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I’ll seek peaceful co-existence among my people as Lapo Ekun –Tunde Odulaja

As Tunde Odulaja prepares for his installation as Lapo Ekun in the Ijebu-Ode area of Ogun State, he conveys a message of hope and progress for the community. Odulaja, a native of Ijasi, stated that Ijebu’s cultural heritage is rich and fills him with a deep sense of responsibility. He reaffirmed his commitment to tirelessly work for the advancement of Ijebu-Ode as a whole, stating that the title of Lapo Ekun serves as both a reminder of the enduring legacy of his ancestors and a call to contribute meaningfully to the welfare of the people. He shared these views in an interview with OLADIPUPO AWOJOBI. Excerpts:

Could you tell us a little about your educational and family background?
I was born in the United Kingdom in 1966 to Mr Olaniran Adeyemi Odulaja and Mrs Modupe Arinola Odulaja, nee Temowo of Oke Agbo Ijebu Igbo, Ogun State. I started my education in Abeokuta, Ogun State at the St Benadettes Private School, Abeokuta in 1970 and had to be transferred to Estate Nursery School in Ilupeju, Lagos. After the demise of my mother in 1972, I attended Odogbolu Grammar School, Odogbolu, the Federal School of Arts and Science, Sokoto for a levels and Leeds University, United Kingdom. My grandfather was the Ogbeni Emmanuel Adesola Odulaja, the Akowe Elebede of Ijasi Quarters, Ijebu Ode, a foremost administrative officer of the then colonial government. My father, Olaniran was the last child.

What is your vision for the future of the community, and how do you plan to achieve it?
My vision for Ijasi/Ijebu Ode community is to see Ijebus being vibrant in their commercial ventures, to see more Ijebu men educate their children, especially the girl child, and ensure that farming should again be our focus, while artisanship and skills acquisition should be our focus for the younger generation. I want to see a more vibrant Ijebu Ode, where prosperity, development and progress will be our new song. We would continue to thrive as a community.

How do you intend to uphold and promote the traditions and culture of your people?
Tradition without history does not hold water; we need to first document a lot of our traditional values. As we are fast losing grip of what these traditions are; under the leadership of our revered Awujale of Ijebuland, Kabiyesi Oba (Dr) Sikiru Kayode Adetona, CFR, GCON, a museum has been created to curate some of these traditional values and history, but we need to be fast about this as time waits for no one. In terms of culture, the Ijebus are always on point, we are proud of our dress culture, our food culture, our working culture, our administrative culture and ‘isese.’ We the Ijebus are secular by nature; we have Muslims, Christians and traditionalists and we all co-habit in peace. We would continue to strive for peaceful co-existence amongst our people to bring meaningful development to us, the Ijebus.

Could you tell us the key challenges facing your people today, and the strategies you plan to implement to address them?
Like every Nigerian, our people are not exempted, there is hunger in the land and a lot of impoverishment, but what we would do differently is to encourage our people to work harder to bring back prosperity to the land, a working population is a happy community. The advocacy will be on hardwork and prosperity. We would also encourage individuals; teach our sons and daughters, by way of CSR, how to fish. We will take them back to basics through orientation, handwork and prosperity.

So, how do you plan to engage with other traditional leaders and government officials to benefit your people?
There is an existing platform to engage other traditional leaders. The structure is so much intact that it’s an envy of the traditional councils of other areas. One will continue to foster commendable relationships, contribute one’s ideas on development and go extra mile to ensure that the decisions we make are impacted on our people and their socio-economic status.

We would like you to know your philosophy on leadership, and how do you actually intend to lead the people?
A good leader is a good listener, a good leader must have a good vision to inspire others to follow it, a good leader must be honest, with a strong sense of moral responsibility, a good leader must communicate effectively and he or she must have the ability to articulate ideas clearly and foster open dialogues. Also, a good leader must be inspirational, humble, resilient, accountable and decisive. All of these are what I’m bringing to the table to foster peace and development of my people and to ensure that their voices are heard as a people.

What message would you like to send to the people as you prepare for your installation as Lapo Ekun?
My message is a beacon of hope as this prestigious title of Lapo Ekun is being bestowed on me. Our culture and heritage is a rich one and this fills me with a profound responsibility to uphold the tradition and values that define us as Ijebus. I am so committed to working tirelessly for the betterment of Ijebu Ode as a whole. This title is a reminder of the enduring legacy of our ancestors and a call to contribute meaningfully for the betterment of our people. I pledge to honour the trust with humility, dedication and unwavering loyalty to the ijebu Ode Kingdom. Together, let us build a community that thrives in harmony, strength and prosperity.

How can the people of the community best support you in your role as their new Lapo Ekun?
As a son of Ijasi and as their Lapo Ekun, the support required will be on cultural preservation, community involvement, unity and collaboration, respect for tradition, loyalty and trust. I will also ensure active participation and willingness to contribute to the shared vision, respect for authority, respect for the stool of the Awujale and the traditional leadership structure, and a constructive feedback on shared ideas for continuous improvement and problem solving. We would all strive to work as a unifying force, promote prosperity, tradition and progress of our people at Ijasi and Ijebu Ode as a whole.

How well do you enjoy the support of the Awujale, Olisa, Egbo and other key leaders of the Traditional Council?
The Awujale is my father and I am loyal to him 100%. I respect traditional protocols, I participate in ceremonies, I maintain an open communication with Kabiyesi and all other Chiefs, I show appreciation and gratitude for all their gestures. We also collaborate on initiatives; I am the Secretary General of the Ijebu Renaissance Group and the protem Secretary of Ijebu Development Agenda as my way of giving back and appreciating my community.

How do you feel being chosen as the Lapo Ekun and could you take us through the process of your selection or election?
I feel so elated that Kabiyesi Alayeluwa, the Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba (Dr) Sikiru Adetona, Ogbagba ll, has recognised me as the next Lapo Ekun of Ijebu Ode. It’s a title exclusively reserved for indigenes of Ijasi. I thank God that I have been chosen to represent my people, the good people of Ijasi, Ijebu Ode.

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