a house for them in the memory of their late father and husband.
The Alaafin has displayed a great deal of ingenuity in bringing touches of modernity to the ancient Oyo Palace without losing its traditional essence, a development that has turned the place to a tourist centre.
This touch is not only about the infrastructure and architectural design of the Palace, but also about the individuals that have statutory and traditional functions in the Palace.
He has made life more comfortable for all of them. Talking in September 1984 about the essence of the royalty, Oba Adeyemi had said: "Traditional ruler should be seen as the perfect embodiment of the culture of the place, as well as the synthesis of the aspirations and goals of the nation.
This is not only in social values of veracity, egalitarianism, justice and democracy; but in dress, utterances and comportment; evens the mere necessary trivialities that mark Nigeria and the locality as a distinctive entity".
In ensuring the preservation of the culture and tradition of his people as well as giving it international outlook, the Alaafin appointed two years ago Dr. Paula Gomes, a Portuguese who has engaged in a great deal of research and organized educative lectures to showcase the beauty of Yoruba culture and tradition, a Cultural Ambassador.
In 1979, the Federal Government honoured Oba Adeyemi with the national honour of Commander Federal Republic (CFR), and a year later the same government appointed him the pioneer Chancellor of the newly established Uthman Dan Fodio University, Sokoto, a position he held for a record time of 12 years of three terms.
A complete family man, Oba Adeyemi is an indefatigable monarch, an enigma of unequal passion for the great good of all. Happy birthday, Kabiyesi, igba odun, odun kan!
Alhaji Azeez is media aide to Iku-Baba- Yeye
