QUOTE ME, I AM THE OWNER OF YORUBALAND —OLUGBO

The Olugbo of Ugbo Kingdom, Oba Frederick Obateru Akinruntan, is a Yoruba monarch with a difference. Currently the chairman of the Yoruba Obas Conflict Resolution Committee, his oil enterprise in particular makes him arguably the richest African king. In 2014, Forbes Magazine put Oba Akinruntan’s net worth at $300 million. Aside this, he is a talented
musician, gifted with a great voice and not shying away from entertaining his guests with Ilaje dialect music. In this interview with MONICA TAIWO and TUNDE BUSARI, Oba Akinruntan bares it all on the position of Ugboland in Yoruba history. Excerpts:

Kabiyesi, there seems to be a controversy on the history of the aboriginal inhabitants of Ile-Ife. Can you shed light on this?

There is nothing like controversy about it. There is only distortion of the history by the powers that be. But I don’t mind whatever anybody says. The truth remains unchanged. Oduduwa was not part of the Yoruba. He was not part of us. He migrated to Ile-Ife from Mecca. Look at his tribal marks. He had a foreigner’s marks on his cheeks. He had seven children. Out of these seven, one was a female called Owu. Owu is near Ikire. It is called Orile-Owu. It was a place where slaves were assembled for sale. Some of the Owu are in Abeokuta and other parts of Yorubaland. I don’t need to consult any book to narrate this history. I have read about 2, 000 authorities on this subject. This history has always been there but the powers that be always make efforts to suppress it. I am not ready to hurt or fight anybody over this but I know the truth is there and nobody can do anything about it. We are the aboriginal inhabitants of Ile-Ife. It was Obamakin Osangangan, son of Oraife, who founded Ile-Ife. If you are familiar with Ifa divinity, Ugbo is mentioned in a verse where it says ‘Kutukutu oba ugbo’.

Osangangan also had many children. I will mention only two. When Oduduwa arrived, he came to Ileero, (Palace) at Iremo quarters in Ile-Ife and he was accepted because of our hospitality. Being a non-native and coming from a background where might was right, he engaged in struggles. Oduduwa never had a successful reign in Ile-Ife. Although he first defeated Obatala, Obatala later fought back and defeated him.

Why did you leave Ile-Ife?

That is a good question. My progenitors left Ile-Ife following Osanyin’s directive.  Obamakin retreated and settled at Okemafuragan, near Oke-Igbo. Then, they raised 16 hefty men who regularly raided Ile-Ife, capturing women and children. The men covered their faces with masks and were believed to have descended from heaven because Ugbo people are called Ugbo atorunwo ( people awho descended from the heavens ). The people, on sighting them, would always run away from being captured. At a point, Moremi, a beautiful slave woman captured from Ile-Ife, became the wife of Oromakin at Okemafuragan.