The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, has recalled how brilliant he has been from the Primary School where he used to lead his class in exams.
He also spoke about his love for rice, among other foods, and how kingship tradition has narrowed down his choices.
The king, who was based in Lagos before he got called into royalty, not only spoke about his business interests, he also said a little about his marital life.
All of these came in an interview recently published in The PUNCH.
The monarch said, “I was born to Prince Oluropo and Wuraola Margaret Ogunwusi of blessed memory. They are both from Ife and my dad is from a ruling house. I am the fifth generation of the Ojaja Dynasty and I became the Ooni of Ife. My ancestors were Oonis as well till 1880 before it came into our family. My parents were strict, especially my late mum. I will never forget my mum. My father is still alive but we don’t see because of tradition. I attended two primary schools which are Subuola Memorial Nursery and Primary School, Agodi, Ibadan, and Ibadan District Council, Akobo, Ibadan. For my secondary education, I attended Loyola College, Ibadan, and for my tertiary education, I attended The Polytechnic, Ibadan.
“I am an accountant but I did many engineering works – engineering, procurement and construction – before I became king. By virtue of my business, I built factories and homes. I came up with different products and initiatives that involve providing shelter for the teeming population of Nigeria. Also, I invested in banking. I am a director in one of the leading mortgage banks in Nigeria. But like I said, I don’t do the things I used to do anymore. The work I do now is far more than just working. This time, my work is all about humanity and the heritage of upholding the Yoruba culture and tradition. Also, it involves giving back to the less privileged. In summary, it is a life of service all the way.
“I have built event centres, factories, lead recycling plants, steel rolling mills and galvanising plants. I was the first to work on Jakura Mines. We needed to resuscitate it and we discovered the depth and potential of the deposit in the said mines, then the government gave it out on concession to Obajana Cement. I worked there very actively. I worked with the National Iron Ore Mining Company and did many EPC contracts.”
