OBA ADEDAPO TEJUOSO: "LIFE AS A BORN-AGAIN KING"

His Royal Majesty Oba (Dr.) Adedapo Adewale Tejuoso, the Osile of Oke-Ona Egba in Ogun State is not your run-of-the mill traditional ruler. He is a monarch with a lot of difference. Since he became Osile of Oke-Ona Egba, this 76-year-old medical doctor and billionaire businessman with vast investments in critical sectors of the economy, has been on a crusade to win Egbaland for God.

So consumed is His Royal Majesty Oba (Dr.) Adedapo Adewale Tejuoso with the work of God that he preaches the word openly via his evangelical outreach, Oba Karunwi III Evangelical Movement. Last February, he turned 76 but he does not look it at all. Last week, City People Publisher, SEYE KEHINDE, spent quality time with His Royal Majesty Oba (Dr.) Adedapo Adewale Tejuoso at his Ibara GRA residence in Ogun State. During this interview, the first-class monarch spoke about 25 years of his life on the throne and the many battles he has fought to win Egbaland for Christ. Excerpts:

At the time you became the Osile of Oke-Ona 25 years ago, what were your thoughts at that time?
I never for one minute thought about becoming a king, maybe until maybe about 6 months that it happened. Again, I started thinking about them because I had one or two prophecies saying God said I would become the king. And I thank God that ever since, God has been ordering my steps. My ambition was to build up Oke-Ona Egba in the way of the Lord.

Of course you know that is a very difficult job, an uphill task. You need to be very faithful to God to be able to hold on tenaciously on to that sort of ambition. Thank God, I have had on to it ever since. A lot of people have tried to dissuade me. But God has told me to carry on. And of course, if God is for you, who can be against you, except somebody who wants to knock his head against the rock of Gilbratar.

My ambition was to get Oke-Ona on a pedestal of high respect. I went to town and I read the history of the Yorubas, which I never read before I became a King but having read the history of the Yorubas, I came to the conclusion that this stool of Oke-Ona Egba is an ancient stool. This stool was first occupied by Oranmiyan, the only blue-blooded grandson of Oduduwa. I have a great inheritance. In Ogun State today, I can say it without any shadow of doubt that I am the only surviving grandson of Oranmiyan in Ogun State.

So why should our position not be in the place it should be. Why should people not know about Oke-Ona in Nigeria?
When I was coming on the throne, I invited my friends to come and join us at the inauguration. They were then asking me how do we get to Oke-Ona? I said oh, that is simple, just take a vehicle and tell them, ‘I am going to Sapon in Abeokuta’. They then said when we get to Sapon in Abeokuta, where do we get the vehicle to take us to Oke-Ona. I then told them Sapon itself is Oke-Ona. That is just to tell you how unknown that place was.

Have you changed this perception?
Yes. Since I came, I thank God in whichever way you look at it. People say I thrive in controversy, if controversy is what will make me thrive, why not? But the controversies that I thrive in, are controversies based on facts. For instance, I was never called Oranmiyan when I got on the throne. It was during my 10th coronation anniversary that God laid it in my heart that why don’t you add Oranmiyan to your name I said ok.

Even before then a lot of people had told me, wait a minute, you said you are a Christian and you bear Tejuoso, why don’t you change your name. From Tejuoso to Tejuoluwa or whatever. I was almost convinced but then it suddenly dawned on me and I said wait a minute. Look through the Bible, tell me one person whoever changed his name in the Bible without God telling him to do so. Nobody has been able to give me a negative answer till now.

Everybody that changed his name in the Bible was ordered by God. At the appropriate time during my 10th anniversary, God said add Oranmiyan to your title, and I did. I have now seen the relevance of what God has told me. It was based on that more importantly that I was invited to come and give Oranmiyan Lecture at Ile Ife last year, by a letter even signed by the Ooni of Ife himself – showing the fact that Oke-Ona, headed by the Osinle who used to be the Alaafin of Oyo, who used to be the Alaafin of Ile-Ife, that is now the Osinle. If I didn’t take that step, if I didn’t obey God when he said add Oranmiyan to your name that curiosity would not have developed in the minds of the people.

That lecture I delivered has been turned into a book. It’s a 120-page book. Then I did further research to help posterity so I did a new book. The message is: Oke-Ona is still going places, whether you like it or not. No human being can repress Oke Ona. They have tried. They keep trying. But we would get to our position, as of right in Jesus name.