Basking in the euphoria of the 10th anniversary of his coronation, the Olowu of Owu , Abeokuta, Ogun State, Oba Olusanya Adegboyega Dosunmu, has sensationally disclosed that he had succeeded in taming former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Oba Dosunmu is the ancestral monarch of the former president, who is the Balogun (prime minister) of the Owus in Abeokuta, where they settled in 1834.
The thirteenth Olowu in Abeokuta, Oba Dosunmu, from the Amororo Royal House suceeded Oba (Dr) Olawale Adisa Odeleye in July, 2005.
The monarch, who spoke during an interview with Saturday Sun, also admitted that he had succeeded in upsetting the system of governance in the kingdom.
It could be recalled that Oba Dosunmu’s selection in 2005, was characterised by controversies with many kingmakers being arrested by the police during the selection process.
His words: “I have as my Balogun, the longest serving president of Nigeria. My Balogun is not an easy going person. Everybody knows Obasanjo. Obasanjo, I mean you can't just take him on a ride.
“But permit me to use the word, I have also tamed Obasanjo. What I mean by 'tame' is..., here is a man who would say, ‘go’, and anybody in this country must obey. This is a man who would sit over the most turbulent cabinet meeting, which I don’t think I can cope with.
“He has coped with all that at the national level and at the international realm, and if Obasanjo sneezes, the whole world catches cold. And that is Obasanjo who has volunteered and condescended to be just Balogun to the Olowu in a lowly place like Owu or Abeokuta. Do you understand what I mean by he has been tamed?"
Oba Dosunmu, however, described his Balogun as, “a man with a large heart, a very large heart. A man who has ruled shall we say, the world and now he’s listening to one Olowu in one tiny part of the world."
“Well, we are not tiny, we are all over the places in this country.
“Here is that man saying, 'okay, Kabiyesi, we hear you but this is my own opinion', and someone else would say 'I don’t agree with you all, this is what I think'. And then another would say 'I don’t agree with you, this is what I mean'. You can say that is democratic if you like”.
While describing his tenure so far as memorable, he also declared that he had stepped on toes with some of his actions particularly with the appointments of coronet monarchs in his territory.
“I have upset the system of governance here in Owu. I think within two years, I promoted Baales to Obas, 18 of them. They are now about 20 or 24 in the district. That is a positive change but it’s also an embarrassment to some people.
He added: “I think, I embarrassed some people and if they are not assuaged or persuaded yet, I still apologise. I have given up absolutism, that is, 'the Olowu is speaking'; I have removed that."