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Olu Itori, Oba FATAI AKAMO Explains
Oba Abdulfatai Akorede Akamo, is in a happy mood right now. He will be celebrating his 20th Coronation Anniversary very soon. Recently, City People stormed his palace to get him to talk about the preparations and how he has been able to turn things around in Itoriland.
Everybody agrees that Kabiyeesi has been able to awaken the sleepy town of Itori and has put it on the world map with all that is happening there right now. City People Publisher SEYE KEHINDE and Reporter, SOLA ABIODUN took on Kabiyeesi for about an hour. We found out that he is a monarch that is down to earth.
He is very philosophical and full of wisdom. Age has mellowed him a bit as he has learnt to just sit back and watch things unfold.
Below are excerpts of the interview.
Let me congratulate you on your forthcoming 20th coronation anniversary. As you countdown to the anniversary how do you feel?
If it is not God that builds a house, the builder builds in vain. Let met appreciate God for being with me for the past 20 years. To who much is given, much is expected . The celebration is in form of giving back to humanity, whereby we empower our widows, we will up lift our Vulnerables, we will equip the motherless babies home, and the General hospital.
But we are starting with our ancestors. In the whole Yorubaland, it is only Itori that has a deity and it is called Orisa Ase. They use to say “wa pe lase, wa jere ase”. They were referring to Itori because it is only Itori that has the deity.
We will continue to say thanks to God, because he has been kind to us.
Anybody that is familiar with Itori, will know that 20 years ago it was not like this, I am wondering how the King opened up Itori to the world?
As I have told you earlier, you don’t struggle with God. Whatever you are doing, let God be involved in it. There is no leaf that falls from a tree that God does not know about it, it is just a matter of time.
We are just beginning, God is taking us to greater heights. When I came on board, I did not care the way it looked, what I was seeing was the future of a prosperous Itori.
Gradually, we are moving there, God is always certain with what he says, if God says Yes, it is always Yes, hardly does God say no, and He speaks with everyone of us. Our reaction to our instinct affects what we do. I give thanks to God where we are in 20 years will be a stepping stone to where we are going in 20 years to come. Dangote had been planning to be here over 10 years. He is now setting his project here in Itori. In Dangote refinery over 100,000 people are working there.
Those people that are working there will they be praying for him or will they be cursing him? Now, if he finishes his project in Itori, at least 20,000 people will be working there. Will they pray for me? Or will they curse me? So, I give thanks to God for all he has done in Itori kingdom.
Can you tell us the greatest achievement you have recorded in 20 years?
I thank God for the progress. You have been coming to Itori since I came on the throne. Since you have been coming to Itori, you could see that this is not the Itori of before. Even the Dangote project I mentioned is the greatest achievement we have. The project is about 150 billion cement production. With the Dangote Cement here, Itori name has gone into the Stock exchange. What else do I need?
So in the world, the name of Itori will be known. God has been so kind to us. When I came on board a plot was sold for N5,000, but now in this axis, you can not get a plot less than N20 million.
I thank God for that. In Ikate a plot of land is about a billion naira now, I thank God for my oga there who is the Oba. I am always giving thanks to God. A lot of rain has fallen and a lot of water has gone under the ground but here we are. I give thanks to God, and I pray God will continue to lift us to where we suppose to be.
Kabiyeesi has become very deeply philosophical, have you always been like this?
The more someone gets older, the more the person knows more. It is nature that teaches you and Age imparts wisdom in us as we grow older. When you are a youth, the youthful exuberance is there. As you are growing, naturally, you will be changing. It is basically what God has done. God has always done what he says. Look at women, God gave them hair they do not want it they buy theirs.
God gave them eyelashes they don’t want, they fix theirs God gave them nails they do not want it, they fix theirs, God gave them buttocks they do not want it, they put theirs.
If you find out that there is nothing in this world, you will see that everything is vanity. The thing is, it is far easier to live in the world as a man trying to make a honest living, than to live in the world with wealth. If you live in the world with wealth, you will be full of problems, but if you live in the world as someone trying to survive, you don’t have any problem. You are already on the ground. If you are wealthy you have to be very careful not to fall. So you have to choose which one you want. I chose to be humble, I chose not to be over wealthy. I found out that the wealth controls human beings and it brings a lot of problems to them.
What is the relationship of Kabiyeesi with other rulers in Ogun State and even outside Ogun State?
The most important thing is to watch yourself, who are you? You will identify yourself, and the rest are stories. The other thing is, if you wish someone well on his house warming, you too will build your own house. I have cordial relationship with the kings, though, kingship is a very dangerous thing.
Why sir?
There is Envy, and they forget that fingers are not equal, so I do not believe in entering anybody’s shoe, I believe in creating my own shoe.
Because who ever you envy, do you know what he/she is facing in his house. You do not know. And the bigger the head the bigger the problem. A couple of months ago Olori Alade, the Ooni, called me that he has established Ojaja University, I wished him well and thanked God for him, I promised him I would come to rejoice with him and I went there. Because for a king to have a University is not a small achievement. So we need to pray for him more, for longtivity, more strength and more wisdom.
Kabiyeesi is a man of great style from your dressing to the cars you drive, is it something you’ve always had?
I thought we went to the same secondary school and our slogan is “Known For High Standard”. If someone is named Gbenga and he can not walk on the staircase, the person should reverse his name. From my past, before I became the king, I had worked with a Travel agency, I ran a fashion outfit, we did car hire service. More over, I did not just start my dressing. From my secondary school days I believed in colours, I know God has multiple of colours. So, I know how to match them up and God has been good.
It is an instinct. If you get to the hall, I want to put up 4 bedroom duplex with two self contained, because some kings will come, and I don’t want them to stay outside there and some of our chiefs will come, and I will not want them to stay outside there either. So they will be there. Security is there and the light is stable 100%. I will also say that it is a matter of life style. We have never failed and I pray God will continue to be our guide, to be our strength and endow us with bountiful grace.
I see most of the kings you relate with are very stylish, is there any connection to that?
It is an instinct, and there is an adage that says birds of the same feather flocks together and in whatever you want to do, you need to be careful. Including the people you move with. It is better you move with people that are greater than you, than to move with the people that are lower than you.
If you move with the people below you, you should know that you have problems. If you move with the people of your peers you should know that you will have problems, if you move with the people that are greater than you, you know you are safe. It is so simple. It is better to plan to be above, there is an adage that says “he who fails to plan, will lose, and he who plans will gain”.
So we look up to people like His Excellency, Prince Dapo Abiodun, the likes of Dr. Taiwo Afolabi of Marriot Hotels and Alhaji Aliko Dangote etc.
God has always been faithful, whatever I pray to Him to do for me, he has always done it for me.
