The Making of Aare Bobagunwa of Offa Kingdom

History was made recently in the ancient town of Offa, the second largest city and perhaps the most cosmopolitan in Kwara State, when Oba Mufutau Muhammed Gbadamosi conferred the title of Aare Bobagunwa of Offa Kingdom on an illustrious son of the soil and former Managing Director of Bank of Industry, Dr. Waheed Olagunju.As captured by Raheem Akingbolu, the three-day event was full of lessons, glitz and expectations

It was not the first time an Offa man or woman would be honoured at home. It was also not the first time Offa would attract prominent Nigerians from far and near to their ancient city. And of course, it was not the first time the Juju Maestro, King Sunny Ade, would perform in Offa.

But, it was the first time a traditional chieftaincy ceremony would be intellectualised in South-west Nigeria as stated by Professor Adebayo Ninalowo, a renowned development and political sociologist, one of the discussants at the Pre-investiture that was delivered by erudite legal luminary Professor Akin Oyebode on Thursday, May 26, 2022. 

The conferment of Aare Bobagunwa of Offa and Yeye Aare Bobagunwa of Offa on Dr. Waheed Olagunju and his wife, Hajia Mobolaji Olagunjurespectively, on Saturday, May 28, 2022 was also one of the rare occasions, when a Nigerian President, his vice and those that matter in the corridor of power in Kwara State, including the state governor, Abdulrahman AbdulRazaq and his deputy, Mr Kayode Alabi, would unite in honour of an Offa man.

 It is also important to add that the colourful ceremony brought to the fore the age-long harmony between the Christians and Muslims of the town, which has repeatedly been cited as one of the basis for its rapid development.

The well-attended ceremony, which had popular juju maestro, King Sunny Ade, on bandstand to entertain guests also attracted goodwill messages from many prominent Nigerians, including President Muhammadu Buhari, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Governor Abdurahman Abdulrazaq of Kwara and his deputy Mr Koyode Alabi as well as  a former Minister of Industry  Trade and Investment, Dr. Olusegun Aganga.

Dr. Olagunju, a former television broadcaster with the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) is a member of Offa Club 80 and Offa Metropolitan Club and was a key figure in the socio-cultural group’s social and infrastructural interventions in Offa including the construction of a township library and an Ultra Modern Medical Centre among others.

He is the Chairman of the Offa Descendants Union’s (ODU) Economic Development Committee, a group that puts in place a technology innovation hub in the town with the view to training 60,000 students/participants from primary, secondary and tertiary institutions in Kwara State.

In his congratulatory message, which was publicly presented at the event by veteran broadcaster, Ms. Siene Allwell-Brown,  President Muhammadu Buhari, noted  the upwardly mobile career of the former Acting Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Bank of Industry (BOI), Dr. Waheed Abiodun Olagunju, spanning over 29 years, where he served diligently and held so many positions and distinguished himself in selflessness, sacrifice and, most significantly, promoting values of diversity, unity and charity in working for the improvement of Small, Medium Scale Enterprises, which serve as live-wire of economies.

In the statement, which was signed by his Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, Buhari also congratulated Dr. Olagunju’s wife on her investiture as “Yeye Aare Bobagunwa of Offa Kingdom,” rejoicing with the family on the double honour.

Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, lauded the contribution of the new Aare Bobagunwa of Offa Kingdom, to national development.

Speaking during the investiture of Olagunju in Offa, AbdulRazaq stated that, “By all accounts, Dr. Waheed Olagunju stands out as one of Nigeria’s role models worthy of emulation by the up-and-coming generation.

“He is well educated with an enriching service career in the Bank of Industry. Until his retirement as MD/CEO of Bank of Industry, he has facilitated employment and access to BOI facilities to develop so many entrepreneurs across the nation, for Kwarans and Offa people in particular.

“And a world-class sportscaster with national and international exposure. Until his retirement in BOI with rich exposure in meetings of IMF and World Bank with international exposure during his service, no doubt, he had served in different capacities.”

Waxing philosophically, Dr. Aganga, justified the conferment of the title on Olagunju on the basis of his passion to impact humanity. “I think when you talk about honour and awards, you have to look at the award and chieftaincy title from two angles. You have to look at first from the point of the giver and then the receiver. Any value, any honour, any chieftaincy title is only as valuable as the reputation and integrity of the giver, in this case, the Offa Kingdom and in fact, His Royal Majesty, Oba Mufutau Gbadamosi Esuwoye.

“When you look at Offa itself, the Offa kingdom has a major role to play in Yoruba history. The Offa kingdom has produced so many illustrious sons and daughters for this nation and when you see what they are doing, you will be impressed. 

“His Royal Majesty has a 10- year vision for the social economic transformation of Offa Kingdom and they do have a 10-year economic development plan to transform Offa, economically, and socially. When you get your honor, award and chieftaincy title from such an authority, you must regard it and respect it.

“Then look at it from the point of view of the receiver and in this particular case, Dr. Waheed Olagunju, and his wife Hajia Mobolaji Olagunju. I am privileged to know Waheed for a number of years now. He worked closely with me as the Minister of Finance and he worked directly with me when I was in the Ministry of Industry Trade and Investment.

” In fact, it was during my tenure that he became an executive director at BOI and also became an acting CEO of BOI for the first time. Throughout that period, I found him to be a remarkable, unique, talented and hardworking human being.

“I benefitted from him being a member of that team. The Olofa of Offa will benefit from making him the Aare Bobagunwa of Offa and Offa people will benefit also. I can’t think of anybody more worthy of that Chieftaincy title,” the former minister stated.

Another illustrious son of Kwara, who is also the Head of Business Development at BUA Group, Mr. Tajudeen Ahmed, described Olagunju as a global citizen, who deserves nothing but the best. “Dr. Olagunju is our good brother and an illustrious son of our Kwara State. Beyond Offa and Kwara, I think he has impacted humanity and contributed meaningfully to Nigeria. That people turned out to celebrate him today is evidence of his good personality, character and accomplishment.

Intellectual Excursion into the ‘Offa Titun’

As a man of class, who has consistently contributed to the development of the modern Offa, Olagunju broke a significant record by commencing the investiture on Thursday, May 26, with a lecture by one of the country’s most cerebral Professor of Law, Akin Oyebode, which centred on the theme ‘Mobilising Popular Participation for the Emergence of Offa Titun’.

In a communiqué issued after the lecture, it was stated that the lecture was organised to engender passion and commitment to tackling new experiences and the challenges of the present realities. 

From the totality of the lecture by Professor Akin Oyebode, (MON), the remarks by the Special Adviser to the President on Finance and the Economy, Dr. Sarah Omotunde Alade, and the discussion of the lecture by the following erudite scholars: Professor Adebayo Ninalowo, Professor Abiodun Abinuthe Vice Chancellor of Summit University Offa, Professor Gafar Ijaiya of the University of Ilorin and Dr. Biodun Adedipe a renowned economist, the lecture indeed provided the platform for re-examining and reigniting the bold commitment to grow Offa into an edifice of global significance.

The new inductees into the honourary royalhood have enriched the ceremony with an intellectual fervour and therefore the occasion was unprecedented within Nigeria’s chieftaincy ceremonies. 

The import of the lecture therefore is that Offa sons and daughters, especially the present and upcoming generations deserve a hometown that supports their dream and position them at a clear advantage within the larger peer-to-peer competition.

According to the communiqué, which was signed by the rapporteur, Gbolahan Balogun, “Offa is poised to fly and destined to go places in terms of human resources she is endowed with. 

Although government efforts cannot be underestimated, Offa deserves a more ambitious push to drive and expand every facet of its present attainment, and there is therefore every reason to be committed to a self-led growth and close the developmental gap within Offa. 

The passion within the minds of sons and daughters of Offa to develop the community has really transformed into concrete actions as footprints of community-led development abound across the town.”

It was also established that Olofa of Offa is strategically mobilising the community’s social capital for popular participation in a way that the envisaged new Offa would be a reality.

 The event markedly signified a build-up to special recognition of outstanding individual contribution towards Offa titun. It also recognised that Dr. Olagunju’s effort was a symbolic pivot to the growth of Offa and her common heritage. And the medal was finally awarded to him to goad others to action.

Another take-home lesson from the lecture is that that the youth of the community have a lot to learn from the accomplishments of the celebrant and that the idea of a New Offa (Offa Titun) sprang from Kabiyesi’s efforts at uniting the community in a renewed effort that will take the community into a new height.

To this end, it was recommended that participants agree that Offa sons and daughters must race to build the town and her common heritage into a regional symbol of human capital. 

 It was also observed that though Offa sons and daughters are spread across all professions, there is need to galvanise every one into action through the collective value of all social networks

In line with the current global trend, it was also recommended that the concept of the new Offa (Offa Titun) must be defined within the present reality of universal concept of development-knowledge economy, digital education, ICT skills, building global citizens, history, heritage and storytelling skills and clear and renewable energy, among others. 

Here, Offa sons and daughters were charged to heed the new call to serve humanity through the window of Offa town.  It was recommended that there should be a renewed aggregation of the community commonwealth in their varying forms including, money, expertise, experience and network to take on the new and next phase of Offa’s development

Above all, the discussants unanimously agreed that transformation to an Offa of the indigenes’ dream would be easily realizable, if the planning follows the stages of identifying the stakeholders within the community; clarifying the roles different members of the community must play; letting them know that they would benefit from the transformation and; letting people see that the transformation is already happening.

Enter the New Aare Bobagunwa and Yeye Are

As early as 10.15am on Saturday, the Olofa’s  Palace had wore a new look with prominent Nigerians trooping in to catch the glimpse of the new inductees and be part of what would for years remain an historical moment.

The arrival of Olofa, Oba Mufutau Gbadamosi Ajagungbade I Esuwoye II and other prominent kings from  Kwara and neighbouring States, evoked strong feelings about the rich culture of the Yorubas. From the talking drums and acrobatic displays of the locals to the traditional songs that spoke to the origin and history of Offa. 

Few minutes after he took his seat with his beautiful Olori and many Creme de la Crème in government, corporate environment, banking and broadcast industries and the academics, Oba Gbadamosi beckoned on the palace staffers and drummers to usher in the new Olofa.

Seated magnificently with his wife on specially decorated chairs in the Palace, the monarch invited one of his senior chiefs, the Ojomu of Offa Kingdom, High Chief Bayo Akinola, to address the eminent gathering on why Olagunju was being honoured.

A tall and elegant man in his full traditional regalia, Akinola, who is also the Baba-Ijo of the Anglican Church in the town, marveled the crowd with his erudition and knowledge of the traditional institution as he told the dignitaries why the community settled for Olagunju and his amiable wife as the Aare Bobagunwa and Yeye Aare Bobagunwa of Offa respectively.

He said, “Our Kabiyesi, Oba Gbadamosi Esuwoye is a well-travelled man who is daily working to advance the development of Offa. After returning from one of his trips a few months ago, Kabiyesi invited the Chiefs and shared his experience about his meeting with one of our illustrious sons, Dr. Olagunju and he considered him worthy of a honourary chieftaincy title.  In his magnanimity and democratic manner, he threw it to us to think of a befitting title and we settled for no other title, but Aare Bobagunwa for obvious reasons. Over the years, Olagunju has used his experience and influence to develop Offa and assist Offa children. 

He belongs to many social and development focused associations in the town, including Metropolitan Club that Just recently donated to the community an Ultra Modern Medical Centre worth N350 million.”

The High Chief further stated that by general rules in Yoruba land, chieftaincy titles are conferred only on illustrious men and women, who have distinguished themselves in one way or the other. He pointed out that Olagunju was being recognised as a result of his humanitariandispositions and involvement in other commendable and developmental projects and activities.

At the post investiture colourful carnival like reception the guests got more than they bargained for with King Sunny Ade’s superlative six-hour non stop performance that was turned into a world class concert as the guests became spectators as KSA displayed exhilarating dance steps. The thrilling performance earned the commendation of former Industry Trade and Investment Minister, Dr Olusegun Aganga who went up stage along with the Olagunjus to appreciate the 75 year old maestro.       

Considering the position of Olofa and Chief Akinola, it was easy to conclude that by recognising the abiding social capital; the bonding and commitment to mutual obligations that have all combined to define Offa as a self-made community and, one that is ever inclined to growth, the new Aare Bobagunwa and Yeye Aare Bobagunwa of Offa have decided to use the occasion of their investitures to provide a platform that would redefine and take a fresh look at community participation in development programmes for the envisaged new Offa.

For the 63-year-old Waheed Olagunju, who was nicknamed “World Wide Waheed -WWW”!!! as a result of his exposure and wide travels in the course of his four decade twin tracked career in broadcasting and banking, his being honoured at home can be said to be a reward for hard work and service to the Nigeria, Kwara State, Offa Community and humanity.

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“By all accounts, Dr. Waheed Olagunju stands out as one of Nigeria’s role models worthy of emulation by the up-and-coming generation”