Ahead of an event to mark the 7th year coronation anniversary of the Paramount Ruler of Iwoland, His Royal Majesty, Oba (Dr.) Abdulrosheed Adewale Akanbi, the monarch has said that monarchs had fundamental roles to play in the nation building and national development efforts.
It is against this backdrop that he decided to write a book: “Code of Kings” which shall be launched as a highpoint of the coronation anniversary scheduled for Monday, January, 16, 2023, at Marriott Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos.
Oba Akanbi said the book was intended to prepare kings ahead of monarchical system of government which would one day become a democracy apparatus that Nigerians might fall back to when the democracy that politicians had been practicing failed completely due to the perennial hardship that masses are suffering in the wake of bad governance.
The monarch also said that “Code of Kings” was a part of his contributions to learning, knowledge and history “with the strong hope that it would correct some distortions in our rich history and liberate the Nigerian youth from mental slavery.”
While buttressing the relevance of monarchy to governance, Oba Akanbi went down memory lane and recalled Western House of Chiefs as a constituency where monarchs and politicians served together.
“Monarchs and politicians worked together in the past. In the Western House of Chiefs, the then Ooni of Ife, Sir Adesoji Aderemi was the governor, then the premier S.L Akintola. There were also ministers without portfolio. Some of them were Oba I B Akinyele, the Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Tewogboye II, Osheinawe of Ondo,
Oba S.O. Abimbola, the Oluwo of Iwo, His Highness, Erejuwa II, the Olu of Warri. The Minister for Local Government then was Honourable D.S Adegbenro. The Minister of Finance was Chief J.O Odebiyi. Some members included the Alake of Abeokuta, Sir Ladipo Ademola, the Owa of Ijesha land, Oba Biladu III, the Oba of Benin, Akenzua II and many other kings.”
He added: “The monarchy in the presentation dispensation should be given a constitutional recognition and harnessed into governance for true democracy to be guaranteed. With kings and politicians working together, we can have our home-grown politicians. This will be the solution to the challenges that our current democracy is having. I have emphasized all these key issues in the book.”
“There is no politics you play in Nigeria without the kings. If you do, it won’t be successful. When politicians and kings work together, they can check one another to ensure checks and balances. Kings were constitutionally recognised before Independence. They should be constitutionally recognised now and given their place in governance for checks and balances.
“Kings, especially paramount rulers, need to be involved in governance so that we can carry messages of governance to the people at the grassroots. We are the closest to the people, unlike the Abuja a House of Assembly members that are far from their people at home,” Oluwo stressed.
“The book was also written to project the kings and to let them be aware that something great is coming and that a great future awaits them,” the monarch said.
“The book is about the future of kings. As leaders, we should be good examples to our people. We should look for a future where powers should come back to us.
“I don’t want our democracy to fail. My fear is that if corruption becomes too much and unbearable for the people, there may be a time that they might revolt. The kings must be upright, be good to our people, be accommodating,
be a king of the poor and the rich. Let them see us as people they can fall back to if everything fails.
“Monarchy is the future of us Africans. If the monarchy is not right, if a monarch does not do the right thing, if he is stealing or can not serve his people, dethrone him. If the monarchy is doing well, our subjects can count on us. We have had monarchical government before the colonial rule. My dream is for Nigeria to go back to the monarchical system one day.
“I am taking a step for the monarchy to be upright one day. I am good to my people. I am not taking anything from them. I stand upright. That is why they love me. If you ask the people of Iwo today, they would tell you that they prefer the monarchical system of government.
Still speaking on the imperatives of the book, Oba Akanbi stressed:
“If politicians don’t watch their steps and corruption continues to fester like this, the next government system that people might want to fall back to is monarchy. That is why I want to prepare the monarchy system ahead for a time that people would have something to fall back to which is the government of the people and which is the true democracy, a government that can serve the people, government of the people by the people and for the people.
“This will be our own kind of democracy. We have been using the democracy of the White which we don’t understand. A fuse of democracy by politicians and monarchs is a new democracy that we must build.
“Leadership by politicians and military had sent our people to another slavery. Politicians and monarchs should work together. Before politicians go for election they should have monarch that can vouch for them.
” My dream is that if politicians fail to get it right, there shall be a system that people can fall back to. Monarch is not constitutionally recognized. But there is need for it to be recognized constitutionally so that we can be parts of governance.”
President Muhammadu Buhari, Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, APC presidential candidate in the forthcoming elections, his PDP counterpart, Atiku Abubakar, Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu as well as scores of prominent personalities from all walks of life will attend the event.
The Chief Executive Officer of Peculiar Ultimate Concern Limited, Engineer Abel Lanre Adeleke will serve as the chairman of the event, Dr Taiwo Afolabi, the Chairman of Sifax Group is the chief launcher.
Notable royal fathers, serving federal and state legislators, captains of industries, friends of Oluwo from Canada, United Kingdom, leading entrepreneurs, academic professors and doctors as well as Oluwo’s friends from Canada will also attend the event.
