By Oba Adedokun Abolarin
The road from Ibadan to Oyo is still bad.
A sad reminder.
A sad reminder.
It reminded me of my years at St. Andrew’s College of Education, Oyo, when I occasionally commuted from Lagos to Oyo as a lecturer.
Today, I return—not as a public servant, but as an elder who has watched time pass. Today was the installation of Dr. Adesola Adeduntan, the immediate past Managing Director of FirstBank, as the Balogun of Oyo.
The ceremony was scheduled for 10:00 a.m.
Unfortunately, it did not start on time.
And yet, no one complained, because the gathering itself was the message.
And yet, no one complained, because the gathering itself was the message.
The hall was filled with Yoruba personalities from across Yorubaland. I had the privilege of sitting quietly and thinking deeply about the next 50 years of our people.
I saw faces of people I taught about 40 years ago at the now-defunct Oyo State College of Arts and Science, Ile-Ife: Ambassador Akinremi Bolaji; Biola Olagunju, SAN; Ojo Adebayo, SAN; and Kabiyesi Akinola Solomon Olagoke, the Oloko of Oko and the present Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, Oyo State.
Distinguished Nigerians. My students. My colleagues. My kings.
And I asked myself: What becomes of Yorubaland within the Federation of Nigeria?
The answer came quietly.
The greatness of Yorubaland is not in our roads alone. It is in our people.
It is in a banker who becomes Balogun and still remembers service.
It is in teachers who taught 40 years ago and are still proud of their students.
It is in lawyers, ambassadors and traditional rulers who still gather for one purpose: the dignity of our people.
Yes, the road from Ibadan to Oyo, and other roads across the land, must be fixed. Infrastructure matters.
But infrastructure without values is an empty road.
What will carry us into the next 50 years is Omoluabi: character, wisdom, education and unity.
What will carry us into the next 50 years is Omoluabi: character, wisdom, education and unity.
If our leaders, both in agbada and in suits, remember that they are custodians and not owners, then Yorubaland will not just survive. Yorubaland will lead.
The Balogun title is about defence. It is about protecting the people.
Today, the battles are different. They are for quality education, good roads, credible institutions and a future our children will be proud of.
What is to happen is important.
And what will happen depends on what we do today.
May the reign of Balogun Adesola Adeduntan bring prosperity to Oyo, Ibadan and Oyo State, and wisdom to Yorubaland.
May we, the elders, keep dreaming.
May we, the teachers, keep teaching.
May we, the leaders, keep building.
May the good Lord continue to bless Yorubaland and the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
•Oba (Dr.) Adedokun Omoniyi Abolarin is the Orangun of Oke Ila, Osu State
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