Oba
Fatai Aremu Aromire is the Ojora of Ijora, Lagos, one of the prominent
traditional rulers in the country. In this interview with Prestige
International Magazine, he speaks on various issues including how he runs his
kingdom, his background and life as a traditional ruler. Excerpts.
How
do you feel celebrating 22 years on the throne?
I give thanks to God for keeping me for 22
years on the throne. It hasn’t been easy. Everyday I thank God because
everything is in His hands.
After
you became king, what were the challenges you met on ground?
When I became the Ojora of Lagos in 1994, I
was 41years old. If you look at this community, there are so many challenges
like court cases but, with the help of God, I have been able to settle them.
What
were the steps you took in bringing peace to the community?
When I became king, I inherited the Iganmu
case which started in 1972. The first chief who started the case was Chief
Abdul aziz of Ojora who was my uncle, he started the case by sueing the people
jostling with us for the stool, but around 1974 he passed on. Taud Akapo then
became the Ojora of Lagos, that was in 1977. He too did his best before he
passed on in 1993. I was installed in 1994. After I won the case at the High
Court, the other party appealed. I won at the Appeal Court, but they appealed
to the Supreme Court. I won the case for the family. I’ve won about 32 cases
for the family. You are an HND holder, but you seem to know so much about the
law… If you are not conversant with the family issues you can’t become the
Ojora, you can’t just come from London and contest for the Ojora stool; you
have to be an apprentice. I worked in the family office for 30 years; so I’ve
been dealing with the family cases by going with the elders to meet the
lawyers; so I have knowledge and experience. If you sue me now and I look at
the suit and what you are claiming, I will just laugh. I will even advise my lawyer
on what to do because it’s what I’ve been doing for the past 45 years; so I
know everything. You can’t talk about anything regarding my family land now
that I don’t know. You said before one can become the Ojora, he has to be an
apprentice.
As the PA to the late Akapo, what were the
things you learnt from him?
One
of the major things I learnt from him was to always dialogue and you must have
time for your family, be open-minded and always let your doors be opened every
time for people to come in. Would you say you are fulfilled after 22 years on
the throne? I cannot be fulfilled because I am still begging God to allow me to
stay for a long time on the throne. I am a human being; I still have a lot to
do for my people, I am an indigene of Ijora, I need a support from people and
non-indigenes. I have a lot to do. You were born a Muslim, your mother is a
traditional worshipper, your sister owns churches and, as the Ojora, there are
some traditional rites you have to perform. How do you manage these contending
religious? Tradition has no house of worship. In this community, when it’s
Christmas, we do it together. When it’s the time for Muslim or traditional
festival, we also do it together. How would you describe your first two years
as a traditional ruler? It was really challenging starting with the court cases
which I fought for five years before all of us came together as one family.
Ojora is a rowdy place. What have you done to bring nomalcy to the place and
how challenging was it for you? I have constructed five roads with my personal
money. I built a mosque and a church in the community and the purpose is to
unify the people and make them have a sense of belonging. .
At 22 years on the throne, what are your plans
for the Ojora community?
I want
to expand my scholarship project because every year I sponsor the children of
the community and those of non-indigenes. I already have 25 beneficiaries on my
list. I want to add another 25 to the list.
Do you still relate with your old friends?
Of course, these are the people who know
about my past. I can’t say because I am a king I should stay away from them; we
still hang-out together. If you drive away your old friends, when trouble
comes, you won’t see people to advise you. A big man can’t advise a fellow big man
positively. He will rather look towards your downfall because of the
competition between both of you. So every Friday, I hang out and drink with my
old friends and they tell me their problems. I also tell them mine and the
little I can do I do, it for them.
We
learnt that when you were asked to become the king, you ran away. Why?
Yes, I believed that becoming a king is
problematic and that no matter what you do, you can’t please people. I never
had interest but I just had to accept it because I was told that the oracle
picked me out of the seven persons who were nominated. Can you recall some of
your class mates while in school? One of my classmates is Amosun, the governor
of Ogun State.
How
would you describe your youthful you the troublesome type?
It’s rich men’s children that make trouble.
How would I have been troublesome when I didn’t have a father and my mother
used to sell plantain? If I made trouble, who would have come to my rescue?
Before
your father died, what was your relationship with him and what lessons did you
learn from him?
I’m
the last born; so I was the closest to him and the major thing I learnt from
him is to be upright.
How did you meet your wife and why is she the
only wife you have unlike other kings?
It was the day I went to my brother’s house
because there was no food at home and met her there. As time went on, I started
dating her and later on I proposed to her. Her family took her away after she
became pregnant for me but she later came back to me. I then decided to marry
her and my reasons are best known to me.
