Posted by By AGATHA EMEADI on
At first sight, you would think the three of them are sisters. But they are not. Olori Omolara, Yetunde and Labisi are the wives of Oba Adedapo Tejuosho, Osile of Oke-Ona, Abeokuta in Ogun State. Being the wives of a traditional ruler, they are simply referred to as Oloris.
At first sight, you would think the three of them are sisters. But they are not. Olori Omolara, Yetunde and Labisi are the wives of Oba Adedapo Tejuosho, Osile of Oke-Ona, Abeokuta in Ogun State. Being the wives of a traditional ruler, they are simply referred to as Oloris. Interestingly, wherever you find the three sweet sisters, they make heads turn around as they glow in simple, stylish and stunning outfits.
You wonder who chooses and finances these outfits. The first Olori, Omolara, who other Oloris accord due respect, replies this way: 'Any of us can choose what we wear for a particular occasion. Two of us can also choose while three of us can equally agree on what to wear. And Kabiyesi finances all our outfits".
Olori Omolara goes on to talk about living in peace with her mates and building an ideal family. 'This is because the spirit of God reigns in the family, especially with the Kabiyesi. He is a man whose heart is after God. All his principles and laid down rules are based on the word of God. That is why we pray and travel together. We cook and eat from one pot as well".
Now you want to know the number of children these beautiful women have produced for the Kabiyesi. 'No way, you do not count the number of children of an Oba," says Olori Yetunde. 'Our guiding principle is the word of God, that is why we have peace around us. When we travel out, we still dress alike. When the Oyinbos see us in our uniform, they would ask questions like are you sisters? Usually, we will tell them we are wives of a traditional ruler. Then, you would notice four or five pairs of eyes staring at us in amazement and total shock.
'Surprisingly, questions like how do you cope? Don't you quarrel? Who is the closest to the traditional ruler would follow immediately."
'You press further to know if the three women who are united in marriage can truly live peacefully, knowing how women react when they have competitors. You also wonder if they are trying to deceive the general public with these flashy outfits. Olori Yetunde says: 'What will you gain by fighting? How long will you fight? There is no reason fighting over material things, instead we should fight for spiritual things. In our case, we love one another, we respect ourselves and accord respect to the most senior Olori".
Still not convinced, you want to know the type of respect accorded to the most senior Olori. 'When we get to a function, we the younger ones allow her to sit before we sit. In the course of the interview, we referred you to her first, before we would speak. It is just a precedence that has been set by us."
These stylish women did not hesitate to reveal their style secret when asked what looking good meant to them. Olori Omolara was assited by Olori Labisi as they described style with its acronyms. ' S - Simplicity, T - taste, Y - Yuppy, L--lovely and E - Exquisite. Add up these words together, it forms the real meaning of style".
All the Oloris love the good things of life, but they quickly add that they are not crazy about them. They all love jewelry like gold, coral beads and diamonds. 'Like other women, we love the good material things, we love good clothes, jewelry, shoes and bags, but we are not crazy about them."
How do they take care of their hair and nails? Surprise! For once, they sounded a little different. Olori Omolara loves local didi and natural nails while the others love braids, weave-on and fix their nails.
All are lovers of designer perfumes and radiant toiletries. Their status now as Kabiyesi's wives has affected their dress sense. All compulsorily wear native clothes like iro and buba, bou-bou, long skirt and blouse. The youngest Olori, Labisi is the most affected because with her international exposure, she would have loved to be seen in trendy outfits like jeans, stylish tops and things in vogue, though she has nothing to lose, according to her.
A picture of a typical day with the Oloris was painted by Labisi. 'We wake up early in our various apartments, and come down to the house and have prayers at exactly nine. We pray, read the Bible and study the word of God together. Kabiyesi comes down for breakfast between 10.00 and 11.00am. Most times, we host a lot of visitors, so we attend to them as the case may be. Women around also come for counseling and advice, we make out time and see to their needs."