His Royal Majesty
Alayeluwa Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Atanda
Adeyemi III (Iku Baba Yeye), Alaafin of Oyo is the Permanent Chairman, Oyo
State Council of Traditional Rulers. A former insurance executive, he became the 43rd
Alaafin of Oyo in 1970. A well-learned man and a custodian of the Yoruba
culture, he attended St Gregory’s College Lagos 1954-59 and remains one of the
most influential monarchs in Nigeria. According to legend, the tribal marks on his face are exactly the type on the face of his
father, Adeyemi II and his grandfather, Adeyemi I. Special care was taken in
etching the tribal marks, as far as length, width, depth and symmetry are
concerned. This special tribal mark is called Abaja Alaafin Mefa Mefa. Who says
Nigerians are not rich in culture. According to the official Alaafin of Oyo
website, the following are the Royal Emblems of the Alaafin:
The Sekere (traditional percussion instrument) –
originated from Oyo.
The Lion – symbolises the fearless nature of the
Oyos.
The Tortoise (Ijapa) – the royal pet, symbolises
longetivity and reselience
The Bata or Sango drum – is associated with Sango,
the deified 3rd Alaafin of Oyo who is worshiped as the god of Thunder and
Lightning
The equestrian figure (the warrior on horseback) –
symbolises the military expansion of the Oyo Empire through the use of cavalry
(horsemen) from the 14th to the 17th century.
2-According to him, the Old Oyo Empire existed without
break for 600 years. That’s quite impressive, you know. Especially when you
realize that many of the most popular empires, like the famed British Empire,
did not last half of that.
3-He was born on 15th October, 1938, and that makes
his 76years old. He was selected among other contestants to become king in 1968
but the government of the day refused and he was not crowned until January
1971, he was working as an insurance clerk then.
4-Aláàfin means one who owns the palace, aáfin. It can
also mean Lord of the Palace, as it is from the aafin that he lords his
authority over his people.
5- In times past, the Alaafin was an absolute ruler.
Other names for the Aláàfin include Kábíyèsí (the King No One Can Question) Iku
Baba Yeye (One Who Can Command Death or Pronounce It Upon His Father or Mother
Or He Who Is Mother & Father To Death), Alashe (He Who Possesses
Authority), Ekeji Orisha (Second-in-Command to the gods) NB: Translations can
vary slightly.
6-Whoever enters the king’s courtyard must remove the
shoes. Everyone except the Alaafin must have bare feet in his greeting
courtyard.
7-The Kabiyesi’s eldest daughter is name Arewa,
meaning The Beautiful One in Yoruba.
8-He contested with 10 other people for the position
of the Alaafin. The contest started in 1968 and did not end until 1970. That’s
around the time of the Nigerian Civil War. He was declared winner three times
but the government initially rejected the ruling of the Oyomesi on all the
three occasions. The Oyomesi advises the Alaafin and is the highest
decision-making body in the kingdom.
9-He is a boxer, and was a champion in those days (he
still has his punching bag in the courtyard) and his favorite meals are amala
(yam flour), iyan (pounded yam), abula soup and ogi (pap).
10-In terms of religion, he is a practising Muslim but
describes himself as being liberal and a free mixer who was raised up in a
strict Christian home and also went to a Catholic school.
11-He has a pond in the palace where he keeps gold fish,
and there is also a tortoise in the courtyard said to be hundreds of years old.
12-The Alaafin is said to communicate with the
deities like Sango (the god of thunder) in their own language.
13-His own father, Adéníran Adéyemí II was the Alaafin
for 10 years (1945-1955) until he was forced into exile by the political party
of Chief Obáfémi Awólówò, the Action Group in 1956. While his father was on
exile, he was sent to live with the Alake of Egbaland, Oba Oladapo Ademola, the
father of the former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Adetokunbo Ademola.
14-He was the first Yoruba monarch to become the
Chancellor of Uthman Dan Fodio University, Sokoto.
15-There are 24 seats in the royal chamber of his
Palace, 12 on each side..
16-. He is a recipient of a national honour, the
Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR). He installed the late
Bashorun Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola (MKO) as the last Aare Ona Kakanfo
(Field Marshal or Generalissimo) of Yorubaland on 14th January, 1988 and also
the talented singer, Queen Salawa Abeni whom he crowned the Queen of Waka Music
(the Golden Voice of Africa) in 1992. Both truly deserve the honours (I’m
actually listening to Salawa’s Cheer Up writing this…lol!) He is the 43rd
Alaafin of Oyo. Alaafins are buried at the Royal Burial Ground called the BARA.
17-On Sunday 31st
August,2014, Alaafin marked his 76th birthday in fun-fare in London and 43rd on
the throne of his fore-fathers.
18-
His best meal in the morning is pap. He became a king in his mid-30s and till
date, he still keeps that habit. He likes amala and gbegiri (bean soup) for
lunch. He takes herbal medicines and he does not eat outside.
19-They
call him Iku baba yeye alase ekeji orisa, meaning the next to the ancestors.
20-The
Alaafin is the custodian of the Yoruba heritage.
21-As
the most prominent traditional ruler in Yoruba land and the Diaspora, the
Alaafin in history, had never been known to be silent when it was important for
him to talk, in other words, the Alaafin had never been known to deprive
mankind of his wise counselling with necessary admonition whenever it is
important to do so.
Additional
information from Punch.ng and
#abiyamo
