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Olugbo of Ugboland, Oba Frederick Akinruntan, was the guest of the Oluwo of Iwo, Oba AbdulRosheed Akanbi at the 2017 edition of the annual Iwo Day celebrations. The event was held on Saturday in Iwo, Osun State.
At the event, Oba Akinruntan described the Oluwo as one of his favourite monarchs in Yorubaland.
Oba Akinruntan said the Oluwo symbolised the youthfulness and dynamism needed to upgrade the Yoruba traditional institution given the latter’s knowledge and exposure to different cultures during his sojourn in North America before he ascended the throne.
The Olugbo said, among Yoruba traditional rulers, he liked the Oluwo especially because of the knowledge usually displayed by the Iwo monarch as well as his exposure. Within two years that he became the Oluwo, Oba Akinruntan added, Oba Akanbi had given considerable progress to Iwo and brought recognition to the town.
The Olugbo described Oba Akanbi’s wealth of experience as an asset with which the Iwo monarch had been administering his town. He urged all Iwo indigenes to cooperate with Oba Akanbi on his mission to take the town to greater heights.
“He needs your support now more than before. There is no way we would not have reasons to disagree on issues, but there are also reasons to bury the hatchet and move forward. I am also appealing to traditional rulers within Iwo Kingdom to work together with Oluwo. I have since known this place as a peaceful domain. I want everybody to sustain the peaceful co-existence,” he said.
The Oluwo also expressed gratitude to the Olugbo for his presence at the occasion. He lauded Oba Akinruntan for disregarding the short notice of the event and making it to Iwo.
Oba Akanbi acknowledged the contributions of the Olugbo to knowledge in his sustained efforts to investigate the past with a view to setting the record straight for posterity and generations yet unborn.
He informed te gathering that he was attracted to the Olugbo by his outspokenness on issues bordering on history and cultural evolution of the Yoruba. In his words, the Ondo State monarch was a blessed man and a philanthropist who had been using his wealth to empower the downtrodden even beyond his kingdom.
“I think we share the same worldview on public administration. Traditional rulers must always lead in mass-oriented policies, after which support may come from the indigenes and friends. We are not on the throne to amass wealth but to distribute same to our people so that they also live meaningful lives and have a better future. I also thank other traditional rulers present for their consistency and support from time to time,” he said.
Eminent personalities who attended the Iwo Day included politicians, captains of industry, academics and religious leaders. The Hausa and Igbo communities were also represented. Various business associations in the town also added colour to the event, each group attired in unique uniforms.
