A Tribute to the Late Awujale and Paramount Ruler of Ijebuland

By D. O. S. Noibi

May Allah grant His Majesty, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona, a pleasant welcome, a blissful rest in his Barzakh, and entry into Jannatul Firdaws. May Allah overlook his human shortcomings and reward him richly for his unflinching loyalty to Islam and his extraordinary courage.

These were qualities that he demonstrated so impressively both in practical life and in death; he demonstrated them even in death by ensuring while alive that he was given a proper Islsmic burial whenever he died.

May he be richly recompensed on behalf of the entire Ummah for effectively destroying the myth that you cannot be a traditional ruler in Yorubaland and yet remain a faithful Muslim upholding your commitment to a pledge that you make to Allah not less than 17 times every day. What is that pledge? It is the pledge that you make in the course of your Solaat: “Iyyaaka na’budu, wa iyyaaka nasta’een* (You (Allah) ALONE we worship, and to You ALONE we turn for help) Qur’an 1:5.

Oba Adetona truly deserves such prayers from us even after his demise.

As one of his subjects (like numerous other sons and daughters of Ijebuland), but especially as the pioneer Executive Secretary of the Muslim Ummah of South West Nigeria (MUSWEN) who often visited him, I had the previledge of listening to his comments about those unholy traditional beliefs and practices relating to kingship in Yorubaland, and how he disallowed them in his palace.

By the way, His Majesty was the President-General of the Ogun State Muslim Council, which is the Ogun State chapter of MUSWEN.

In the course of some of my courtesy visits to the palace, I also had the privilege of learning about the origins of the law that traditional rulers in the state shall be buried according to the teachings of their respective religion when they die.

Other Muslim traditional rulers in Yorubaland are hereby advised to follow the example of Oba Adetona. It is never too late. Sincere repentance followed by deeds of piety obliterates a past sin; this is an assurance coming from Prophet Muhammad (S).

Those who, for worldly reasons, continue to indulge in ascribing to created beings the powers that belong ONLY to Allah will have themselves to blame before Allah on Judgement Day. In fact, the very earthly forces to which they ascribed divinity in the life of this world will, on that Great Day, claim innocence, forsake them and even be against them (Qur’an 19:82). Let them be rest assured that no power can harm them if they remain reliant absolutely and exclusively on Allah. He (SWT) assures the believers, ” … Fear them not but fear Me if truly you are believers (Qur’an 3:173 – 175).

As for those who have threatened the Ijebu cummunity and those who carried out the Oba’s burial with retributions, the response is simple: no one cares about their threats. Why did they issue the warnings so late and not in the lifetime of Oba Sikiru Adetona, who himself had destroyed the unholy beliefs and practices in the tradition?

They have lost the battle, as Allah has assured those that are on His side that they would be triumphant over their adversaries (Qur’an 37:173)

Meanwhile, let our security personnel take note of the threats and take necessary measures to prevent a possible breakdown of law and order.

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