Long before he joined his ancestors on Monday, August 12, 2024, Oba Ganiyu Agboola Olukunle, the Asale of Gbokoto- Isale Ketu, Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun State had wished that he be remembered well for his generosity to mankind.
This rare and kind gesture stood him out as well as made him an unusual monarch among his traditional colleagues.
He did not only depend less on government for survival, but involved in philanthropic activities and big time farming through which he had brought smiles to the faces of his people.
Isale kingdom, is a border town in the extreme end of Nigeria; very close to Benin Republic.
The Asale has his administrative palace in Gbokoto, but oversees the affairs of his people from Oja-Odan because of the dearth of basic infrastructure in Gbokoto.
Born into a family of farmers, the Oba during his life time, still made fortunes from agriculture amid the threats of Fulani herdsmen in his territory.
In this interview conducted to mark his 70th birthday, the late monarch said his benevolence to his people was his philosophy on leadership.
He explained that his convinction was that monarchs are ideally meant to complement government efforts.
"I believe the government cannot do everything for us. We need to support them. It is not because of government that God created Nigeria.
"We need all hands on the deck. The government is incapacitated by too many requests. As monarchs, we must identify areas we can help our people", he stated
While re-echoing the above statement, Oba Olukunle recalled a song which he sang to journalists.
According to the song, a life of no impact is a life of no value. As he puts it, "If I don't have any impact, people would not remember me for good."
Going down memory lane, the monarch insisted royalty demands a lot, as people's needs must be met regularly.
"A king must not slack in provision of basic amenities for his people. This is because there is no straight allocation for a king unlike a governor. You must be financially capable of addressing some needs of your subjects".
"Although we are being given stipends by the government, we still have to show kindness to our people", he said
"Some monarchs do not understand the responsibilities attached to their thrones. Once they become king, they sit down and expect goodies from the people and government. This is not right at all.
"This, in the long run would constitute a problem for the people. Royalty is a very delicate position. Our positions should be used to service mankind." the Oba noted.
Asked how he copes with demands and the yearnings of his peoole on a daily basis, the Asale of Isale said: "It is all down to a sense of higher purpose.
"I cope with all these demands because this is God's assignment. I have been given this privilege to serve and I am going to keep doing my best for my people." he remarked.
On other achievements on the throne, Oba Olukunle who was also a transporter in his early days before going into large scale farming, revealed that the operations of both Road Transport Employers and National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in Oja Odan were chiefly through him.
But for his enthronement in 1988, the Asale would have reached the zenith of the transport business in his hometown.
Now though, Oba Olukunle is an ardent advocate of farming. Himself a celebrated farmer who rakes in millions annually, the monarch reiterates that farming is the only venture that gives one freedom.
"Farming is our pride. It is very lucrative when given the right approach. One should not expect instant rewards though. It requires patience.
Within 3 years of farming, one would start making profits. When I started farming, I waited a while before I started making profits. I have bought cars through farming. I built houses too through this business.
Farming is the only business that is solely owned by someone. You do the business according to your timeframe. Whereas, government works can not be handled like that."
Like every enterprise that has its challenges, farming in Isale kingdom, Oba Olukunle said is heavily challenged by the menace of herdsmen and recalled many instances where Fulani herdsmen had done damage to many farms, his inclusive.
According to him, the hersdmen menace continues to stifle the production of many famers who have their farms ravaged by cattles.
This prolonged issue has been well handled by the king, although a lot still needs to be done to keep their farms safe from herdsmen.
Oba Olukunle however appealed to the state government for swift intervention.
According to him, it was imperative that the government found a quick resolution to the Fulani herdsmen activities or else, it would continue to hamper the businesses of many farmers in the area.
"A lot of people do not know that Isale is blessed with a lot of untapped natural resources. In fact, one of the resources has inhibited the community from having water.
"We get water from neighbouring communities, but by the grace of God, plans are underway to provide water for the people of Isale", Oba Olukunle hinted.
"I appeal to the state government to come to our aid in Gbokoto-Abepe, where the boundary between Nigeria and Benin Republic is located.
"We lack basic infrastructure including water there. We also have natural resources like limestone and sulphate which are in high commercial quantity ready for explorationI
"If I were a self-serving or desperate king, who does not think of the future of his subjects and communities, I would have called private companies to explore the resources for my own advantage, but I will not do that.
"I will not exploit my people or communities for selfish reason, because posterity and spirits of our ancestors would judge me if I work against Isale kingdom".the monarch stated.
As part of his intervention to assist the government in the education sector, the late Asale donated an ultra modern adminstrative building to his alma mater, Yewa North Local Government School 1, Oja Odan.
The building houses a conference room, an ICT room and a visitors room.1
He revealed that the administrative block would go a long way in easing the administrative challenges of the school.
The monarch noted that an enabling academic environment makes it easy for the teaching staff to achieve their goals.
While maintaining that the gesture was part of his social responsibility to the community, Oba Olukunle said: "when we look at things in Nigeria today, we cannot just say government should do everything for us. In my own thinking, we have to join government to rebuild the country"
"The advice I can give other Obas is that they should not rely on the government to do certain basic things. Neither should they rely on the community to bring something to them. We shouldn't expect to be fed, but feed people too. We should also seize the initiative and do something for the people.
"Our efforts should complement that of the government. We should do things side-by-side so that the community will be better for it and be developing".
"I did the project because of my love for the people and I know history will remember me for the act.That's why I have decided to do something unforgetable for the school, so that my name would not be erased from the school's history", he wished.
Stressing the importance of farmig which he described as lucrative, Oba Olukunle disclosed that the building project was self financed through his extensive agricultural business which he is proud of.
*This interview was first published in 2018 to mark the 70th birthday of Oba Olukunle.