The 3 Oloori’s of Oba Adedapo Tejuoso are pretty, stylish and colourful. And whenever they step out, all eyes turn in their direction. They are Oloori Omolara, Yetunde & Labisi. They are the 3 wives of the Osinle Oke Ona Egba.
How do they always wear similar outfits? And how have the 3 been able to keep their closeness going.
Not too long ago, they told City People Publisher, Seye Kehinde their stories in 3 separate interviews.
OLOORI OMOLARA TEJUOSO
Oloori Omolara is in her 60s. But she looks younger than her age. She is also very beautiful. She is one of the celebrity women in the society who are aging gracefully.
One thing you can not ignore about Oloori Omolara is her fashion and style. She and the 2 other Oloori’s, Yetunde and Labisi know what to wear to which occasion to make them look gorgeous.
Although, Oloori Omolara was born with a silverspoon in her mouth, she was not over pampered. Her dad was late Baba Gabriel Odesanya Adeleye, popularly known as Ade Million. “My father was very strict, but he took care of us, always wanted to make us comfortable with material things like cloth and jewellery and food. My mother, on the other hand, is also strict, she made me do all house chores before living for school and I have to open her shop and make her breakfast ready.”\
“The most wonderful thing I inherited from my mum (Mrs. Beatrice Aderibigbe Adeleye) is how she used to dress then. She had it all and also made good use of it. She loves to look good all the time, which she also inculcated in all her children. My father would say then that Omo o ki ba ipele Iya re nle ko ba aso je, meaning I took over from my mother, Oloori Omolara says”.
To this pretty Queen, looking good sometimes is not always expensive because some people buy expensive jewellery and dress and when they put the two together, they won’t come out as beautiful as expected.
When asked what attracted Kabiyesi to her when they met at a party on the 24th of February 1973, she replied “I don’t know what attracted him to me, but may be the way I was dressed because I was actually putting on something casual, but the fact that I combined it well made it look good on me, but he later saw the way I dressed and he asked me one day how and where I got all the gold jewellery and clothes from and I told him they were from my parents.
Oloori Omolara is a devoted Christian and she is passionate on things of God. Although, she loves cooking, but she doesn’t have a special meal to call her best food. Anything that is edible will do for her, her best colour is chocolate brown.
She loves good music, classy and solemn music and she also enjoys praise and worship songs. On what life has taught her at over 60, she said “life has taught me not to take anything on the face value, to cast all my burden on God, not to be short-sighted and most importantly, life has taught me to live right. Below is her full interview.
For how long have you been married to kabiyeesi?
For over 45 years.
How has the 45 years been?
It has been nice. But marriage is not a bed of roses. There will be ups and downs. There will be times you don’t agree. There will be times you will be very happy together. And there are times when there night be problems. Above all, I think that its good. He is a good man.\
How easy or difficult is it for you 3 Olooris to wear similar outfits to events day in, day out. How do you put it together?
People think it is a very difficult thing. It is a very simple thing, because we live in the same house. We are going to the same party.
Mostly the time we have the same fabrics, same materials. So it is easier for us, since we all have the same material, so we would wear it together and there will be Uniformity. And wherever there is Uniformity, there will be Friendship.
Everybody dresses the same way. And if you’ve noticed it there is variation. We give variation in our dressing.
Really?
Yeah! People don’t know but there is variation. We may have the same heard Gele, the same dressing but when you look at your shoes sometimes its different, our necklace is different. But most times because we came out of the same house together people may not notice. Sometimes, we put on the same necklaces.
How have you been able to continue to look younger and younger every day? What the secret?
Haaaa! You are the one saying that oooo. (Laughs) Yes. People often say that, but sometimes I don’t agree with them. Sometimes I do agree with them. On the whole, I can thank God. Because when I look at myself in the mirror, and looking at some of my mates, and those that are younger than me, I know that as the truth, God has been good to me.
All the people I meet, when I tell then my age, they always say No, It Can’t Be True, you can’t be that age. So, I don’t argue with them. One day somebody was disputing my age and putting my age at the age of my 1st born. I just laughed and I said No problem. It is God. This is because everything is God.
When people talk about us outside I always laugh. They think every thing is all rosy, rosy. We have our own challenges also. All we say is thank God.
We thank God, not that we don’t have our issues, or challenges. But we are often faced with the issues and challenges we can maintain within the family and it does not come out, or bring any dent.
Our family has been blessed by God. Even Taiwo and Kehinde born the same day have their own differences. We are blessed with the ability to be able to mend our differences and still be friends again. That is the power of God. There are a lot of people who want to do that but find it impossible to do. This is because God has not given them the grace to do so. There are so many things that require the grace of God.
Those who need God’s grace should go back to God. Ask God for the ability to do whatever you want to do.
So, I will say that our looks, our beauty, our style, the fact that we turn heads when we go to parties is God’s Grace coupled with us.
Because we have Knowledge, we have Understanding. We have Wisdom. But the application of the 3 is what people will see and say this one has Wisdom. You need to put all these things to applicable use. I thank God. I thank Kabiyeesi and I thank the 3 of us, because one person cannot do it. It takes 3 of us to do it. That means for the 3 of us to do it, we have to try extra hard to do it.
After trying extra hard then it comes easy. What you do everyday comes easy to do. Initially, it was rough but we have learnt to accept the situation the way it is. Make sure that you love that situation. Key into that situation.
And love that situation. What is wrong in that situation you can correct with love. Love is Key. If you are in a household where you are brothers and sisters it will lead to a joyous family. But that I mean a family that has joy in it. A house where Jesus is, there is always Joy in that family. It does not meant there will be not quarrelling. Far from it, even the month and the teeth do quarrel. But they tolerate each other. No one leaves the other.
Oloori Yetunde Tejuoso
Oloori Yetunde Tejuoso is the 2nd of the 3 well known Oloori’s of Oba Dr. Adedapo Tejuoso. She recently spoke to City People about life as his Oloori. She recently also reveals her birthday wishes. Below are excerpts of the interview.
You have been married for how long now?
Over 37 years ago.
How have you found the marriage?
Its ok. Just like most marriages, it is ups and downs. There is not perfect marriage.
There have been stages in life. Before he became King he was a different person. He was Dr. Adedapo Tejuoso, the medical doctor, the businessman. When we were dating he was a different man.
When I started having children for him he was a different man. When we now came to Abeokuta and he became a king, he was also a different man entire. Like they say there are times and seasons.
He is a very nice man. Happy to be with. He is a trustworthy man. He is a man that stands for justice. He does not compromise his integrity.
He does not compromise at all. He will not sell his name for trivial things Kabiyeesi is a trustworthy and a faithful man.
People always wonder how you, the 3 Olooris, always put their dressing together, wearing similar outfits to parties?
That is Gods doing. You can’t believe that the 3 of us are from different backgrounds, but when we came together I don’t know how God did it. We merged ourselves like sisters. When we are going out we sit down to plan what to wear. We see ourselves as sisters.
We don’t see ourselves as rivals. If we are going out, we would assess where. Is it a wedding, a burial, a Chieftaincy, birthdays, an Owambe. We would then decide what to wear and how we want to look. We would also be going out for a crusade or a fellowship.
We know what to wear. Kabiyeesi holds a lot of crusades and we go with him. Our choice of dressing is very similar to each other. It is to make us bond. It is to make us to be close to each other.
It is very easy for us to dress up because we all have very similar fabrics.
All we need to do is to choose colours since we all have similar fabrics, it is for us to call colours. When one of us says lets wear this colour, the other can say lets add this other colour to it.
When we down to plan, everything comes together just like that. we work hand in hand. We believe that it is God that matched us together not ourselves. It’s the lords doing.
How easy is it working together?
Its easy. We simply decided to make it work. And God has helped us. You know we come from different backgrounds. That is what we are before we became Kabiyeesi’s wife. We were like that in our younger days. What you don’t have you can’t give. All of us have always been very Stylish and Fashionable. When we now came together we now combined the 3 together that makes it perfect. That is why any time you see us, we look so radiant outside. The truth is that each time we stop out we put out problems behind us, if any. And we focus on what is in the future.
You are another modest dresser among the three Oloori’s of Oba Osile and also unique too can you share the secret behind your dressing good Ma?
If you say I am a modest and a unique dresser that I won’t argue with you because I am very cautious when it comes to comes to combining cloth and colours, I choose my colours carefully and I don’t like colour rayout, I also don’t do bad combination like when your accessories is too busy fighting your cloth, so if you are careful with all this there is no way you will commit a fashion crime instead you will always wow people when you are in a function and most of all its all the Lords doing.
How is your growing up years like?
It was fun and wonderful, I grew up in Lagos, although my dad is from Ijesha and my mum from Ijebu but I was born in Lagos inside the compound of the ECWA Church in Ilupeju, my father and some other missionary founded that church so that was were where we were living before I travelled to Ijebu to live with my maternal grand parent, I went to AGGS Ijebu and I must say I enjoy cooking a lot I can be in kitchen for a whole cooking and I will never get tired which lead me into a catering school pending the time I will gather my result, so I met Kabiyesi almost when I was graduating and he promised me not to worry that he was going to give me a job at his hotel, it was a dream that never came true I later found out he did not want me to work.
So you were not able to practise at all?
Yes, but I later work a bit with National Oil Marina and ASCON too then I later worked for my husband as a dealer at AVIS Petrol Station at Orile Iganmu I was the first agent then.
Lets talk about your new found love for beads instead of your usual gold jewelries?
The are not mostly beads but coral, personally I love corals bead because of its uniqueness and also stands for royalty and being an Oloori reflectswith anything I am wearing.
Who make them for you?
Most of them I make for myself because I am a very creative person I love doing things with my hand, I can bead my cloth sometimes, I bead the Kings Crown all I need to do is look at it a bit and upside down when I find my way around it I design them my way I am good at that.
Do you do it for yourself and the other Oloori’s or outsiders?
No I do it for myself personally, like if I have an outing and I love to wear something unique I will just do it myself, the youngest Oloori, Oloori Labisi also knows how to make beads so she do it herself too, but we have someone in Abeokuta here, he his very popular Mr. Barry, he use to do most of our jewelries including gold and coral, he do the majority of what we wear the one I do is just whenever I feel like on my own, sometime I give him to finish up for me, we also share ideas on designs and patterns he his no doubt good at what he does because he have customers all over the country.
Apart from beading what else do you do at your own leisure time?
I like to read my Bible, because I want to know more about Christ than before, because there is nothing you want to do or be in life without Christ and the only book that put me through is the Bible, it helps me grow spiritually, my Bible is my friend and companion.
In the morning I have my own personal morning devotion around 6.30 am before we gather for the house morning devotion around 9am. Sometime I write, I have some book that I wrote that the Holy Spirit directed me in writing I have many that are unpublished but I give it out to people and the write comments and I write tracts in the church magazine too, just to remind people not to forget heaven. No matter what we do in life we need Christ, which is what has been keeping our home at peace, we are human we disagree sometimes so during our morning devotion and prayers there will be a word or two that will tell you not to bear grudge then you will let go and let peace raise most of my spare time I love reading my Bible and cramming some verse so I will be able to quote any where without using the Bible.
What is your best colour?
I don’t like dull colours, I love any colour that is very bright apart from black, but I will never settle for a multi-colour or too many colours.
OLOORI LABISI TEJUOSHO
Oloori Labisi Tejuosho is the 3rd of the 3 Oloori’s of Oba Adedapo Tejuosho, the Osile Okeona. She is beautiful, calm and also a fashionista. Anyone, who has met the three Oloori at one or two functions can easily tell how the three Oloori dress to fit any occasion they attend.
In this interview this graduate of Business Administration and International Relations from Oxford University, London, talks about her fashion, style and her love for beads making.
You always look good and beautiful as ever. Can you tell us the secret behind your great looks?
The secret is God and I take each minute of my life as it comes, I don’t stress myself unnecessarily.
Let’s talk about your fashion, as you always attract attention at any event you grace?
That is simply because whenever we are going out as Oloori, we know the event that we are going to that is how we choose our attire. You can imagine us going to a low-key party and we dressed flamboyantly. It would definitely make us feel uneasy, but when we are going to a big party, we don’t dress less.
You frilled your dress with more beads than your usual gold, what is the reason for the change?
It’s not just beads, but coral too because as a queen of today that is what we use, you know queens in the past used Iyun, so to use something to symbolise us as a queens, we use coral instead of beads or Iyun.
What about your clothes, do you have a particular designer, who makes them for you?
No, because most of the clothes we wear, we design them ourselves and give them out for sewing, but when they are brougth back, we do some touching such as adding beads on them here and there to make them look different.
Does that mean you know how to make beads?
Yes, I make beads and I also fix them on my clothes too.
Where do you get your materials from home or abroad?
We get them here in Nigeria.
Did you start dressing the way you dress now when you became Oloori or has your dressing been like that since you were young?
I love looking good from my tender age. I know what to wear, when to wear it and how to combine it. I am a very fashionable person.
How was growing up years like?
Very beautiful and wonderful. I had a very good childhood, I grew up in Lagos, later I left for my university education in London and I came back home and got married.
Can you tell me more about yourself?
I am Oloori Olabisi Tejuosho (nee Badejo). My father was the first man to have a record label in Nigeria, which was Badejo Records, I had all my secondary education in Lagos and Ibadan later I proceeded to Oxford University in London, where I had a double degree at Oxford University. I read Business Administration and International Relations, I also went to France to do a course in French and I got married when I got back home.
Were you able to work at all before you got married?
Not really, after my youth corps scheme, I didn’t work again because Kabiyeesi, although he was not an Oba then wanted me to be a full house wife.
Can you recall how and when you met Kabiyeesi?
I met him in London in 1981 and we struck our relationship and got married within a little period of courtship since we both knew what we wanted.
What is your best colour?
Red.
Are you a perfume person?
Yes, I love good perfume very much, Although, I love mixing my perfumes, so you won’t know which one I am wearing, whenever I am going out, I wear like 4 to 5 types of perfume.
How do you relax?
I watch home video, I read and I make beads because that is what I love doing if you go to my room now you will see a very big table with my materials. I love beading my accessories and also my clothes too.
Among the three Oloori, who chooses the cloth you will wear when you are attending a function?
Whenever anyone of us sees what she likes, she buys for others. When we are going out, we ask one another what are we wearing and we decide where we are going to which also matter.
What can you not do as Oloori?
Not being an Oloori, but the person I am married to because there is an adage that says: “obe ti bale ile kii je, Iyale ile ki nse? So, you have to live by the rules of your husband.
For how long have you been married to him?
33 years this year.
How has it been?
Its been good. Marriage to him has been good. Overall it has been fantastic. Its been good.
The 3 Olooris are glamorous. How do you put your outfits together? You wear similar outfits to parties.
When you have something in you that is natural, you won’t be able to hide it. We practically have the same things, in Buba, Iro, Jewellery. When we have an occasion we often sit down to review it. Where are we going to? What the event. All Kabiyeesi says is get ready tomorrow we are going out. We would then ask, where exactly? This will help us plan. This will help know how to be dressed. There is no point to be over dressed for an event and to feel out of place when you get there. When we know where we are going then it will help us know how to plan. We then come up with some suggestions. And after thinking of the suggesting one by one until we narrow everything down to the final one.
How do you cope as the youngest Oloori?
As they say, the youngest is always pampered. I am always been pampered by my big sisters. With that I tend to get away with a lot of things.
As you grow in age, you keep looking younger and younger. What is the secret?
Is there any secret? Its just like a 2nd skin. I don’t even think about it any more. I don’t place that much importance on my looks.
How do you cope with the huge demand that attending parties have on your time? How do you cope?
To be honest for someone like me there are times that it is a bit difficult because I am one person who likes to be myself. I am an extrovert in a way. I like meeting people. I love making friends. I like asking questions. If I don’t understand anything rather than listening to hearsay I will rather want to ask questions and draw my own conclusions.
Being an Oloori you can’t mix, you can’t go around, though there are atimes when Kabiyeesi is not there, you feel relaxed. But when he is there, everybody is up tight, because of Protocol. It is a big tight. Over all its been good. I love him. And I love the other Oloori and the entire family.
Did you start dressing the way you dress now when you became Oloori or has your dressing been like that since you were young?
I love looking good from my tender age. I know what to wear, when to wear it and how to combine it. I am a very fashionable person.
How was growing up years like?
Very beautiful and wonderful. I had a very good childhood, I grew up in Lagos, later I left for my university education in London and I came back home and got married.
Can you tell me more about yourself?
I am Oloori Olabisi Tejuosho (nee Badejo). My father was the first man to have a record label in Nigeria, which was called Badejo Records. I had all my secondary education in Lagos and Ibadan later I proceeded to Oxford University in London, where I had a double degree at Oxford University. I read Business Administration and International Relations, I also went to France to do a course in French and I got married when I got back home.
Were you able to work at all before you got married?
Not really. After my Youth Corps Scheme, I didn’t work again because Kabiyeesi, although he was not an Oba then, wanted me to be a full house wife.
Can you recall how and when you met Kabiyeesi?
I met him in London in 1981 and we struck our relationship and got married within a little period of courtship since we both knew what we wanted.
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