My Kingship was Divine -Oba Olajide Okunato
The crown and the throne might come with great luxury, however, they signify more. As they signify service and responsibility, better still, a divine calling for men to act as demi-gods on the surface of the earth to positively transform the lives of their subjects.
This is the case of HRM Oba Olajide David Okunato, the Iresi of Osi Kingdom, who, to the glory of God and the delight of his people, will be formally presented the staff of office and coronated by the Ondo State Governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN.
No doubt, this long awaited development comes as the fulfilment of the dreams of the many sons and daughters of the Osi Kingdom who have longed for this, it also validates the many courageous strides and efforts of HRM Oba Olajide David Okunato, who has continued to push for the recognition of Osi Kingdom at the state level which has been formally actualized.
Osi is an ancient town in Ondo State, Nigeria and also a sister-town to Ise-Ekiti in Ekiti State. The people are mostly agrarian but have a significant number of hunters, artisans, traders and other professionals.
Osi is about 16km (10 Miles) away from Akure, the Capital of Ondo State, Nigeria and had boundaries with Oba-Ile, Igoba, Isinigbo and Itaogbolu in Akure North Local Government, Ondo State. Osi Town can be accessed from two major access roads from Owo/Ibadan highway and Ado/Ikere Express Way.
The Oba (King) at Osi, who was referred to as the Iresi of Osi, was the head of the town and supreme overlord of his people.
The Kingdom is also famous for the Opa/Umoroko festivals and Iwemo/Egungun (masquerade) festivals.
In an interview with newsmen, HRM Oba Olajide David Okunato, believes that his kingship was never planned, not sought for, it was one which he was opportuned to have.
In his words, “Everything is by the grace of God in my life, I never planned for this, I am an Engineer, and I travel from one place to another. God has a plan for everyone’s life and I believe that this is part of God’s plan for my life. I am happy that since the start of my reign, a lot of good things have started to happen in Osi”.
Even as he celebrates his coronation, he recounts what the journey has been over the last few years, how the town has grown from a community, which many of its sons and daughters had preferred to run away from, to a kingdom where they are now willing to come home to and invest their time and resources to facilitate its growth.
His high hopes and aspiration for the kingdom remains unmatched and he hopes to use more of his resources to push for the holistic transformation of the kingdom to herald more prosperity for his people.
To him, nothing else is more important than serving his people, and this is why he holds that, given the divine orchestration of his calling as a King, the seen and unseen forces are pushing him to positively change the narratives for the better in Osi.
The Engineer turned King, does not believe that his profession as an Engineer will be affected by his Kingship. According to him, he has found a way to use his profession as an Engineer not only for his personal benefits but also for the good of his people.
