“An African King: A lovely and precious African king.”
In Nigeria, there are many kings and queens, with princes and princesses and chiefs, and village elders and family heads. These kingdoms range in size from one of our townships or counties to a land area occasionally the size of one of our smaller states. There are also political and government leaders, but they have wisely learned to work within the framework of the local government. I have been in probably more than a dozen king’s palaces, including the king of the country of Lesthoto, and have met and spoken with, perhaps twice that many kings on special occasions. I stayed at a governor’s palace compound a number of times.
One of these special kings became a personal friend. His name was, Oba Kabiyesi Samuel Adeosun, from Erin-Ijesa, east of Elesha in Ondo State.
Oba means king, and Kabiyesi means “your majesty” or “your highness”. Olori is the king’s principle wife.
Kabiyesi Adeosun came from a long line of kings going back through some 34 generations of kings, dating back to about the year 1100 A.D. Adeosun’s kingdom was very lovely! See if you can picture it with me. As you drive along the road from Akure, past the Babalola Campgrounds, on the way to Elesha, you will notice that the road on both sides looks like deep jungle, but, remember, Nigeria is a land area the size of Texas, with a population almost half that of the United States, about one hundred and fifty million people, so there are people every where, even in the “jungle”, as these jungles consist of cultivated jungles of cassava, coconut, cocoa, bananas, citrus fruit, vegetables, date palms, etc. You will notice to the right, or north, that there is a long cliff or escarpment, that runs for many miles. The cliff is about 1500 feet high. There is a dirt road that exits at a certain point, and winds back through the bush, for several miles, until one comes to a small city. Beyond the city up against the escarpment is a lovely thundering 7 level waterfall which comes out of the escarpment and tumbles in succeeding levels of waterfall for a distance of 1500 feet. This means that the average waterfall falls for over 200 feet! This comes from a small artesian river of pure water that comes right out of the mountain!
In the days before the British came to colonize Nigeria, and, before the Christian missionaries came, the people of Erin Ijesa used to do human sacrifice at the falls, to Olumirin, the demon goddess of river water. After the coming of the missionaries, the people sacrificed animals.
Oba Adeosun was a devout and deeply committed Christian, and he refused to make any moral compromise in the process of being a king. He had to take a firm stand from the beginning, because, normally, being a king in Africa means that, normally, one would become involved in the worship of demons. Oba Adeosun, pronounced “Ah-dee-oh-shun” refused any compromise with a life totally committed to Christ. He had reigned for many years, and was well loved by his people. In the process of our becoming friends, Kabiyesi wanted to confer an honorary chieftaincy upon me and make me one of his chiefs! Later on, the king came to visit us at our Great Commission Ministry Center, along with his wife, the Olorin, and his daughter and son-in-law.