Tunde Odulaja is the Lapo Ekun elect in Ijebu Ode area of Ogun State. In this interview with journalists, he spoke about the preparations for his installation, the coronation rites, conveyed a message of hope and progress for the community, spoke about his commitment to work for the advancement of Ijebu-Ode in particular and Ijebuland in general. JOY ANIGBOGUbrings the excerpts:
How do you feel being chosen as the Lapo Ekun and could you take us through the process of your selection or election?
I feel so elated that Kabiyesi Alayeluwa, the Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba (Dr) Sikiru Adetona, Ogbagba ll, has recognised me as the next Lapo Ekun of Ijebu Ode. It’s a title exclusively reserved for indigenes of Ijasi. I thank God that I have been chosen to represent my people, the good people of Ijasi, Ijebu Ode.
Could you give us a brief educational and family backgrounds?
I was born in the United Kingdom in 1966 to Mr Olaniran Adeyemi Odulaja and Mrs Modupe Arinola Odulaja, nee Temowo of Oke Agbo IjebuIgbo, Ogun State. I started my education in Abeokuta, Ogun State at the St Benadettes Private School, Abeokuta in 1970 and had to be transferred to Estate Nursery School in Ilupeju, Lagos. After the demise of my mother in 1972, I attended Odogbolu Grammar School, Odogbolu, the Federal School of Arts and Science, Sokoto for A levels and Leeds University, United Kingdom. My grandfather was the Ogbeni Emmanuel Adesola Odulaja, the Akowe Elebede of Ijasi Quarters, Ijebu Ode, a foremost administrative officer of the then colonial government. My father, Olaniran, was the last child.
What’s your vision for your community, and how do you plan to achieve it?
My vision for Ijasi community and IjebuOde is to see Ijebus being vibrant in their commercial ventures, to see more Ijebu men and women educate their children, including the girl child, and ensure that farming should again be our focus, while artisanship and skills acquisition should be our focus for the younger generation. I want to see a more vibrant Ijebu Ode, where prosperity, development and progress will be our new song. We would continue to thrive as a community.
How do you intend to uphold and promote the tradition and culture of your people?
Tradition without history does not hold water; we need to first document a lot of our traditional values. We are fast losing grip of our tradition. Under the leadership of our revered Awujale of Ijebuland, Kabiyesi Oba (Dr) Sikiru Kayode Adetona, CFR, GCON, a museum has been created to curate some of these traditionalvalues and history, but we need to be fast about this as time waits for no one. In terms of culture, the Ijebus are always on point, we are proud of our dressing culture, our food culture, our working culture, our administrative culture and ‘isese.’ We the Ijebus are secular by nature; we have Muslims, Christians and traditionalists and we all co-habit in peace. We would continue to strive for peaceful co-existence amongst our people to bring meaningful development to our people.
What are the challenges facing your people and how do you plan to address them?
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Like every Nigerian, our people are not exempted. There is hunger in the land and a lot of impoverishment, but what we would do differently is to encourage our people to work harder to bring back prosperity to the land. A working population is a happy community. The advocacy will be on hard work and prosperity. We would also encourage individuals; teach our sons and daughters, by way of CSR, how to fish. We will take them back to the basics through orientation, hard work and prosperity.
Do you have any plan to engage other traditional rulers and the government in order to benefit your people?
There is an existing platform to engage other traditionalleaders. The structure is so much intact that it’s an envy of the traditional councils of other areas. We will continue to foster commendable relationships, contribute one’s ideas on development and go the extra mile to ensure that the decisions we make are impacted on our people and their socio-economic status.
We’d like to know your philosophy on leadership and how you intend to lead your people?
A good leader is a good listener. A good leader must have a good vision to inspire others to follow. A good leader must be honest, with a strong sense of moral responsibility. A good leader must communicate effectively and he or she must have the ability to articulate ideas clearly and foster open dialogues. Also, a good leader must be inspirational, humble, resilient, accountable and decisive. All of these are what I’m bringing to the table to foster peace and development of my people and to ensure that their voices are heard as a people.
What message would you like to send to the people as you prepare for your installation as Lapo Ekun?
My message is that of hope as this prestigious title of Lapo Ekun is bestowed on me. Our culture and heritage is a rich one and this fills me with a profound responsibility to uphold the tradition and values that define us as Ijebus. I am so committed to working tirelessly for the betterment of IjebuOde as a whole. This title is a reminder of the enduring legacy of our ancestors and a call to contribute meaningfully for the betterment of our people. I pledge to honour the trust with humility, dedication and unwavering loyalty to the ijebu Kingdom. Together, we shall build a community that thrives in harmony, strength and prosperity.
How can the people support your role as the new Lapo Ekun?
As a son of Ijasi and as their Lapo Ekun, the support required will be on cultural preservation, community involvement, unity and collaboration, respect for tradition, loyalty and trust. I will also ensure active participation and willingness to contribute to the shared vision, respect for authority, respect for the stool of the Awujale and the traditionalleadership structure, and constructive feedback on shared ideas for continuous improvement and problem solving. We would all strive to work as a unifying force, promote prosperity, tradition and progress of our people at Ijasi and Ijebu Ode as a whole.
How well do you enjoy the support of the Awujale, Olisa, Egbo and other key leaders of the TraditionalCouncil?
Awujale is my father and I am loyal to him 100 percent. I respect traditional protocols, I participate in ceremonies, I maintain an open communication with Kabiyesi and all other chiefs, show appreciation and gratitude for all their gestures. We also collaborate on initiatives. I am the Secretary General of the Ijebu Renaissance Group and the protem Secretary of IjebuDevelopment Agenda as my way of giving back and appreciating my community.
