30/05/2023
Oba Adesoji Aderemi Ooni of Ife the 1st Governor of Western Region and 49th Ooni of Ife (The Great Atobatele)
Truly some people are born to lead, just a few people are born to rule. This is the case of Oba Titus Martins Adesoji Tadeniawo Aderemi the great Atobatele 1.
He was born on the 15th of November 1889, during the turbulence of the Yoruba civil war to Prince Gbadebo of the Osinkola ruling house of Ile Ife and iyaafin Adekunbi of Ipetumodu, Ife north local govt, Daughter of Olu-oje Descendants in Agbonu's compound Ipetumodu in the absence of his warrior father, who was on a war expedition; he was named Adesoji Aderemi.
On Prince Gbadebo's return, Adesoji's older sister Ibiyemi, unable to contain her excitement of the news had to be held back from initial physical contact with her war-weary and juju laden father. Until he had rid himself of his protective war attire by appeasing his gods, then was it safe to embrace his family. Prince Gbadebo being an Ifa priest, presented his newborn to his Ifa Oracle demanding to know what the future holds for the new baby Aderemi. The father was told to bow to his son. The Ifa predicted that baby Aderemi, was going to wear the crown of his ancestors, that his reign will be known far and wide, and he will come in contact with strangers in far away places. Prince Gbadebo told his wife to get coral beads to dress his son as was customary for royalty. In the belief of the oracle, mother-Adekunbi went into protective mode, always washing Aderemi in herbs, until he outgrew her methods. Having lost his father at eight years of age, he was subsequently raised by his mother. The emergence of Christianity dissuaded his mother from the traditional family worship of Ifa, hence his enrollment at the new local Christian primary school of St Phillips, Ife, as one of the first students in Ife to attend a local school in 1901.
The young Prince Aderemi had a vision. His objection to farming with his much older and beloved brother, Papa Prince Adeyemo, led to his enrollment at the Anglican primary school at Aiyetoro, Ile-Ife. Under the tutelage and mentor-ship of Revd Canon J Adejumo, aka Baba Aiyetoro, who later became his father in law. He had an affinity for the law profession and could have travelled to the United Kingdom for the law program, with his contemporaries of the day - Bashiru August. Not Aderemi, he had a date with destiny - the Ife Crown. Despite losing his father Prince Gbadebo so early, he kept his ambition on track, thanks to the beady eye of his mother.
Adesoji Aderemi was known as a very wealthy man and had a large family of many wives and children. One of his children was the civil servant Tejumade Alakija. During the colonial era, the Oba Ooni gained a considerable amount of power due to the colonial policy of indirect rule and being labelled a first class Oba among traditional rulers in Yoruba land. The policy of indirect rule was used to ensure native awareness and consultations about colonial policies affecting the regions. The British leaned on existing native political structures and hierarchy, particularly the Nigerian traditional rulers, for political consultation and tax collection. Later on, the Ooni with the consent of the leading Yoruba political leaders used his position to close the gaps of exploitation of divisional differences among Yorubas and tried fervently to rally the Yoruba towards a common goal. In 1962, the king acting as governor, used his power to remove the premier of the region, sensing the premier did not have the support of the majority members of the House of Assembly. The event escalated the political rivalries in the region.
On the 2nd of September, he became the 49th Ooni of Ife. He was widely dubbed the first literate Ooni. Oba Aderemi quickly acclimatised himself to his new environment, at 40, he was the youngest of the Yoruba Obas at the time. Oba Aderemi with the aid of the traditional Ife elders, (Obalufe, Obajio, Obaloran, Wasin, Obalaye, Akogun, Jagunosin, Ejesi), formed the administrative set up that transformed the ancient town in the next decade. Oba Aderemi championed Education during his reign as Ooni, which was the sentiment behind the foundation of Oduduwa College in January 1932. Oba Aderemi personally funded the construction of the Secondary School, a model institution at the time; Oba Aderemi believed that the surest way to facilitate and sustain modernization is through education.
A great landmark of his reign pertaining education was the foundation of the University of Ife, which many attributed to Oba Aderemi’s influence in the ruling Government, with the Ooni tenaciously proposing Ife as the ideal location for the foremost institution to be situated, Oba Adesoji Aderemi located Itaodan/Ajebamidele for his mother's Family member from Agbonu's compound Ipetumodu (Adekunbi ipetu) and Send Chifetancy tittle to Apetumodu palace from Agbonu's compound (Chife Ikolaba of Ipetumodu) Itaodan/Ajebamidele was later collected by Oba Foloruso the Obalufe of Ife during the time of Ooni Oba Okunade Sijuwade. Oba Aderemi constructed the main building of his palace, which remains a mainstay of the Ife palace to date - with its unique colonial-style. Ooni Aderemi served as the permanent chairman of the council of Obas from 1966-1980.
His reign as Ooni was remarkably peaceful, with his innovative ideas in business creating a pathway to wealth for a lot of the natives, especially in the agriculture industry, where he was a business leader himself. On the 3rd July 1980 the great King bade the world farewell but even though he is no more, his legacy continues.
Sources;
Olu-oje Descendants from Ipetumodu (Olu-oje Ojenpetu) Custodian of Yoruba Tradition and culture of Gadumo land
Biography of Sir Oba Adesoji Aderemi, The Ooni of Ife
Premiers and Governors of Western Region / Western State Rulers of IFE
