OBA OF ISHERI OLOFIN CLARIFIES HIS IDENTITY TITLES, REVEALS HIS HOBBIES AND CARRIER PEDIGREE

Story by Razaq A. Jimoh and Bankole Akinlaye

The Onisheri of Isheri Olofin Kingdom in Egbe-Idimu LCDA, Alimosho Local Government of Lagos State, has formally clarified the right order of his full title identity as he also revealed his academic and career pedigree before ascention to the throne of his forebears. He made this revelation when he received Civics Weekly team in audience at his palace yesterday.

He made the need to give details of his beaded title, given the observations of his guests about the manifest distortions being witnessed about it, which His Royal Majesty equally acknowledged to have noticed.

In names and stretch of his Crown title, the monarch said he should be known and addressed as “HRM Alaiyeluwa, Oba Dr. Ibrahim Olasunkanmi Lawal-Bello (COP), Oluwa the first, Olofin the 5th, Aremo Olofin Ogunfunmire, Ilufemiloba, Oba of Isheri Olofin Kingdom in Alimosho LGA in Lagos State”.

As Civics Weekly observed to His Royal Majesty, every contest for power -- be it politics or selection process for the throne like his own case -- is a politics. And in such a politics of contest, one common peculiarity is the tendency to demarket the opponent by way of flying around new crop of information about the opponents, which on the long run may be right or wrong. The Alaiyeluwa acknowledged that he had his own fare share of such experience. Accordingly and to put the record straight after the dusts have settled with his coronation, he went the whole hog to give his background from the teenage years.

He stated: “well, the first point is that I have lived all my early life even beyond my time of secondary education in this kingdom of Isheri Olofin. I started with my nursery education at Gateway Nursery and Primary School here in Isheri Olofin. Then I moved to LTB Primary School, Iyana Ipaja, before moving to Foldem Private College, Ikotun for my Junior Secondary School. Then I proceeded to St Francis Catholic Secondary School, also here in Isheri Olofin for my Senior Secondary School Certificate. Thereafter, I went to University of Lagos where I studied Chemical Engineering.

"From there, and in trades that combine my hobby and skills, I have been in private business, beginning in steps of my mother. My mum is a business entrepreneure and I think that helps me a lot on the part of my charting a career in private business.

"As I told you earlier that I am a football lover. I play football with good skill. I might not have been able to play professional football, but I think I found a career in that weight after I was able to pass my FIFA Licensing Agent. I also have my football club where I bring in players from the grassroots and get a coach to train them and expose them to opportunities in Europe. Some of our players are currently in Europe. So, I built a career in that.

"I also deal in procurement business -- sales and supply of building materials like cements and iron rods for construction site. That is what I do till now.

"In the line of passion and hobby, I should say I am also a teacher. I have flair for teaching. This prompted me to have a tutorial center where, even as the Founder and Director, I teach to prepare students for their exams. But as I said, this has more to do with passion and hobby.

"Outside all this and still on my chain of businesses, I also run a logistics company -- dealing in transportation of goods and providing services in like manner across the country. That is all I do".

Having laid this foundation of a clue to his business background, His Royal Majesty goes further to give his experience of malicious attacks.

"As you rightly asked earlier, yes, I had my fare share of the malicious attack of character assassination in course for this throne. It went to the extent of my opponents filling petitions to the EFCC (Economic and Financial Crime Commission) to investigate me. The DSS (Directorate of State Security) was set after me with petitions of manifest lies. And as if that were not enough because there was no any headway with them, they resorted to the political angle with false claims that I was a PDP member. They said I worked for the PDP during elections. I contested under PDP (People Democratic Party) and all manners of sort".

But how did he see all that, looking back today, the Aremo Olofin said the purity of "Royal Blood" has cleansed that.

"Today, I have no grudge to bear against that because I truly saw it as part of the game. Today, we see and acknowledge the Royal Blood that binds us together than the ignoble past that divided us. Today, we are happy together in pushing a new cause to collectively build our Kingdom. That is the unity driving Isheri Olofin community today.