The Legusen of Ode Ule Kingdom, Ogun State, Oba Adedayo Adekoya, doubles as the Oba of Isese Agbaye, which is an umbrella body for traditional worshippers. The monarch, who is also a medical doctor, tells Gbenro Adeoye Of Saturdat Punch why he’s into Isese
Since when have you been the Legusen (Oba) of Ode Ule Kingdom?
There are three institutions that I represent. First of all, the Ode Ule institution, the Isese Agbaye institution and the Diaspora institution. I became the Legusen of Ode Ule in 1991. I was appointed by the Legusen clan to be their head in December 1991 and on April 28, 1992, I became recognised by the then Alaye Ode system. Ode Ule and Ode Remo now exist separately. So we now have Ode Ule and Ode Remo.
What does it mean to be the Oba Isese Agbaye (worldwide)?
During pre-independence era and the amalgamation processes, the colonial masters didn’t allow our people to express themselves. Our people tried to register the traditional religions but they couldn’t, the colonialists only made them to register the medicinal aspect. When I became a Board Chairman for Ogun State Council of Arts and Culture, I mobilised Isese people. Isese is the umbrella name for all our traditional worshippers – Ifa, Sango, Babalawo, Alagbede, Alagemo and so on. So through that, I got to get close to them. I was installed as the Oba Isese Agbaye in 2002. You know, I have both indigenous and western education because I’m also ababalawo (herbalist) as well as a trained medical practitioner. I trained at the medical school, University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University).
As a medical doctor, how did you emerge as the Oba Isese Agbaye?
I was the president then. I asked the babas and mamas to consult and bring their head and that I would give them the logistic support. Then, they asked me to come to Ile Ife to see who they had chosen, so I went there. I was so eager to see who it was. When everyone had assembled, they told me that I was the one and asked me to sit down on the seat prepared for the Oba. That was how I was installed as the Oba Isese Agbaye. I never expected it.
So what is a medical doctor doing as the head of a religion generally believed to be archaic?
Which part of it is archaic? Is it the one that tells you to go and pay 10 per cent of your money to somebody you don’t see that is modern?
How did you become an Isese person?
I’m an Isese man by birth. My parents were Christians, they went to Christian schools. In fact, my mother held a position in the Methodist church. But for me, I’ve always been an Isese man. The only thing that attracted me to church then was to see oyinbo (white man), so I stopped going when Oyinbo stopped coming.
Didn’t your parents object or try to dissuade you from becoming a traditionalist?
They couldn’t. They knew I was doing the right thing. When my father was born, on the third day, they consulted Ifa divination and Ifa said this one would not follow you to the farm; he would write. The man finished the whole of the Arabic book then and there was nothing to do again, so they took him to a Christian secondary school. He finished the levels within four years. At the 100 years anniversary of his alma mater, the man won the school’s all time best. He had nine bachelor degrees at that time because master’s degrees were not common in his time. He was always taking correspondence courses and had many degrees. Can such a man tell somebody not to follow a prediction that was made?....................................jump to the main point
How many wives do you have?
There are some things you don’t count in tradition. When I took over, I inherited 107 wives. And fortunately, all of them were very old. The system is such that you inherit these old women and most of them belonged to Obas that lived long before I was born. So I took over the Legusen dynasty and took over the women. In the Legusen system, nobody knows who is the son of who or the daughter of who. Because when you are born, you are nursed by the oloris (queens). For instance, my grandfather did not know his mother until it was very late. Once you’re mature enough, you are weaned off your mother’s breasts and you go to other mothers whose breasts you continue sucking till you are even 18 years old.
18 years?
Yes. That’s why it was easy for people to tell others that they sucked the same breasts.
