There were people who felt strongly that the Yoruba should unite into a formidable nation and the Yoruba state that carried that idea on their head in the 19th century was Ibadan. It was pure nationalism and these people should be commended. After the exit of Alaafin Atiba (Ojo pa sekere mode!) who was the last real Alaafin. Ibadan was re established by Oluyole, a grandson of the Alaafin Abiodun. The first Ibadan was established by people headed by the Jagun of Ile Ife but it was ordered sacked by Alaafin Sango when the people on a market committed the taboo of derobing an Eegun, a representative of the ancestors. The place was sacked by the Oyo by the order of Alaafin Sango (Oba ko so!). The remnants of the people hid in the forests and ate oro fruits, snails and etc hence the oriki 'Ibadan omo ajorosun, a jegbin jekaraun'. Those people were headed by Lagelu. However, the modern Ibadan was founded by Oluyole who was born in old Oyo to a daughter of Alaafin Abiodun and her husband.

Iba Lagelu

Iba Oluyole.


After the Northern territories of the Oyo were lost, the Oyo relocated South in large numbers to populate Ibadan, Ijaiye, Ilorin and Ogbomosho. All these entities at one time or the other struggled to become pre eminent maybe apart from Ogbomosho, a sprawling metropolis second only to Ibadan. The Alaafin at the new Oyo founded by Alaafin Atiba became less than a figure head, though he was nominally recognised by all. Ijaiye was sacked by Ibadan and the people added to Ibadan to swell the population. Ogbomosho remained as a bulwark against Ilorin ambitions. Ilorin had been taken over by renegade Yoruba Muslims with expansionist ambitions but with Ogbomosho just a stone throw from there, they put themselves under restraints. When other Yoruba to the South were accepting Islam, Ogbomosho accepted Christianity, the Baptist variant. Obviously as a security measure. Back then, an Ilorin moving an army across Ogbomosho territory to Islamise the South would have been like a 14 year old challenging a 20 year old to a wrestling bout.


With Ogbomosho guarding the rear, Ibadan started the effort of uniting the Yoruba into a formidable nation in the 19th century. Ibadan had no ruling family and a Portuguese could become the Olu back then. The Iyalode Efunseohungbogbotan Aniwura was an Egba woman who advanced loans to the Ibadan government headed by Aare Latosisa back then and her refusal to offer further loans to the government led in part to her being forced to commit suicide by Ibadan people under Aare Latosisa Latosisa means 'Prosperity ends in the cemetery' a name that means the pursuit of wealth should not be anyone's main concern while Efunsetan means 'The white chalk solves everything'. A name indicating devotion to Obatala.


So, to the 19th century Ibadan leaders who were Yoruba nationalists, we must pay homage. They saw into the future.

Iba Oluyole

Iba Ibikunle

Iba Ogunmola

Iba Latosisa

Latosisa the last of them died on the warfront during the Kiriji war. He died of old age. The person leading the other side, Ogedengbe Agbogungboro, Balogun Ijesa was someone who graduated from Latosisa's war college in Ibadan and if Ogedengbe had stayed in Ibadan, he would have risen to the leadership cadre and might have become the Olu as well as the leadership was not by hereditary right but by promotion. It was open to all. Then Ibadan used locals, only locals as their representative in all the land they held. With the benefit of hindsight, I believe they should have used only people approved by the resident Ogboni council of a land or territory as Ajele or District officers but then maybe they did, I would not know but the attempt at unity resulted into a civil war.


Ibadan's efforts came to naught as Yoruba land was colonised by Britain but people, we, who are seeking the unity of the Yoruba today must acknowledge the efforts of those who came before us and the place that was their headquarters.


After that opportunity was lost, the next person to seek unity was the Oluwo of the Reformed Ogboni Fraternity ROF, Sir Adeyemo Alakija, an Afro Brazillian of mixed Oyo and Egba parentage. He established the Egbe Omo Oduduwa which later transformed into the Action Group.


Iba Oluwo Adeyemo Alakija!
He died in 1952 but with the Egbe as a legacy.


The next person to carry on was the Action Group Leader, Chief Obafemi Awolowo who may have succeeded in achieving sovereignty for the Yoruba in 1967 after a series of crisis in Nigeria. Elections were rigged against the AG in the West and thousands of Yoruba protesters were slaughtered by the Nigerian government, later the AG leaders were jailed, there was a coup, a counter coup and then the AG leaders were released. Biafra seceded and Chief Awolowo made it clear that Westerners (Yorubas) would not fight the Biafrans, the Midwest Governor Col Ejoor whose region was part of the West also made thesame statement for the Midwest. However, the opportunity to have a Yoruba state was lost when the Biafrans invaded first the Midwest and then the West of the Yoruba with the excuse that Lagos which is Yoruba land was the Federal Capital territory. Thus the West and the Midwest were drawn into a struggle that was initially entirely between the Biafrans and the Northerners. It ended in the reunification of Nigeria, a British empire successor country, a fraudulent entity that is a poster boy for how a nation should not be run. So, the Yoruba remain at the rung of the ladder of human development with no sovereignty over their lands or affairs despite being the chief people of West Africa. Alaafin Atiba, Bashorun Oluyole, Bashorun Ibikunle, Bashorun Ogunmola, Bashorun Latosisa, Sir Adeyemo Alakija and Chief Obafemi Awolowo has done their part to the best of their ability, the ball is now in the court of the present generation. Alagemo ti bimo sile o. Aimojo, o ku si owo omo Alagemo. Toto o se bi owe o.

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