A lawmaker representing Iseyin/Itesiwaju/Kajola/Iwajowa federal constituency at the lower chamber of the National Assembly and the Ayedero of Yorubaland, Honourable Shina Peller, has described the passing of a revered Yoruba traditional ruler, His Imperial Majesty, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III, the Alaafin of Oyo, as a sacrificial exit for the entire Yorubaland and Nigeria at large.
Honourable Peller stated this in his tribute to the late Alaafin of Oyo, where he described him as a father, motivator and youth-driven monarch who would always encourage the youth to rise up to the challenge of taking the lead in the rebuilding process of Nigeria.
The federal lawmaker, who expressed his heartfelt condolences to the entire people of Yorubaland and Nigeria at large, recalled his relationship with the late monarch stating that he grew up knowing the Alaafin as his father and a close ally of his biological father, the late Professor Moshoood Abiola Peller.
In the same vein, the Ayedero of Yorubaland revealed that it was the late monarch that advised him in 2018 to join politics and vie for an elective position even when he had no intention. He added that the late Oba Lamidi challenged him again in 2020 to take up the task of promoting peace and prosperity in the land, hence the conferment of chieftaincy title of Ayedero of Yorubaland on him by the Alaafin of Oyo.
His statement read:
“It was with a heavy heart that I received the news of the passing of our revered monarch, His Imperial Majesty, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III, the Alaafin of Oyo. His exit is so painful. However, it is God’s promise that every soul must have a taste of death, and we take solace in the fact that our royal father lived a fulfilled life.
“I was very close to the Alaafin, and my relationship with him could be described in different ways. He was like a father to me because I grew up knowing him as one. He was a very close ally of my late father, Professor Peller; they were very good friends.
“Also, the late Oba Lamidi, a youth-driven monarch, was a great motivator to me. He would always tell me about the need for the youth to rise up to the challenge of rebuilding Nigeria. It was on this note that he advised that I joined the political race in 2018, even when I had no intention. I remember vividly how he prayed for me that my people would vote for me as their representative at the lower chamber. And behold, it happened.
“Moreover, sometimes in 2020, the royal father called to inform me of his decision to confer on me the traditional chieftaincy title of Ayedero of Yorubaland, the promoter of peace and prosperity in the land. He explained that our society was witnessing a very critical and challenging period citing the COVID-19 pandemic and insecurity as instances. He added that there was need for me to take up the challenge of promoting peace in the land, adding that my youthfulness, influence, experience and exposure informed his decision.
“So, Alaafin’s exit remains a great loss not just to the entire Yorubaland and Nigeria, but to me personally as his son. He believed so much in me, and I will miss him. I pray that God overlooks his shortcomings, and may his soul find peace with God both in the grave and on the day of Judgement. I also pray that God consoles his immediate family, loved ones, close relatives and associates that he has left behind. My father, the Alaafin, has made a sacrificial exit for us all, and may peace reign in our land even after his demise. Amen.”
