Oba Adedotun Gbadebo III, the Alake of Egbaland, will be 80 years old on September 14, 2023. He shares his experience and thoughts on national issues with news correspondents. Reminiscing on the time past, he wondered where all the years have gone. He said that he felt as if the days when he was in primary school, secondary school and university were not that far behind. He said he would count every day as the last and do something because he may not have that opportunity again.
His domain, which is the city of Abeokuta and the capital of Ogun State, hosts educational, health and other government institutions, including the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta. He said there are many others, such as the Federal Medical Centre which is as big and well-established as any teaching hospital but does not produce any medical doctor because it is not a teaching hospital. He mentioned the Teachers’ College or College of Education, which he said has done very well for the people of the state and has produced high-calibre, top civil servants, top professionals in engineering, agriculture and recently, economists.
Insecurity is everyone’s concern in the country.
On the issue of insecurity in the country, which is a national one, the traditional ruler said that while the government may be working on it, it is the business of everyone. Thus, Nigerians must work hand in gloves with the security agencies to achieve the peace that they all want. He said that Nigerians must report any strange movements and anything that will later turn out to be dangerous to the lives of the people. He emphasized that nobody brings money into a country where there is insecurity and no investment can ever come here if the investors cannot visit their establishment and see what has been done. He enjoined everyone to make it the business of everybody to work with the government and security agencies to make Nigeria a safer place.
Furthermore, he cited the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), which did its job and did a successful one during its time. As he said, when people hear about the OPC, they become scared because they do not know the source of its power. “The power is still in our hands,” he said, adding that when he talks to people, he tells them to go check what “our fathers” used to show their might in those days and used to ensure peace in town.
Adire from China threatens the industry in Nigeria.
During his 16th anniversary on the throne, the ruler was excited about the Adire industry in Ogun State. When asked if he still had the same feeling, he said that there are cheaper options from China now threatening the industry. He said that two days before the interview, the traders and the designers had come to his palace in large numbers and he had asked them to go back and do their homework. “Let them tell us where the Chinese Adire came from,” he had told them. He said that somebody had said that a company in Lagos was producing them. Others said that they were smuggled in from Cotonou.
And the Alake said that they would get the Customs to come and raid all the markets and take all the Adire from China and discourage people from buying the cheap and colourful Adire if they were smuggled in. Commenting on the quality of the cheaper Adire, he said that there is not much cotton in it, so it makes people uncomfortable when they wear them. He said the company got the color right, but people must find out where it was made.
Manufacturers must favor local Adire makers to outshine alternatives.
According to him, if they were manufactured in Nigeria, then the company has to employ Nigerians and local Adire makers will have to go and improve their designs so that they can keep on outshining the Chinese Adire. However, if the materials were smuggled into Nigeria, the law has to deal with them appropriately. The traditional ruler also commented on how the growing hunger due to the removal of fuel subsidies can be addressed, how cultism can be curbed, and the recent military coups in a number of African countries.
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