THE PUNCH
Princess Folashade Ogunwusi-Fadairo is an elder sister of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, from the same father and mother. She tells EMMANUEL OJO about their childhood days in Ibadan and what life has been like for the family members since her brother became the Ooni of Ife
You are from the royal family of Ile-Ife. Please tell us more about yourself.
I am Princess Folashade Ogunwusi-Fadairo. I’m a native of Ife, as you know. I am a graduate of Obafemi Awolowo University (Ile-Ife). Right now, I am self-employed; I own a fabric business at Ikota Shopping Mall, Victoria Garden City, Lagos. I’m married to Prince Jide Fadairo and I’m blessed with a kid.
Is your husband also a prince of Ife?
No, he is from Abeokuta.
Are you a direct sister to the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi; that is, were you born by the same father and mother?
The answer is yes. We were born by same parents–father and mother – and I am the first girl in the family.
How large is the family?
It’s a family of seven, apart from my father.
And what is Ooni’s position?
He is the fifth child. He has two younger ones.
Did the Ooni and the rest of you spend your childhood together in the same place?
Yes.
How was growing up like?
We were brought up in Ibadan and growing up was fun. He (Ooni) was very fun to be with, very intelligent, very creative, jovial; he was a good dancer, he was stubborn in a way and he learnt a lot by himself.
For example, he started driving at the age of 11 or so, without anyone guiding him. He just took the (car) key, started the car and that was how he started driving. So, we had a lot of fun together growing up. He taught me how to dance. In my family, if we are to pick the best two dancers, it will be me and him. Up till now, I can still dance and I know he does too but not openly because of his position. I’m very proud to say that.
We used to scold him then that he would spoil something and use what he spoilt to create another thing. He loved making his shoes by himself. I remember we had a flask with a rope handle but he removed the rope and turned it into shoelaces for the shoes he made by himself. We were annoyed that he spoilt the flask.
I also remember that when he was much younger, about age five, there was a drawing competition organised by The PUNCH then for that age group and he won. He drew a head and he actually won. I remember The PUNCH gave him a prize then. He did so many things as a young boy that amazed me and people around him. He’s been very intelligent since childhood and growing up with him was fun.
Was it foretold that he would become the Ooni?
There were some predictions. For instance, my father had three boys and he is the last of the three boys. The prediction had been there that one of the boys would become a king but no name was mentioned and we didn’t know which one of the three it would be. In any case, we didn’t even take the prediction too seriously. You know, people will always predict, it’s left for you to believe or not to believe.
The prediction came and I remember my dad gathering us together to pray for whoever it was going to be and I called my sister aside and said to her: “Do they know when the present one (king) would die? Nobody knows; so, what kind of prediction is that?” But then we joined our father in the prayers, believing that one day, it might happen and it actually happened eventually.
I remember my grandfather used to call him (my brother) Adeyeye Ooni; my late mum also did the same, calling him Adeyeye Ooni. My other brothers were there but I can’t remember my grandfather or mum calling them Adegboyega Ooni or Adetunji Ooni.
Didn’t that spark some kind of jealousy among the brothers?
There was nothing like that. We were just a happy family. I can’t remember any such thing coming up. Actually, we didn’t refer to ourselves as princes and princesses and even our peers didn’t know we were royalties. That was our upbringing.
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