Oba Asanike I: King with unusual humour, wit and sarcasm

Oba Asanike I: King with unusual humour, wit and
sarcasm
Oba Asanike I: King with unusual humour, wit and
sarcasm
In the midst of the current Olubadan chieftaincy
brouhaha, it is necessary to go down memory
lane and celebrate, with fondest memory, an
Olubadan of Ibadan who reigned for ten years,
with abundant wit, humour, native intelligence
and sarcasm.
Olubadan Yesufu Oloyede Asanike, ascended the
throne on the 4th of February, 1983 and died on
the 24th of December, 1993. His immediate
predecessor was Oba Daniel Tayo Akinbiyi, who
also reigned between 1977 and 1982. D.T
Akinbiyi, as he was fondly called, was highly
educated, having trained as a teacher in the
famous Wesley College, Elekuro, Ibadan, between
1916 and 1918. He was also involved in Ibadan
local politics in 1925 and was a founding member
of the Ibadan Progressive Union (IPU) which was
formally inaugurated in 1930.
Akinbiyi was a Customary Court judge. He was
the judge who almost jailed Adegoke Adelabu of
the Penkelemes fame. Adelabu was arrested for
contempt of comtempt of court, specifically for
drumming right in front of the court room, whilst
the court was in session.
Akinbiyi was an Action Group apologist, while
Adelabu was a strong NCNC Party Chieftain. D.T.
was a successful business man and had a
flourishing factory that produced Aerated waters
named “Akinbiyi Exelsoir” otherwise known as
“Oti Akinbiyi” and also a soap factory that he
started in 1958.
Mr. D.T Akinbiyi, later Oba D.T Akinbiyi
(Olubadan), in an article in the Nigerian Tribune
of December 22 1951, whilst tolerating Adelabu’s
“garrulity and insolence”, admonished that an
“old horse knows more than a young colt”, which
however, according to him, did not diminish the
fact that Adegoke was highly intelligent and
dynamic.
Akinbiyi started his chieftaincy career in 1946 as
Mogaji of the Akinbiyi family and later took the
title of Aare Onibon in 1953. He continued to
climb the 23 chieftaincy steps by series of
promotions, until he got the highest title of Otun
Olubadan and became the traditional ruler of
Ibadan in 1977. He composed the famous-
“Ibadan ilu mi,” with music produced by the Late
Mr. F.J Adeyinka. This was the intimidating
credential of the Olubadan whom Asanike
succeeded in 1983.
Oba Oloyede Asanike was the 37th Olubadan and
descended from the great Asanike dynasty of Idi-
aro, Ibadan. Oba Asanike was a prominent cocoa
produce merchant at Akanran, Ibadan, and was
first made Mogaji of the Asanike dynasty in
1947. In 1957, Oloyede Asanike was installed a
chief at Alafara Ibadan, by the late Oba I.B
Akinyele and rose steadily through the ranks to
become the Olubadan of Ibadanland. He was a
member of the popular Egbe that had Sanusi
Adebisi Idikan as its Giwa, i.e. head of the
society, before Adebisi’s demise in 1938.
In this Egbe, (society) he was in the good
company of successful merchants like Otiti,
Ekolo, Afunleyin, Ladimeji from Isale Ijebu and
Adeyemo Owonbuwo from Oopo-yeosa. On the
throne as Olubadan, Asanike’s deputy, Emmanuel
Adegboyega Adeyemo, was another highly
educated Ibadan Chieftain who succeded
Oloyede Asanike in 1994 and was on the throne
till 1999.
Adeyemo was in the military in 1940 as a
volunteer, to train the newly recruited army
clerks at Kaduna, during the Second World War
and was appointed a liaison officer for
communications, as a result of his ability to
speak and understand Yoruba, Hausa, Igbo and
English Languages. He had served in Burma,
India, Somalia and Malta and rose to the position
of Staff Sergeant before his demobilisation in
1946, having rejected the offer to proceed to
Sandhurst Military Academy in London.
After his demobilisation, he was seconded to
then Ibadan Native Authority as Treasurer in
1947. As the chancellor of the ex-chequer of the
largest city in Africa’s south of the Sahara, he
was Chief Adviser to the Native Authority and
Olubadan in council. He was also, in 1956, the
Sole President of the Ibadan Customary Court at
Oke-Are. He was also appointed the Minister for
Local Government affairs in 1962, under late
Chief (Dr.) Moses Adekoyejo Majekodumi, then
the Administrator of the Western Region.
Adeyemo, started the first chieftaincy steps in
1953 and rose steadily through the ranks, by
scaling 23 rungs of promotion ladder in the
Olubadan line of chieftaincy hierarchy, that saw
him to the covetous throne of the Olubadan of
Ibadanland on the 14th of January, 1994.
Adeyemo, as Asanike’s deputy, was his
formidable deputy and close ally. When Asanike
became Olubadan in February, 1983 at an
advanced age, nobody ever thought that he
would reign for ten years. He was frail, fragile
and walked with extreme difficulty. But despite
his advanced age, he was an Oba filled with
wisdom, wit, humour, sarcasm and native
intelligence. He had a deliberate melancholic and
askance look. He also had an unsmiling face that
was laced with dignified candour.
In the ten years of his reign as Olubadan, there
were so many beer parlour tales and stories,
some unverifiable, of Late Oba Asanike. There
was a popular story of a cocktail party, organised
by the then military governor of Oyo State, that
Olubadan Asanike attended, in the company of
his formidable deputy and close allay, Emmanuel
Adeyemo, the Otun Olubadan. At the party,
scotch eggs were served. As his deputy,
Adeyemo, picked some scotch eggs, the late
Asanike was said to have turned to Adeyemo
remarking “Deyemo, oo mon fi akara yi je tan,
won ma ngbe eko bo?”meaning, Adeyemo, do not
finish the akara beans, they will soon bring the
accompanying corn pap (eko).
In the 1983 election, shortly after he ascended
the throne, there was a fierce political battle
between the incumbent governor of Oyo State,
Bola Ige of the UPN and the cerebral Dr. Victor
Olunloyo of the NPN. The election was fiercely
contested. Olunloyo won amidst controversies
and disputes.
During these disputes and judicial intervention,
through the Election Petition Tribunal, Asanike
went out to drum supports for the Ibadan man
saying- “Omo wa ni, e je o se”; meaning- “He is
our son, let him be governor”, not minding the
fact that Bola Ige too, even though not a native,
had lived in Ibadan all his life. He had his law
practice in Ibadan and married an Ibadan
woman, Atinuke Oloko, from the Oloko family of
Agodi Ibadan and was the Alasa of Ibadan, (the
holder of the shield to protect Ibadan city.)
While critics took some of his remarks for senility
or ignorance, Oloyede knew what he was doing.
He was mentally agile, with a fecund mind.
Oloyede Asanike, during his reign, received many
eminent visitors to Ibadan, one of whom was the
late General Sani Abacha, who had once served
in Ibadan as the GOC of the Second Mechanized
Division of the Nigerian army. Sani visited the
palace and Asanike was expecting a big, tall,
plump, rotund and fierce-looking Abacha. Asanike
could not hide his surprise at the stature of
Abacha before him and he remarked, “Abacha, a
so o ju bayi lo!” meaning, “So here you are
General Abacha, you are not more than this?”
Abacha himself could not but laugh.
Asanike was never afraid of anybody, including
military men. A particular Military Governor had
subtly accused him of doling out chieftaincy
titles rampantly and randomly. Asanike was
annoyed and he said in anger, “tell him to shut
up! he (the governor) is king in his domain and I
am also king in my domain. The governor then
had Chief M.K.O Abiola, who had recently been
conferred with the chieftaincy title of Bashorun
of Ibadanland by Asanike, in mind. M.K.O was
then not in the good books of the military.
Asanike quickly remarked- “A i da lola ni”,
translated to mean, “we honoured him with the
title.” To further brighten the mood, in
demonstration of his native intelligence, Asanike
also traced M.K.O Abiola’s ancestry to Ojoo
Ibadan.
Still on chieftaincy titles, a group of distraught
Ibadan chiefs, perhaps in sync with the military
governor’s admonition, had gone to the palace to
tell Asanike that there were no more chieftaincy
titles on the list to give to anybody again.
Asanike had quickly retorted- “Oye tan, Oye na
ni”meaning, “how could you say that, even Oye
tan also could be a chieftaincy title!”
Most times, he deliberately looked vacant, as if
he would not see the next day. He would tell his
Otun Olubadan, “Deyemo, emi o ti se tan a ti ku,
emi nin je akara re” meaning “Deyemo, you will
certainly die before me, because I am not ready
to die now.” It was a hard, mild, humour.
The Otun Olubadan was once embroiled in a
hearty discussion with a visiting governor and
Asanike quickly looked at him and said “Deyemo,
oo so fun Gomina pe emi ni Olubadan
ni?”meaning, “Deyemo, did you not tell the
governor that I am the Olubadan?”
A funny incident also happened in the palace.
Some thieves had entered the palace and
removed tyres and spare parts from the
Olubadan’s parked fleet of cars. They were
quickly apprehended by watchful palace guards.
The palace guards, in demonstration of bravery
and gallantry, took the arrested thieves to the
Olubadan. The guards expected accolades from
the Olubadan Asanike. The guards were
surprised when Asanike set the thieves free and
instead, subtly advised the guards, that next time
“emi o ran yin pe kee so moto, iyawo mi ni mo ni
e so” meaning, “I did not send you to guard my
vehicles, you should be guarding my wives.” One
couldn’t help but laugh. To Asanike, cars were
material possessions but his wives and children
were his noble inheritance. He extolled to high
heavens the dignity of women.
As an interesting corollary of Olubadan’s
romantic nature, a group of African Americans
had visited the Palace. As usual, the Late
Olubadan made a pass at one of the beautiful
ladies, by saying, “Oo le lo” meaning, you won’t
go. The exasperated lady thought it was a
detention order and raised an alarm. The joke
had gone too far and Asanike realised it. He
apologized, saying- “mo fi bao sie ni” (I was only
teasing you!)
The executives of the Taekwondo Games
Association had also once visited the palace on
a courtesy call. After the introduction, the
Olubadan asked them, “Ewo tun wa ni Takwando
o?” meaning, “which one is Taekwondo!?” The
visiting team burst into immediate laughter.
As a last recap, the military government of
General Ibrahim Babangida had encouraged a
general discourse on the Structural Adjustment
Programme (SAP). From the palace, Asanike
said- “Eyi ti o ba je ti Ibadan ni nu SAP, e je kio
te Ibadan lowo.” meaning- “Ibadan should not be
denied of its shares of the Structural Adjustment
Program.” Aside from Asanike’s funny mien, wit,
humour and sarcasm, he had a glorious moment
on the throne.
Asanike was the first Oba to live in a modern
palace, situated at Oja Oba, Ibadan. Oba Asanike
used his position to wield a lot of influence in
favour of Ibadanland and its indigenes. He
assisted Ibadan indigenes who sought
admissions into institutions of higher learning
and also assisted in sourcing for employment
opportunities for Ibadan indigenes.
During his reign, he had as governors and
administrators, both civilian and military, Chief
Bola Ige, Dr. Victor Omololu Olunloyo, Lieutenant
Colonel Oladayo Poopola, Col. Sasaeniyan
Oresanya, Navy Captain Adetoye Oyetola Sode,
Col Chinyere Ike Nwosu, who all had a good
tastes of Asanike’s humour and native
intelligence.
May the gentle soul of Oba Olubadan Yesufu
Oloyede Asanike continue to find peaceful
repose with his Creator.
Kehinde, historian and former member, house of
representatives, representing Ayedire/Iwo/Ola-
Oluwa federal constituency of Osun state
(1999-2003), is also the Principal Partner, Femi
Kehinde & Co (Solicitors), Ibadan, Oyo state.