EYO,ICONIC MASQUERADE IS A NATIVE OF IPERU REMO

EYO,ICONIC MASQUERADE IS A NATIVE OF IPERU REMO
BY ABDULMUMINI ADEKU
WORLD EXCLUSIVE

.............................................PAEDIA EXPRESS BREAKS DOWN THE LINEAGE
OF MONARCHS FROM 1800 TO THISDAY ON THE ALAPERU THRONE
...............................................A WOMAN CALLED AKESAN AND HER HUSBAND ,
AJAGBE WERE THE PROGENITORS OF THE PEOPLE OF IPERU REMO
....................................................BILLIONAIRE NIGERIAN BUSINESS MAGNATE,CHIEF KESSINGTON ADEBUTU ALIAS BABA IJEBU IS A FAMOUS AMBASSADOR OF IPERU REMO
....................................................HOW CHIEF OBAFEMI AWOLOWO FRUSTRATED THE MOON BEER PROJECT
....................................................KPAKERIKE WAS THE CUSTODIAN OF EYO MASQUERADE IN THE HISTORY OF IPERU REMO.
A scion of one of the major clans of Iperu Remo ,the famous Oloroo Iregun from the Fakoya Oyinbo Family ,Prophet Ben-Luther Moibi ,General Overseer of the Mountain of Prophetic Prayers and Deliverance Ministries in Lagos,Nigeria holds The Editor-in-Chief of Paedia Express Multimedia Group,Abdulmumini Adeku spellbound in a captivating and exciting story full of thrills,twists or turns ,adventure on the life and times of the people of Iperu Remo in Ogun State of Nigeria ,the iconic Eyo festivities and its masquerade,about the philanthropist,Chief Adebutu Kessington ,his childhood and wait-for-it,a prophecy on the future of Iperu Remo in a two hours twenty minutes interview ..................
excerpts.............
1]QUESTION
There is a controversy about your name sir,Prophet Ben Luther Moibi ,why is this so,Are you a foreigner or a Nigerian ?
Well,i am a Nigerian but many people think that am a Liberian ,some even say that am a South African but am a typical Nigerian from Iperu Remo and my name is Ben Luther Moibi .i was born in Iperu Remo in Ikenne Local Government Area of Ogun state of Nigeria.
i started my elementary school at Wesley School at Ita Ayeni and i later continued my education in the city of Lagos,Nigeria.
2]QUESTION
In Iperu Remo in Remo land where you hail from ,what is your religious background like,are you from a Muslim or a Christain background?
Actually i cannot say that i am from a Christian or Islamic background but with all indications i can say that am from a traditional background
when i say traditional background,my grandfather was not a Muslim or a Christian but he was from the Oloroo in iregun from the Fakoya Oyinbo family .
so my grandfather on my maternal side raised me up and he was the Ajenishe of Agemo of lisa and the wife was titled Olorisha.
so by virtue of what i told you now i did not come out from a Muslim or Christian family ..
3]QUESTION
But Moibi sounds Arabic ,do you have any muslim connection ?
my father claimed to be a Muslim but he was really a traditionalist in practice in the real sense of it at least to the best of my knowledge
Before he died,my father was the Baba Oduduwa in our area where we lived in Lagos,Nigeria at the time.
When he was sick prior to death i asked him who will bury him at death and he said that the Muslims should be allowed to carry his body for burial upon when he breaths his last on earth and this instructions was carried out to the latter by we the children in line with his last wishes out of respect.
4]QUESTION
So ,what were the names you were given at birth by your parents then?
The real names given to me at birth was Mohammadu Jamiu as my father always believed that he was a Muslim even though more often than not he was always doing something else at the time.
5]QUESTION
Are both of your parents from Iperu Rmo?
Yes they are both from the same place ,while my father was from the iregun Fakoya Oyinbo family ,my mother's lineage hailed from Illisa but they migrated to Oke Maro and now decided to settle down there.
6]QUESTION
When did you arrive in Lagos,Nigeria?
that has to be around 1973
7]QUESTION
What was your childhood like growing up with your family ,sir?
my childhood experience as i can recall is that i grew up with my grandmother who was selling a local delicacy called Ebirikpo and this was a food product made from CocoYam Flour and very early in the morning before she goes to sell this i will eat it before street hawking the commodity herself.
Before i came to Lagos,i went to Wesley School and whenever i returned from school i will drop my black slate and rush of if i hear that the masquerades of Egungun and Agemo were out in the streets and i will make sure that i follow them all over the place and my parents will start to look for me all over the place.
At the time i was kind of very rascally ,i started school in 1971 but by 1973 i was already in Primary Three and one day my father came and said that it was high time that i join the rest members of my immediate family in Lagos,Nigeria so that i can continue my elementary education there and this was exactly what later happened at the time.
8]QUESTION
Can you lay specific emphasis on your ties with your grand parents, sir?
my grandfather on maternal side had a chieftaincy title attached to their clan called Apena in Lisa but it happened that he had to reject the symbol of authority of the title given to him,insisting that his own mother was still alive and when she dies then he can become a titled chief.
But rather unfortunately as the story went at the time,he died before his own mother and till this day we believe he was killed via a spiritual attack as he was rottening in his legs till he died
His name was Chief Ogunlaja while his own father was Shosanya .
So the name Apena as a chieftaincy title fell on another person called Adama ,the latter is a direct nephew to Chief Ogunlaja.
So,the Apena title and the Ajinishe of Agemo are the prominent titles of my maternal clan and when Ogunlaja died it was Oshugbo that buried him.
on my paternal side,we are wellknown as Fakoya Oyinbo in Iregun and my grandfather had several wives and his name was Fakoya .
In my home town after they do Asemo Oro ,they will now do their own oro festival for seven days.
The chieftaincy title of my grandfather on paternal side before his death is Alara Oro iregun
9]QUESTION
When last did you pay a visit to Iperu Remo?
I was always fond of visiting my village, Iperu Remo on a yearly basis for about 25 years or so ,until i stopped this suddenly for reasons i may not be able to immediately explain but for sure i was at the village to help in the burial of my father upon his death in 2013
10]QUESTION
So tell me ,who are the heroes of the people of Iperu Remo?
The woman that started or founded Ipreu Remo is called Akesan and her husband was called Ajagbe and they are our number one hero in Iperu Remo .
All the kings that ever ruled as Alaperu in Iperu are also regarded as heroes by the people and even beyond.
Obasibo Odoru who ruled from inception to 1882 is a hero,another hero is Oba Okupe Agbonmagbe who ruled from 1882 to 1912 and this is a period of about 30 years
Another hero is Oba Shodemekun and he ruled from 1912 to 1916 and this was just for four years and he is regarded as a hero of the people as well .
Oba Owokolade Odoru ruled from 1917 to 1932 and that was 15 years and he was a hero too in the eyes of the people.
Oba Soyebo ruled from 1932 to 1939 and that was a period of 7 years and he is considered a hero as well
Oba abraham Olayinka Okupe ruled from 1939 to 1976 and this was for a period of about 37 years ,Oba Joseph Olutayo Ogunfowora ruled from 1978 -2002 and this was for 24 years.
The incumbent is His Royal Highness ,Oba A.A. Idowu Basibo J.P. and may he live long on the throne of our fathers,amen.
11]QUESTION
Who was on the throne when you were born ,sir?
The king that was on the throne when i was born,yes ahhh,that has to be Oba Olayinka Abraham Okupe and he reigned for long.
when i was a toddler when- ever the Agemo Onire comes out we will go to the palace to pay tributes and this was how i got to knowing him on a personal level
12]QUESTION
Does the present Alaperu know you in any way?
He is a prominent person and so i know him very well but i do not think that he knows me on an individual basis>
13]QUESTION
We hear that Chief Kessington Adebutu fondly called Baba Ijebu hails from Iperu Remo ,have you been able to meet with him ?
infact Chief Adebutu 's issue came up to me as a complete surprise ,it took me quite sometime before i got to know that we were actually from the same town .
When i was looking for a printing press to work as a journey man after i had finished my training i went to a company called Face to Face Press at Oyadiran Estate in Sabo area,precisely at Commercial Avenue in Yaba,Lagos,Nigeria owned jointly by both of Chief Adebutu and his now deceased friend,Chief Adebayo Solomon Ayoku .
i had gone there for an interview and i did not see him that day but the press managers conducted the interview and then promised to call me back to resume on the job as they told me i was okay but this never somehow happened as they never did .
some years after this incident i now discovered that we were actually from the same town .
14]QUESTION
What do you know about Baba Ijebu?
i know that we do have something in common,October 24th is my birthday and that his own day as well ,he is one of the heroes of Iperu Remo as he is Balogun and Babaoba of Iperu Remo ,Akogun of Remo land as well as the Olotu of Lagos in Nigeria.
Adebutu is a philanthropist to the core and he is such a wonderful man that i have never seen his type as far as philanthropism is concerned ..
Adebutu has succeeded in adding a lot of value to Iperu Remo in a way nobody has done before him ,he built a tower worth not less than N200 million .
He also donated an ultra modern civic centre to the people of Iperu Remo through his foundation ,Kessington Adebutu Foundation [K.A.F]
his foundation also has helped to pay the bills of people with diverse health and educational challenge who are less privileged in the society .
i remembered when i took my Non -governmental organization l's proposals to his office and for a second that i was forced to look around i actually thought to myself that i was inside a church as there were lots of people all requesting for one help or the other.
But the reality is that he is a giver with a difference and does not just give to people from Iperu Remo alone but just every human being that walks up to him with a genuine claim for help.
He has been a great blessing to Nigeria and humanity and i pray and hope that God will reward him with many more years of good health and proseprity,amen....
TO-------------BE-----------------CONTINUED

15]QUESTION

Who were the  prominent people  in Iperu Remo ?

Chief Olu Adeyemi was very rich in his own time and he had an intention of starting a Brewery with the brand name ,Moon Beer and i recall we used to call him Alagbala because he brought a land in Iperu in Ilishan Road..

We had printed the labels and was waiting for regulatory approval from the F.G. but he could not implement this project and i want to believe that it was his personal rift with late Chief Obafemi Awolowo that stopped the project.

This if it was not for  politics would have added a lot of value to our people in Iperu Remo as our youths will have been gainfully employed .

To the best of my knowledge ,there was a man called Chief Solomon Gbadebo and also called popular who was very rich,Chief Awotesu ,Feso Glass ,Late Chief Ambassador Segun Olushola were other prominent people from our place.

Do not forget the grandmother of late Dr Tai Solarin was also from Iperu Remo in Ogun state.i remember that when Chief Awolowo came to our place in 1979 to campaign while running for The Presidency he had said that Iperu Remo was his home too and that he actually went to Saint Jamses Schhol for his elementary education.

16]QUESTION

There is a growing debate about the origin of Eyo masquerade ,they say it is from Iperu Remo  and since you are a son of the soil we will like you to confirm this question which is vital to our culturally inclined audience ?

Actually to the best of my knowledge we used to go to Iperu Remo to do Eyo Festival and there was this man called Kpakerike ,he was light in complexion and short in physical height .

Kpakerike was a grandson of Akesan  and he was the custodian of Eyo Festival in Iperu Remo  ,his house was along Shagamu Road as it was very close to Akesan Oja.

Eyo masquerade came from Iperu Remo to Lagos city many years ago.during the time of Eyo festival he will build a structure that looks like a plane and he will put it on a vehicle and he will seat on this with his "opabata", and the vehicle will move everything around the entire village .

They will be singing a local song and it goes this way:"Kpakerike Eyo tio gbo do Jabo "and you will just know that Eyo masquerade was from Iperu Remo as there was a spiritual connection with our deities and ancestors culturally.

They will also say at the time:"Esua Efunkun Jeagbon die "in our local dialect as they continue to venerate the Eyo icon .

17]QUESTION

so how did Eyo come to Lagos,Sir?

Eyo masquerade came to Lagos because of a marital party ,somebody came down from Lagos to marry one of our daughters and Eyo accompanied the bridal party at the time .

When i came to Lagos as a young man i saw the  statue of a soldier standing at Idumota but now it has since being replaced by the Eyo icon .

They are no longer celebrating the Eyo Festival in Iperu Remo any longer but originally this was its birth place before it took its roots in the city of Lagos,Nigeria

However i do believe that if our Kabiyesi wants and fights for it this can still go back to its roots.

QUESTION

18]What are your plans for your home town ?

As a prophet of God i want to build a prayer mountain where the people from all nations of the world will go to for prayers and for me this will make me feel fur filled .

19]QUESTION

What is your N.G.O About?

The Helping Hands Talent and empowerment project is all about reaching out to the less privileged in the society

20]QUESTION

What in your prophetic estimation is the future of Iperu Remo,sir?

Iperu Remo will be very great and it will grow into a city and it will become an industrial hub .

it will be a city where people will live to fear and respect God ,people will come to live and invest in the future of the place.

People will come from all over the world to live in the place .

it will be the birth place of prominent people in our society ,bith place of the who is who like a President,senator,Governor among other big wigs.

21]QUESTION

What is your advice to sons and daughters of Iperu Remo?

well my advice is that they should be their brothers keeper and not run away from their town at all times.

They should help to develop the place like Chief Kessington Adebutu