One year ago, Chief Oladimeji Abiodun Lasile was installed as the Orunto of Owu Kingdom during a grand ceremony in Abeokuta. Since then, he has experienced numerous successes and achievements.
In a recent interview with journalists in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, Lasile shared insights on his recent discussions with the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi, regarding the Orunto dynasty in Ife and various related topics.
Here are the key highlights from their conversation.
One year is down the line, how has it been so far, so good as the Orunto of Owu, especially playing your role in Owu Kingdom?
Fantastic and glamorous. I’ve never been prayed for as much as I have experienced in the last one year. My encounter with people, old and the young, is prayers and best wishes, unsolicited which is my pleasure and blessing.
What are some of the things you have brought to the table since your emergence both for the Orunto dynasty and Owu kingdom where you are a prominent Chief ?
Representing HRM Oba Prof Saka Adelola Matemilola at functions is usually a great honour, speaking for king is exclusive privileged to me. A Kingmaker title is hereditary and carries the representation of my compound in an ancient Owu Kingdom Abeokuta. It’s worthy to note my personal idea contributions to the community, my unalloyed loyalty to Olowu Oluyalo and many claims to the achievements of the reign.
Recently, you had a fruitful discussion with Ooni of Ife, His Royal Majesty, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi on the Orunto dynasty in Ile-Ife and what you and your kinsmen are doing at the sources, would you like to share some with the public?
During my visit to Onirisa, we discussed an initiative to establish an interactive platform connecting all Orunto families, compounds, and settlements across the Southwest.
Onirisa acknowledged the significance of Orunto at Iremo in Ife with promises to facilitate my meeting with them. My research has shown that Orunto from the source is established in Ile-Ife history.
The Aga Orunto, I recognize its leadership role and paramount functions in Ile-Ife within the Orunto community, mirroring similar titles in Ijebu, Oyo, Iwo, and Abeokuta. It was monumental to have met with Onirisa as Orunto, quite honestly, it’s historic and huge to me.
The conversation was an in-road to the source which I am jealously managing to midwife a cultural development, discourse, publications and leading unification of the Oruntos in South West and abroad.
There’s a prominent name I’m forced to mention here, Fatai Adiyeloja a media practitioner, a formidable personality from Aga Orunto Ile-Ife. They were represented at my installation a year ago adorned in our Aso Ebi, it turned out to be a reunion party which Onirisa reminded.
Another I am exploring is the Oyo link from Mr Bimbo Alagbe a PR professional of repute. There’s Agbole Orunto in the ancient Oyo town
The Public would also love to be educated and reminded on what Orunto stood for especially in Owu Kingdom?
Orunto Balufe Owu is a person, a work in progress, adding valie to the title, raising the value, institutionalising it, introducing the SixthSense concept initiative and purposeful glitz.
As Orunto Baalufe of Owu Kingdom, Abeokuta, my goal is to document our history, relationships, genealogy, cultural interactions, and traditions. I aim to explore and preserve our customs, institutions, and heritage, integrating ancient values with modern realities while discarding harmful practices.
My guiding vision, embodied in my crest, is ‘fostering innovations within tradition while safeguarding the essence of heritage values.’ Through my role, I commit to making a positive impact on humanity, honouring our ancestors’ legacy while embracing progress amongst our people. I want to be quoted as “Your dedication to preserving Orunto heritage and promoting unity is truly inspiring!”
Recently Oba Saka Matemilola celebrated two years on the throne, what have been his contributions since assuming the throne, especially the gains for Owu people ?
My profound respect to HRM Oba Prof Saka Adelola Matemilola FNSE Otileta VII Olowu Oluyalo of Owu Kingdom Abeokuta, committed leader, visioner, compassionate behaviour at decisions, listener, uprightly firm on his views and an intelligent king. I need to establish these qualities as a preamble to attest to Olowu incomparable achievements, the two years is like a ten years development because he’s hungry to change the suffering narratives among the people.
Olowu Oluyalo have touched through provision of infrastructures (boreholes, solar lights, implements, etc), personal development training (leadership, catering, enterprises, etc), Community Empowerment of grandeur magnitude, instituted Nonprofit organs, to mention few.
One of the Respected Royal fathers in Owu in person of Towulade of Akinale joined his ancestors recently in a London Hospital, would you like to talk about his life and legacies ?
On late Oba OLUFEMI Ogunleye Towulade of Akinale, an enigma of huge stature. I referred to his transition as a “library burnt” because he was a reservoir of repository knowledge, document and tradition. He rose from the bottom of self help to traditional leadership, correspondence education to formal education at old age of 70years and the feat of starting a different profession from journalism and public relations to law.
He studied first degree, masters and almost completed a doctorate degree in law at 79years. He died with great knowledge apart from the ones he authored, wrote and presented. He was one personality that knew my forebearers and often reminded me of the huge value of Orunto institution in the Owu Kingdom.
I can’t remember him enough at once; a journalist of repute, foremost public relation personality, prolific writer, educated historian and traditionalist. Owu Kingdom Abeokuta will not quickly forget him in the annals of our history in terms of customs and traditions.
Part of his legacies is the OWU ADR mechanism, which was launched sometimes back, what would be the fate of that project now that he is gone to join his ancestors ?
I must mention the Olowu ADR Centre, as the chief Mediator in the Committee we have achieved on behalf of Olowu. It is a face of Olowu in our community to resolve many disputes, lingering crises, land issues, family disagreements, and so on.
By mediation training, I’m not allowed to be specific on matters but I have facilitated peace and tolerance among our people. It gladdens me to be a driver of the Olowu ADR Centre and the Committee after the demise of Oba Ogunleye. As the Coordinator of the Owu Community Library, is an embryonic effort of The SixthSense Initiative, to God be the glory.
I coordinate the health insurance projects of Owu Kingdom to the benefit of our people which is yielding positive results. My input into some customs and cultural reforms has been remarkable which can’t be listed but obviously befitting and transformatory.
So many reforms I have contributed in the last one year to the upliftment of our people and I’m passionate about the condition of our people.
Your position on economic crunch?
Economic crunch! What a vocabulary you are blowing, if you really want to use big grammar please call it deterioration of economic activities on the landscape. I want to be categorical, every one is feeling the undeserved hardship because we are not blessed with economic planners and strategists that can see tomorrow before it comes.
How can the president come the first day to sloppily say “subsidy is gone”? We now live on palliatives what a pity, not a war ravaged nation, no earthquake, no disease plague or uncontrollable situation.
For crying loudly, an oil producing nation that cannot feed herself, plan its future, consolidate gains and conserve reserves. Instead, our leaders are self centered, non-chalance attitude about the others particularly the followers that gave the mandate under auspices of “Omo eni ko SE idi bebere ka fi ileke sidi omo elomiran” what I’m saying is “Entitlement”. No power, fuel is up in price, many fees to contend with, running costs are killing businesses and job opportunities are shrinking. In my opinion, we need to cutdown expenses on governance running costs, what we are expending on political officers is too expensive.
We’ll save a lot of money, let’s concentrate on feeding ourselves (Agriculture) and generate more power (electricity).
