The prayers and dreams of all royal blood is to ascend the throne of their ancestors; this has always been the last wish of every royalist. Some have accomplished this tall dream, some are still struggling to realise this wish, while others will return to their ancestors without accomplishing this prayer. This is what is called destiny and no one can change what God has destined for him or her no matter how hard he tries.
But for His Royal Highness the 34th Osana of Keana in Nasarawa state Alhaji Abdullahi Amegwa Agbo the 111, who also bears the tribal name of Omadefu, his 62 years of sojourn on earth is a life of fulfilement, accomplishments and appreciation to God for a life well spent in the service of God, humanity and realisation of the royal dream that has eluded many royalists.
His life journey began on April 15, 1959, a year before Nigeria’s independence. God answered the prayers of the royal family of Osagidigo Amegwa Agbo, son of the 27th Osana of Keana, Osana Agbo Ozegya, from Ogwu royal clan by blessing them with a promising child of destiny named Omadefu, also known as Abdullahi Osana Hayatudeen.
Few years later, he began to manifest the virtues of simplicity, obedience, tolerance, love for his people, patience, perseverence and commitment to preserve the legacies of his parents and royal family reputation. Thus, he attended LEA Primary School, Kaduna from 1969 to 1974, exhibiting strong commitments and passion for academic excellence thereby proceeding to Government College, Zaria in 1974.
His brilliant performance and other sterling qualities he exhibited prompted men of wisdom and foresight to foretell that Omadefu possesses good leadership qualities that will bring honour, dignity and pride to his people in the nearest future.
Twenty years after, this child of destiny grew to be an intelligent, hardworking and focused young man full of energy, zeal and commitments, breaking all barriers to reach the pinnacle of his academic dream. He obtained diploma and professional diploma in accounting and audit from the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in 1983 and Kaduna State Polytechnic in 1988, respectively.
In his bid to be fully armed for the accounting profession, he proceeded to Ambrose Ali University, Ekpoma, Edo state for his bachelor’s of science degree (BSc) in accounting and subsequently Nasarawa State University, Keffi (NSUK) for his master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA).
Filled with the burning desire to make a mark in the sands of time and the urge to serve his fatherland, the monarch took up appointment in various places. He served in various capacities diligently and dedicatedly with high level of honesty, commitments and dedication. He parades an intimidating curriculum vitae with enviable records of achievements and legacies in public service.
His working career started in 1980 when he took up appointment as a clerical officer with Kaduna State Radio, rising steadily through a dint of hardwork and resilience to become higher executive officer account and later switched from executive cadre to his professional calling of accountancy. He later movedwithdrew his service from kaduna radio to the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) in 1990 as a senior accountant and was posted to finance and supply department in 1991after which he was transferred to Kaduna liaison office as head of accounts.
He was promoted to assistant chief accountant and redeployed to FCT Commission for Women as head of finance and supply. In 1997, he was moved to FCT Family Economic Advancement Programme (FEAP) until 2000 when he was moved to FCT Judicial Service Commission and later FCT Customary Court of Appeal as chief accountant.
By 2005, his royal highness was promoted to assistant director, finance and in 2009 he was promoted to deputy director, finance and by 2013 he was appointed substantive director of finance, a position he held until August 18, 2016, when destiny beckoned on him to ascend the throne of his ancestors following the demise of the 33rd Osana of Keana Senator Emmanuel Elayo. .Prior to this divine call on him to ascend the throne of his ancestors, the royal father examplifies royalty in true sense of the word in words and deeds. He is known to be one of the proud, patrotic and highly respected son of Nasarawa state and Alago nation. He has not only distinguished himself in his professional career and the services of Nigeria, but has also continued to put the love and collective interest of his people above his personal interest..
He is known for his frankness in tackling issues and always standing by his people. He is a beckon of hope and ray of light to Alago nation and by extention Nasarawa state, especially in terms of needs and troubles when all hopes are dashed. He has been using all God given opportunities of his life to bring succour to the people leveraging on his influence to facilitate employment opportunities for his people, especially the youths..His passion for community development makes him a rallying point and source of contacts by Alagos sons and daughters. it was, therefore, not surprising that after the demise of the 33rd Osana of Keana Emmanuel Elayo, he became the most most deserving to succeed the late monarch.
He was inagurated on May 4, 2019, by the immediate past governor Umaru Tanko Al-Makura as a first class traditional ruler in Nasarawa state. The revered traditional ruler who recently clock five years on the throne has continued to unite his people and building bridges of love, peace, tolerance and forgiveness among his people and various ethnic nationalities in his domain, thus promoting ethnic and religious harmony in his chiefdom.
Within five years of his reign, he has attracted various development projects into his domain from government at all levels, corporate organisations and public spirited individuals, leveraging on his personal contacts. The projects include Keana central mosque which was commissioned by Sultan of Sokoto and remodelling and reconstruction of Osana palace, among others .
As he clocks five years on the throne of his ancestors, most people look forward to his reign with high level of hopes and optimism. It’s believed that his reign will bring more development to the community as they wish him Allah’s continued guidance, good health, long life, prosperity and many more years of impactful royalty.
Abari writes from Lafia, Nasarawa state via [email protected]
