The Gbegande of Ososa Ijebu, Oba Adetoye Alatise, speaks on his journey from medical practice to the throne, in this interview with TOBI AWORINDE
You were born into the famous Balogun Alatise family of Ogunroyega ruling house, Ososa. What was your childhood like?
My father’s title was ‘Balogun of Ijebu land.’ My childhood was as normal as any child born into a family of affluence like that. We weren’t necessarily born with a silver spoon in our mouths, but the Balogun Alatise family in those days was regarded as one of the rich families. I went to public primary and secondary schools. We were not really spoilt, even though my father was a polygamist and had a lot of children. But in terms of the standard then, compared to other families, you cannot say we were not comfortable. I had a very good childhood.
Did you grow up knowing you could one day become king?
No, not at all. In fact, one secret that my father kept from us is, we knew we are from Ososa but I grew up in Ijebu Ode. I was probably even born in Ijebu Ode, which is part of Ijebu land. The distance between Ijebu Ode and Ososa is about five to 10 kilometres. Our ancestors had moved to Ijebu Ode those days for business, so my father married my mother, who is an indigene of Ijebu Ode. I was actually born in the state hospital, known as General Hospital, Ijebu Ode. It wasn’t as if we didn’t go to Ososa. We used to go, but my father never told us that, one day, one of us would become a king. However, he was very much in love with Ososa. Even he would visit in the evenings, but he made sure we came once a year, which is December 26. As is the case with most elderly people getting old, we sat around him one day, asking him questions. Because we knew he was Balogun of Ijebu land and he loved horse-riding. One of the traditions was to ride a horse during the Ileya festival. So, we then asked him, ‘When you die, should we continue horse-riding?’ And he said to us that horse-riding was meant for rich people, so he would not make that compulsory for us, but we must never miss going to Ososa on December 26. I’ve kept that tradition since he died in 1995. In fact, if we didn’t plan to go one year, my mother would insist that we went. Since they know it is an Alatise day, we would have a three-pronged prayer — the Muslims, Christians and traditionalists would pray for our forebearers, then we would eat and return to Ijebu Ode.
I knew at least two of the Obas who were my predecessors. My immediate predecessor was a first-class citizen. He graduated from Government College, Ibadan. I knew him very well. He used to come around to my clinic in Ijebu Ode. He would come to my house; we would also come here (Ososa) to greet him. Unfortunately, he died within two years of his reign. In fact, at the time he was alive, nobody even remembered it would be the turn of our family after he must have died. Nobody told us that. It was until he died that the rumour became rife that ‘it is possible that it is Ogunroyega’s turn o.” That is my royal family name, and they were looking for the Alatises as prominent members of that family.
What is the historical significance of that date to the family?
I don’t know how my father came about December 26. You know the babas (old men) of those days (just decide on their own). That day is Boxing Day. My father, as much as he was a Muslim, was a lover of all religions. So, on Boxing Day, my father would take all of us to Ososa and that is the day he picked to organise prayers for our forebearers. He was the one doing it for his parents and grandparents. So, we, the children, would just follow him and contribute money. Therefore, it was just natural that, when he died, we would also follow that tradition by offering prayers for our ancestors. I’ve been kabiyesi (king) for 10 years now and, every December 26, the onus has fallen on me to ensure I call all the Alatises, home and abroad, to come home. I host them and we still go back to my father’s house, despite the fact that we now live in a palace I built for the town when I became the Gbegande.
You played several roles as oba in the drama group at Ijebu Muslim College, including the playlet, Efunsetan Aniwura. Do you think that prepared you for the real-life role in some way?
That is interesting. When God wants to do something, he will do it in miraculous ways. It’s interesting that I became a medical doctor but I loved Yoruba plays in those days. I would only act in plays where they had the roles of obas. The reason is not far-fetched. It’s not because I wanted to become oba — they would normally give the oba an olori, who must be a beautiful girl. So, the girl would sit down next to me and I would be making shakara (bragging) that I am the kabiyesi. Usually, I would insist they pick one of my girlfriends in those days.
When you became king, did you also look forward to having oloris?
No, that is the interesting part. It is also a divine incident because my wife is the only olori I have. She was also a pupil in the same secondary school. I didn’t know her until I was in the final year, which was Class Five in 1972. We met outside the school at one of the inter-house sports and I saw her wearing our school uniform. I was surprised and said, ‘Are you a pupil of my school?’ And she said yes that she was in Class Three. I was 16 and she was 15. I said, ‘You have been in my school for the past three years, and I never knew you? Today, you are going to be my wife.’ We walked from that school back to our school, because I was a boarding house pupil and she was also living in the school compound as a boarder. While we were talking, I kept insisting that I was going to marry her. She said, ‘You, an Alatise? I don’t want anybody to scandalise my name.’ That was the first time I heard the word ‘scandalise.’ That made me pursue her even more, until she gave in one to three weeks later. And she has remained in our family since that Class Three. While I was doing my stage play, even in that final year, she would never come near me. But I would still pick one of my old girlfriends to be the queen.
That was about 48 years ago?
Yes, and we still celebrate the day she agreed to be my girlfriend. She always argues with me about the date — March 27 or February 27. The day she gave in finally is the date we celebrate as our own wedding anniversary, in spite of the fact that we married in 1978. I was already in medical school in the Soviet Union and she was in Perugia, Italy as a computer science student. It was when our parents joined us that we had our traditional wedding.
As a medical doctor, how easy was it to leave your profession behind after so much training and dedication to become a traditional ruler?
Though I no longer practise, like going to the clinic every morning, I still consult and treat people. It might shock you to know that, this morning (Thursday), I was at my primary clinic, which I moved from Ososa to Ijebu Ode just because I wanted to see a person before he was discharged. It is just one of those things. Sometimes, they call me that they have a retained second twin or retained placenta. I would take my patient to the theatre straight away and attend to him or her. But I just don’t resume as expected of a full-time medical doctor. However, I still closely watch what is happening in the health centre. I have also upgraded it to a good, modern health care centre by the grace of God. I built doctors’ and nurses’ quarters there after I became the Gbegande. Also, a health centre that was hitherto not being used by our people is now a beehive of activities.
You were elected Ijebu-Ode Local Government Chairman under the Peoples Democratic Party in 2004. Why didn’t you stay in politics?
Even when I was practising in Ijebu Ode, I used to do a lot of freebies — free blood test, drugs, etc.; I would go to the prison to do all these. I didn’t have it in mind then to be a politician, but thereafter, in 1999/2000, during the era of (former governor) Olusegun Osoba, to the time (Gbenga) Daniel was to take over as governor, a lot of my friends and patients were asking me, ‘PAMA, why don’t you run for office? If you’re doing freebies, it means someone like you will do more when he gets into office.’ That was how I showed interest; I won the election and we were in office for about three to four years. Thereafter, I became the pioneer Executive Secretary of the Primary Health Care Development Board. Daniel, who was the governor, knew I was a medical doctor who had a passion for health, so he appointed me. I believe, in Abuja, each state was asked to create PHC boards. So, Ogun State was one of the first to establish its own, even before Lagos, Oyo and other states.
What does ‘PAMA’ mean?
PAMA was my nickname. My father later told me when he was about to die that it meant Prince Adetoye Mojeed Alatise, but it was a secret that was kept from me, though I grew up with the nickname. Even up till today, despite the fact that I have become kabiyesi, people still call me PAMA, particularly Baba Awujale (Oba Sikiru Adetona), my father in Ijebu land. If he sees me anywhere, he will still call me PAMA. Even my children call me PAMA.
What are your thoughts on the proposed legislation in the Ogun State House of Assembly to stop traditional rites for the installation and burial of Obas (kings) in the state?
I really don’t understand it, but I have always told my colleagues that are close to me, or who care to listen, that you have no business becoming an oba if you don’t like tradition and culture. I’m a fervent Muslim — I pray five times daily — nevertheless, I still believe in our culture and tradition. There is a difference between an oba and an ordinary person. Everybody knows that. What makes you an oba is the fact that you are a traditionalist and were chosen. There are obas that are not chosen. So, for me, I certainly believe that obas represent God on the planet, and there’s something unique about God. So, his representative must also be unique. About this idea of saying obas should be buried according to their religion, I think our people believe in our culture. Both Christianity and Islam were brought into our culture. And in any case, we’ve adopted it because we found it to be a convenient way of communicating with God. Going to school makes you educated but there are people who got to school, got degrees, and they still remain illiterate. So, the fact that we have a better culture, where people regard God and His representatives on earth in a special way, does not suddenly make us Arabs or Romans. Suffice it to say, when this argument started, I read online where our baba was being quoted and other obas were said to have agreed with his idea, but only my name was mentioned. I was totally shocked. Nobody spoke to me anywhere. I didn’t give an interview to anybody. Suddenly, it occurred to me that some people were trying to rope me in. But I am above that. I have a mind of my own and what I’m saying is I’m not a proponent of that. In Ososa, we believe so much in our tradition.
What is the hallmark of a dutiful traditional ruler, especially in such a peculiar environment as Nigeria?
For me, a (traditional) leader is a servant — a civil servant, for that matter. In rural areas, when God has chosen you, it is to open doors for your people. So, any traditional ruler that is not ready to do that is not fit to be in that office. I see myself as our local government chairman, councillor, House of Assembly member and House of Representatives member, and I use my connections to bring forth whatever I can bring for my people. As we speak, the major road in front of the palace is being reconstructed by the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency. This is a rural town; it is not even a state road but that of a local government. But because of our connections with people in Abuja, FERMA is doing our roads today. I am hosting them, giving them accommodation and feeding, and I’m happy to do that.
By the grace of God, Governor Dapo Abiodun will bring a transformer for us because I asked. I sent a text to him saying, ‘If you give me money, I will collect it. But there is nothing you can do for me that would be better appreciated than giving me a transformer for my people because we’ve always had problems with the major transformer in the town.’ And he sent the engineers to tell me that a transformer would be provided, by the grace of God. As we speak, we have constructed the platform on which we are going to put that transformer and I’m happy to do that. I would be happy to spend my last kobo, as long as my people are happy. In fact, the customary court that we are going to launched on August 6 is as a result of the fact that my people have to carry petty cases to neighbouring towns like Idowa, Ijebu Ode. Why? Ososa is a renowned town. Ososa is (Hubert) Ogunde’s town.
Ogunde, the nationalist and doyen of Nigerian theatre arts, has already put Ososa on the world map. If you want to help me, the only thing I am begging of government or interested corporate bodies is to fulfil the dream of our Baba Hubert Ogunde, which is the building of the Nigerian film village, for which we had allocated land during his lifetime and that dream must be fulfilled, by the grace of God. We are going to support whomever wants to do it. Government keeps talking about it; it was with my encouragement that his children turned his house into a living history museum. I was his physician for the last four years of his life, from 1986 to 1990. I was also the physician of the National Troupe of Nigeria that was hosted in Ososa then. That film village is still there today. If only government would recognise what it should do in terms of tourism, we don’t need to beg it. If you ask me, what else I want, I would say I want government or private individuals to come and fulfil that dream of a film village in Ososa.
Originally published on PUNCH.