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Theatre Icon, Baba LERE PAIMO (Eda ONILE OLA)
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Reveals His Friendship With OBJ
Your 85th birthday is just a few days away. What are your plans?
Traditionally, I usually celebrate my birthdays in Ibadan. This year will mark my 56th year of living in Ibadan.
Our new Soun of Ogbomosho, who is the King of my town, now said I should come home to celebrate it in Ogbomoso. And we are preparing to go to Ogbomoso. We are looking up to God to help us with plans.
It seems you and our royal father of Ogbomoso are close…
Yes, we are. We are very, very close.
He is a new Oba. He just came on the throne. But immediately he came in as Oba and he heard my name being discussed, he sent for me. He asked me to come and see him and I went. We discussed.
As you prepare for your birthday, whats on your mind? What are you thinking about?
What I am thinking about is for everything to turn out nice. All our children, family and friends in Ogbomoso to get money to celebrate with me. Hotels are going to be booked. They will cook food and buy drinks.
We are praying for all these to go on smoothly. And we know God does not leave his people, or his anointed. That is what we are planning. We are praying for God to let us celebrate more years in good health and hapinness. You too will live long. Amen.
If he takes a look at his life, what will he say is his happiest day in life, or happy days in his life?
There is a lot that makes me happy in life. It is so much that I can’t finish counting them. There are some important ones that have made me wonder: Am I the one being celebrated like this?
One, was when I was invited to come and collect National Honour in Abuja.
Baba wa, Olusegun Obasanjo was the President of Nigeria then. I now said haaa! Me? National Honour? When I got to Abuja and I saw the big people I was being honoured with, I was shocked.
Rich people, Aliko Dangote, Mike Adenuga, Kings, I now said me? To God be the Glory. The second one was when our late Oba Soun, before he passed on called on me to come. He said Lere wa ri mi. Come and see me. And I went to see him. He told me, he wants to make me a Chief.
If you want, go and think of any title you want in Ogbomoso, and I will give you. That made me happy. I decided on the title I wanted and I consulted widely. I went to Baba Faleti. I told him I want the title of Arobajo. I went to Kabiyeesi. I told him. I said you told me you don’t want common titles like Amuludun. He smiled.
He said Arobajo is good, but add Aare to it. Make it Aare Arobajo of Ogbomoso. He said what makes this unique is if another Arobajo is crowned tomorrow, you remain their Aare.
I said, wow. That is Big! That made me happy.
Another group called me and gave me Doctorate Degree in Lagos. All these things made me happy, because God has his hands in it. They are all unique things.
We have noticed that you have been very, very close to former President Olusegun Obasanjo for years. How did you become friends? How did you meet him?
How did he meet you? Tell us the story…
“It is a long story ooo! It started when I was with my Oga, Oloogbe Duro Ladipo (God bless his soul). He was friends with Oga Duro. Chief Obasanjo now came to Osogbo that year. He said haaa! Eda ni eleyi. Duro, joor to ju Eda fun mi, da da ooo. Please, Duro take care of Eda for me well, well. Se o mo pe Osere daada ni. God has given him rare talents and brilliance. That is how we started our friendship. He now said I should constantly come to see him in Ota, anytime he is in town. I used to go. I would play with him and crack jokes. We would play Ayo game. Atimes, he will ask me if I want to sleep over. He doesn’t always like me to leave on time. He used to enjoy my company and I used to enjoy his own company also. Baba is fun to be with.
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