The Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona, has berated the Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo, for categorising himself among the five top monarchs in Yorubaland.
At a fundraiser for a professorial chair instituted in his honour by the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago Iwoye, in Lagos on Thursday, the Awujale said the Alake was a junior oba in Yorubaland.
Reacting to a categorisation of monarchs by the Alake recently when the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, visited him (Alake), Oba Awujale said the Egba monarch was peddling falsehood and turning history upon its head.
The Awujale said, “The Alake, while receiving the Ooni in his palace, said Yoruba Obas (the ‘Big Five’ so to say) had been categorised with the Ooni in the first position followed by the Alaafin, the Oba of Benin, with the Alake coming fourth and the Awujale occupying the fifth spot in that order. He also went further to quote wrongly from a 1903 Gazette to support all the fallacies in his statement.”
He added that when he learnt about the comment, he contacted the Alake, who he added, vehemently denied saying so.
He added, “In a recent discussion between the Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu, and me, we also touched on the same issue and the Oba of Lagos told me that he too had asked Alake the same question, which he had again denied vehemently.
“Regrettably, however, when the said statement few days later was continuously credited to the Alake on the pages of newspapers, I expected him to deny it or issue a rebuttal, but he did not do so.
Therefore, I consider it necessary to debunk the falsehood and misrepresentation of facts from the Ake Palace so as to put the records straight.”
The Awujale argued that the 1903 Gazette referred to by the Alake was just a newspaper publication.
“The first question to Alake is: who categorised the Yoruba Obas and when? I challenge him to produce the document of the said categorisation. It is a known fact that Alake was a junior traditional ruler under the Alaafin at Orile Egba before he fled to Ibadan for refuge as a result of the war then ravaging the Yorubaland.
“Following the defeat of Owu by the Ijebu Army in 1826, the Owus became refugees all over Yorubaland. Some of the Ijebu troops that fought the war proceeded to Ibadan, where they met the Alake and sacked him; consequently forcing him to seek refuge at Ake in Abeokuta in 1830, where, of course, he met the Osile, Olowu and Agura already settled at Oke-Ona, Owu and Gbagura sections of Abeokuta township respectively.
Even then, the Olubara of Oyo origin had always argued that all the aforementioned four rulers met him in Abeokuta and therefore claimed to be their landlord.
“To even refer to the Alake as ‘the Alake of Abeokuta’, not to talk of Egbaland, is a misnomer, as his control since his arrival at Ake in 1830 and till today is restricted to the Ake section of Abeokuta. The official Government Gazette testifies to this fact.
“In short, the Alake, from history and all available records, is a very junior traditional ruler in Yorubaland. His peers in Ijebuland are the Dagburewe of Idowa; Ajalorun of Ijebu-Ife; Akija of Ikija-Ijebu; Olowu of Owu-Ijebu; Oloko of Ijebu-Imushin; Orimolusi of Ijebu-Igbo and Ebumawe of Ago Iwoye.”

udmbat:
Ajalorun of Ijebu-Ife is far above all of them listed. Ask the ooni of ife if you dont believe me.

emamos:
eehen

xreal:
pass me the history books.

emamos:
eehen

udmbat:
The following is an account of the history of Ijebu Ife as recorded by historians and which is in accord with the traditions handed down by the ancestors of the King of the town, Ajalorun:

Olofin Ogbolu, eldest son of King Oduduwa succeeded his father. He had only reigned for some few years in Ile Ife when, as a result of an annual consultation of Ifa Oracle, the High Priest delivered a message that unless the King, Olofin Ogbolu, relocate from the town with all his sub-chiefs to another part of the Yoruba country to establish themselves anew, Ile Ife and its surrounding towns would be destroyed by flood.

As was customary with our ancestors, Olofin had no choice than to abide with what Ifa decreed. And in company with his chiefs and people, he arrived in many places where Ifa, upon consultations, did not allow him to settle. Some of these include Emuren in Remo Division, Isiwu in Ikorodu Division, Erunwon and Ilefon near Ijebu Ode, Odogbolu, Okemori and Idotun near Isonyin, Odongbodu, Egbe, Okeyejo, Okelugbogu, Imomo, etc, in Ilugun Alaro area of Ijebu Division.

The Elemuren, the Elerunwon, the Alse Omo of Isiwu were permitted by the Ajalorun Olofin Ogbolu to wear beaded crown. “In 1894” the Elemuren entered into treaty of friendship and protection with the British government. There was none of the articles of that treaty in which Elemuren was referred to as “chief” but as King of Emuren.

The Elemuren is a traditional son of Oba Ajalorun of Ijebu Ife to whom he owes the origin of his crown (see page 47 Obaship and Chieftancy by E. Alademomi Kenyo). The Elerunwon of Erunwon near Ijebu Ode has been wearing beaded crown in his settlement since about 1445 A.D. before the Ajalorun finally arrived in Idofe, Oke Ife, about 1450 A.D. i.e 20 years before Obanta arrived in Ijebu in 1470 A.D.

The Intelligence Report of May 1943 by T. B. Bowell-Jones, District Officer (Special Duty) para. 35B Ijebu Ode Villages, admit that the Elerunwon left Ile Ife with the Ajalorun of Ijebu Ife, first settling at Imewuro in the Ilugun Area, then at Idorunwon and Iwaye in the same area, thence to Idotun near Isonyin and finally to Erunwon, where the Ifa oracle was consulted with favourable results; the Ajalorun was the elder brother and that Obanta had not yet arrived in Ijebu Ode.

Adaure4ever:
what are the contributions of this traditional rulers to the society?