As the Olota of Ota, Oba Adeyemi Obalanlege, prepares to mark his 60th birthday, the monarch reflects on an extraordinary journey from the streets of Mushin to the newsroom, the lecture hall and ultimately the throne. In this revealing interview with Sunday Okobi, the professor of Communication Studies recounts how journalism shaped his worldview, speaks on faith, leadership and public service, and delivers a strong warning against the growing politicisation of kingship selection, which he says is eroding the dignity and credibility of the traditional institution. Excerpt In few days, you will be 60. What life’s lessons have shaped your journey from academia to the throne? Firstly, I have to thank the Almighty God for sparing my life to 60, and I hope to spend many more years on earth. Right from my youth, I’ve learnt so much. I was born in Mushin, Lagos; you know that’s a turbulent area. I attended St Jude’s Primary School at Ilasa. Later, I moved on to Ansar-u-Deen Primary School, Isolo, and because my mom was a primary school teacher, I had to move with her to Isolo. But from age 7, I had been minding the shop for my mom. That was when we used to have morning and afternoon school. My mom would go to work in the morning, and I would go to school in the afternoon. During the morning time, I would be in the shop, just within that Ladipo Street; you know how busy Ladipo Street was, and still is, up till now. At seven, I had been selling goods for my mom, and I did very well. It was because I was useful; that’s why she had to go in the morning, and I would go in the afternoon. And by the time I was leaving for afternoon school, she wouldn’t be back, so I had to lock the store myself and keep the key somewhere where she would pick it up when she returned. So, right from my primary school days, I had been taking responsibilities; so, my life’s journey was a bit difficult, but I think that up till now, I’ve been capable. And then I attended a boarding secondary school at Iganmode Grammar School at Ota in Ogun State, but my parents didn’t want me to go into the town; they didn’t want anybody to know me. All they wanted was to keep me in the boarding house, but when they later found out that I had been going around town – that was my third year – they sent me back to Lagos. That was when I completed my secondary school at Metropolitan College, Isolo, and later had my A-Level at Ansar-u-Deen College, Isolo as well. And during this period, we had our own house at Isolo, and my mom also continued with the supermarket while she was also teaching. I attended the Ogun State Polytechnic, where I studied Mass Communication – both ND and HND. But in the midst of that, I lost my dad, then I went for a one-year Industrial Attachment where I worked with Fasi Yusuf at Obanikoro. He used to run a Mass Communication, Advertising, and Public Relations company. It was during that time I told him I wanted to work for him permanently; he agreed that he would love to take me, but he would want me to finish my HND. That was when he spoke with Blackson, the publisher of The Mail, who gave me a job as the Ogun State correspondent. I was posted to Abeokuta, and I started my HND as well. While I was on my HND I was the student leader, and also the Ogun State correspondent for The Mail. I was into so many things, and they knew at the office. After that, I joined Lagos State Polytechnic as the Public Relations Officer. I had built up a lot of profile then in the media and if you go to Ogun State Polytechnic then, almost all our colleagues would be everywhere in media houses, from NTA, Guardian, and others. So, whenever I sent any press release, it would just go straight, and my rector then, Engineer Oloro, would be wondering how I was doing this. I had so many friends in the media. Wherever I worked, they always wanted to hold on to me – even at the Crescent University, where I lectured, they held on to me for almost six years until I told them I wanted to rest. Even at THISDAY, I was the travel editor. I left THISDAY during the turbulent General Abacha’s time. That was when I went abroad. I got admission at the University of Leicester for my Master’s in Mass Communication. So, when I finished my programme, I started teaching journalism at the University of East London. During my time at the University of East London, I got a scholarship at the University of Antwerp in Belgium for my PhD in Communication Studies. After my PhD, I left for the University of Lincoln in the North of England. I was there for almost 12 years before I decided to return to Nigeria. When I came, I taught briefly at the Lagos State University. Later, I moved to Crescent University as a Senior Lecturer. While there, I contested for the senatorial seat for Ogun West, but it was given to my uncle (Gbolahan Dada), so I worked for him. Life, to me, is very easy, but one thing I detest is cheating. I was selected as the Olota o
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