A lot happened behind the scene before a new Soun of Ogbomoso was crowned. BAYO AGBOOLA reports on what transpired.
The ancient town of Ogbomosho in Oyo state was agog on Thursday with the coronation of the new Soun of Ogbomosho, Oba Afolabi Ghandi Olaoye as the new Soun of Ogbomosholand.
The new Soun Pastor Afolabi Ghandi Olaoye, a pastor in the Redeemed Christian Church of God, (Jesus House) Washington DC is one of the biggest branches in America and it has earned its respect in that part of the world.
As a pastor, Oba Olaoye stands out as a visionary, motivational speaker, entrepreneur and fondly called ‘Pastor G’. He is also known for his servant-heart and leadership skills.
Pastor Ghandi was born and raised in Nigeria. He holds a Bachelors Degree in English Language and a Masters on Industrial and Labor Relations. He was a successful entrepreneur before the call of God came upon his life to become a pastor.
He has been pastoring since 1992 where he pastored three RCCG churches in Nigeria, Bonn, Germany before moving to the United States.
Pastor Ghandi is passionate about helping others develop to their fullest potentials. His experiences in traveling and speaking internationally has helped to shape his commitment to showcasing a ministry where people of all racial and ethnic groups worship God in a loving and caring atmosphere. He is currently the coordinator in charge of Convention and Special Projects for RCCG, North America.
He is happily married to Pastor Omo who also played a key role in running the affair of the church. His wife, Pastor Omo is the founder and Pastor in charge of the Jesus Women Ministries, a women’s ministry that addresses pertinent women issues from birth to old age, with a view to positively affecting these areas in line with the Word of God.
When the journey began
His journey to the throne of his forefathers started on September 2 when Governor Seyi Makinde approved the appointment of Prince Afolabi Ghandi Olaoye as the new Soun-elect of Ogbomosoland via the Oyo state Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Hon Olusegun Olayiwola in a statement, saying the announcement followed the long-drawn processes specified under the law. It said, “His Excellency congratulates the new Soun-elect on his ascension to the throne of his forebears,”
Emphasizing that the exalted position has placed the monarch-elect in the position to facilitate harmony, understanding and tolerance amongst his people, the commissioner urged all sons and daughters of the ancient city of Ogbomoso to work with the monarch to consolidate the successes of his forefathers.
To that extent, on September 8, kingmakers in Ogbomosho led by the Areago of Ogbomosho, High Chief Sobalaje Otolorin early that day installed Prince Afolabi Ghandi Olaoye as the new Soun of Ogbomosho at Abata.
However on Thursday, September 14, the coronation ceremony was held in Ogbomosho palace amidst large turnout of sons and daughters of Ogbomosoland who thronged the palace to witness the historic ceremony. The new Soun extended olive branch to other contestants to the throne and as well emphasised that his reign will usher in steady progress and advancement of Ogbomosholand.
A royal appeal
Addressing the people of Ogbomosho and guests at the palace after the Iwuye ceremony marking his official assumption of office as Soun, he said, “Today, Light has come upon Ogbomosho. This does not mean there wasn’t light before but it’s a new light in Ogbomoso. Ogbomoso is a big town; all indigenes of Ogbomoso home and abroad will be glad to be indigenes of Ogbomoso. There will be new developments in Ogbomoso. Ogbomoso will be different from other towns in terms of development, peace. Everyday, we’ll see God’s compassion. It is a new day in Ogbomoso land. A new light is here. You all know what we went through before this day happened.
“To those still aggrieved, let us join hands for the progress of Ogbomoso. This is God’s doing, let’s work together to achieve great strides for Ogbomoso. We cannot say we love this town and allow crisis. We will make Ogbomoso better. God has sent me to do great things, to bring about development of Ogbomoso. I’m not here as king to simply dominate, acquire wealth, make names. I’m here to take Ogbomoso to enviable heights, heights that our forefathers envisaged that makes Ogbomoso stand out in Yoruba land such that Ogbomoso indigenes will be cherished anywhere they are seen. The work to develop Ogbomoso has started. You will see the difference. We do not think, you’ll see the difference. Many companies are coming to Ogbomoso. Jobs will be plenty such that no more will we have Ogbomoso indigenes search for jobs. I do not talk too much, you’ll see action by God’s grace. The work has started, let’s join hands for development of Ogbomoso land.”
A candid advice
A prominent community leader in Ogbomoso, Dr Saka Balogun while speaking on the expectations from the new Soun said, “The first thing the monarch should do is to effect reconciliation and he is pivotal to that. Without his body language and express language for peace, that area will remain turbulent for quite some time. There has been challenges here and there but because I believe he is the choice by God, that is why he has been able to overcome all the challenges and I believe he will overcome whatever remains of the challenges.
“We expect the king to give us an inkling of his mandate and his programme. Some will say it is very easy, others will say the process of getting a new king is very difficult even impossible because there were so many aspirants then reduced to a candidate; then the candidate has to go through the mill to get approval from the governor. Traditional process then began with the camping to get him properly briefed about what he is expected to do as a king. The Iwuye ceremony is the traditional confirmation that we have a king indeed. I will say I will be one of his advisers. The first step to take is to effect very amicable reconciliation with his immediate past contestants because it was not easy to get him acceptable as a candidate,” he said.
Balogun added that, “It flowed that some of the contestants sent petitions, went to court. So, I think the first thing to do is to effect reconciliation and he is pivotal to that. Without his body language and express language for peace, that area will remain turbulent for quite some time. There has been challenges here and there but because I believe he is the choice by God, that is why he has been able to overcome all the challenges and I believe he will overcome whatever remains of the challenges. I also believe that one of the ways to overcome the challenges is reconciliation and there are quite a good number of us, men of goodwill, who will assist him to get that done.
“If the man of God believes that he is coming to lead his people and believes that not all his people are Christians, he will use a different approach to handle the community which is multi-religious, different from what he used to do to shepherd his church. He must be open-minded; must be aware that if God had wanted everyone to follow the same religion, God was capable of doing it. It’s in the Qu’ran that if God wanted everybody to be a Muslim, God had the power to do it. He wanted diversity, for progress, for understanding; that is why we have so many religions. Both Christian, Muslim, traditional worshippers are from the same stock. So, we are all creation of God. The Oba must have an open mind and must be very familiar with the historical processes.
If you count, there have been more Soun that have toed the line of traditional religion; a few others have been Muslims and very few, in fact only one, late Oba Emmanuel Olajide Olayode, 1966-1969 was a Christian. The new Oba is aware of all these and the major challenge in terms of religious diversity can be properly faced and solved by being open minded. Nobody will ask him not to be a Christian. We are not asking him to come to the mosque. But he must be open to all: Christians, Muslims, traditional worshippers. He must be aware and ready to understand the practices of these others and to give them the traditional support to carry on.
President Ogbomosho First Group, Mr Olusegun Adekunle on his part said, “Having a leader enthroned by God is a great thing and we believe we are stepping in the right direction. We have to help him with an agenda for development, peaceful coexistence, unity, economic progress in Oyo state and Nigeria at large. He has to rule with the fear of God, ask for the wisdom of God and ensure he dispenses justice to all and sundry.”
With the installation and coronation of Oba Afolabi Ghandi Olaoye as the new Soun of Ogbomosho, one of the major towns in Oyo state, Yoruba land and Nigeria in general, there is no doubt that the new Soun will use his influence, position and exposure to move Ogbomosoland to the next level in peace and stability.
