…Searches for new Ogbeni Oja
Following the emergence and eventual installation of Chief Kessington Adebutu as the Odole Oodua last October, the search for the next Ogbeni Oja of Ijebuland has begun. The office became vacant after the last occupier, Chief Bayo Kuku died in 2015.
The Ogbeni Oja is the highest title (not hereditary), a free born Ijebu can aspire to. It is a position that puts him de facto next in rank only to the Awujale.
The paramount ruler and Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona, on whose shoulder, rests the onus of installing the next Ogbeni Oja, is reported to have indicated his willingness to choose the most suitable out of the litany of successful business magnates being considered for the venerated office in the coming months. The Awujale is said to have found it imperative to install a new Ogbeni Oja before the commemoration of his 60th coronation anniversary in 2020.
The title had remained vacant for a long time in Ijebu history. Not much was known about its relevance and importance until Chief Timothy Adeola Odutola occupied the office. The title became more recognized during the reign of Oba Daniel Robertson Adesanya, Gbelegbuwa II, the 57th Awujale.
When Oba Adesanya joined his ancestors in January 1959, it was Chief Odutola, as the Ogbeni Oja who became the chairman of the Regency Council, and presided over the affairs of Ijebu-Ode during the interregnum.
The Western Region Government also accorded the office its deserved recognition and honour.
It was Chief Odutola, who as the Ogbeni Oja, presented the new Awujale, young Oba Adetona to ljebu people at Itoro, Ijebu-Ode on 14th January, 1960.
In recent years, a lot of consolidation and modernization have been effected in the hierarchy of the High Chiefs of ljebu-Ode during the reign of the present Awujale. Over the years, Oba Adetona had evolved and established an orderly and traditional system of succession among this class of High Chiefs.
After Odutola’s death in 1995, the Awujale installed Chief Bayo Kuku as the next Ogbeni Oja. He was also a highly successful lawyer and businessman. Chief Kuku enjoyed a close relationship with Awujale Adetona before a misunderstanding strained their friendship.
When Kuku died in 2015, the seat became vacant. And a search has begun to fill this vacuum.
Prominent on the list of top contenders for the office is Dr. Mike Ishola Agbolade Adenuga, GCON, the billionaire businessman and one of the second richest man in Africa. His company Globacom is Nigeria’s second-largest telecom operator, which has a presence in Ghana and Benin. It has been sponsoring Ojude Oba, the most prestigious festival of the Ijebu people, for so many years. Presently, Adenuga is a member of the Awujale’s council of Otunbas and he is also a member of his royal court. Already, Adenuga, who is a first cousin of the Ijebu paramount king, holds the title of Otunba Apesin of Ijebuland.
Also contending for the venerated title is Chief Sulaiman Adebola Adegunwa OFR (aka Fototek). He is also an accomplished businessman, philanthropist, and former chairman of Sterling Bank Plc. Adegunwa is the founder and chief executive officer of Essay Holdings Limited as well as chairman of Tura Kodak Film. Adegunwa, who shares a chummy relationship with the Awujale, is from Ososa town.
Billionaire business magnate, Obafunke Otudeko also towers on the list of those being considered for the title. A close associate of the Awujale, Otudeko is the founder and chairman of the Honeywell Group. He also serves as the chair of FBN Holdings.
Another top contender for the title is Dr. Sonny Kuku, who currently holds the title of Olorogun of Ijebuland. He is an accomplished medical doctor and businessman. However, the likelihood of Kuku being considered for the office is very slim. This is because the office was previously occupied by his late elder brother.
Other illustrious sons of Ijebuland are also reported to be jostling for the office, but they are not as suitably formidable as Adenuga, Adegunwa, Otudeko and Kuku.
So who becomes the next Ogbeni Oja of Ijebuland? This is a most discussed subject in Ijebuland and other towns in Yorubaland. As Awujale Adetona prepares for the 60th coronation anniversary in 2020, he is also, excitedly, getting set to have a new Ogbeni Oja by then.
