He has made history within and outside Nigeria, his dear motherland as a statesman!.
However, Chief Olusegun Okikiola Obasanjo, the current Balogun Owu Kingdom has refused to take his rightful position in the scheme of things in Egba chieftaincy corridor.
This development has raised many questions begging for answers among indigenes of the gateway state, particularly in Abeokuta, the political capital of Egbaland.
Obasanjo, after his retirement from the Nigerian Army in 1979 was honoured with the honorary chieftaincy title of Jagunmolu of Egbaland by the late 9th Alake of Egbaland, Oba Mofolorunsho Oyebade Lipede.
Egba as a federation, which has its independence long before Nigeria, has four quarters namely Ake, Oke-Ona, Gbagura and Owu as units.
While Ake as the political headquarters produces the Alake and paramount ruler of Egbaland, other three units of Oke Ona, Gbagura and Owu have been contented with the titles of Otun, Osi and Ekerin of Egbaland among other titles zoned to the sections of Egbaland.
History has shown that whoever is the Balogun Owu-Abeokuta is automatically the Ekerin Egba.
The Ekerin position is perpetually zoned to the Owu quarters, whose many Baloguns in the past were fourth in rank to the Alake and paramount ruler of Egbaland .
Historically, Olafimihan Olufakun, a war leader and the Balogun Owu has been credited as the one that led Owu people into Abeokuta in 1834.
Olufakun's bravery, prowess and reliability was said to have endeared him to Sodeke, who by concession was the reigning Balogun Egba.
As a result of this, the Owu warlord was later created the Ekerin-Egba before his death in 1853.
Since then it has been customary for the Owu people that any of its chiefs holding the title of Balogun of Owu is by tradition automatically elected as the Ekerin Egba after obtaining the consent of the reigning Alake.
Aside Olufakun, among past Balogun Owu that were later installed and celebrated Ekerin Egba were Chiefs Olusunmade, Adelekan, Egbeyemi, Jokosenumi, Adegbenro, Akin Olugbade among others.
The current Balogun of Owu is Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, former head of state as well as former president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
According to Egba history, this Owu title bestowed on Obasanjo by one of the past Olowus of Owu automatically made him the Ekerin Egba.
However, this is not so as the elder statesman has refused to be officially conferred with the eminent Egba title by the Alake.
Although, there has not been any official reason for Obasanjo's refusal to be so honoured by the Alake and paramount ruler of Egbaland, tongues have been wagging as possible reasons.
Among the emerging speculations is that Chief Obasanjo, a military general and a two time Nigeria's ruler could not be subordinate to Oba Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo, a retired Nigerian Army Colonel.
This is a serious dilemma as all Egba chieftaincy titles make the conferee surbordinate to the Alake who also has the prescribed authority for the three sectional monarchs of Osile of Oke Ona, Agura of Gbagura and Olowu of Owu.
An Egba high chief who spoke on condition of anonymity said the situation will remain so for long.
According to him, never in the history of Egbaland had a reigning Balogun Owu refused to be installed Ekerin Egba.
"I think the issue is that of ego on the part of Chief Obasanjo. What is bad in him being honoured by his surbordinate?
This assertion was punctured by another Owu chief who described Obasanjo as not only a man of culture but a man who respects culture.
The high ranking Owu and Egba chief asked rhetorically: " have you forgotten that Obasanjo played a critical role for the current Alake to ascend the throne?.
"It will be unfair to say Obasanjo refused to be conferred with the title of Ekerin Egba because Alake is his junior in the Nigerian Army".
"I don't think the issue is that of ego as people want us to believe. I think there is more to it. For an octogenarian army general who does not mind prostrating in public for monarchs irrespective of their ages, I think there is more to it", he stated.