Ofa Of Yesterday, Today And Tomorrow: The Inspiring Roles Of Indigenes In Community Development

BEING A PAPER PRESENTED AT THE MAIDEN NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF OFA YOUTH COUNCIL ON SUNDAY, JULY 2ND 2023 AT THE OFA DESCENDANTS’ UNION (ODU) HALL, OFA BY OLAYEMI M. OLABOYE (ITAFA).


I thank the organisers of this maiden conference of the Ofa Youth Council for considering me worthy to speak at this historic event. It is both a personal honour and a nostalgic moment to stand before you here this morning; it brought back the memories of thirty-five years ago when I stood in this same venue to read the Resolutions of the then Ofa Youths Movement (OYM) as the Protem Secretary. On that historic occasion, we had resolved among other decisions taken to wrest the political power of the then Oyun Local Government Area from the elders. That movement, led by the late Moshood Ogunrotimi (Roti) birthed the chairmanship of Honourable Hassan Oyeleke and the subsequent ‘youth’ chairmanship of the later created Ofa Local Government.
The topic I have been asked to speak on is complex, tricky and inexhaustible. How do I begin to talk about a kingdom that has been in existence for about seven hundred years in addition to the contributions of the indigenes to its development for the same number of years under 20 minutes? It is not a subject that could be exhausted in a single forum. However, to navigate these landmines embedded in this tricky topic, I have taken the liberty to tinker a bit with the topic by replacing sons and daughters with indigenes (the difference will be clearer as we go on in this paper).
While going through my private library in preparation for this paper, I discovered that the topic Ofa: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow had been previously and copiously spoken to by two prominent Offa personalities, both of them lawyers. First, Uncle Ayo Opadokun spoke on this topic on 2nd October 2015 on the occasion of 80th anniversary of Ofa Descendants Union (courtesy of ODU Lagos Branch); secondly, Lawyer Wahab Shittu (SAN) on 2nd December, 2017 on the occasion of Ofa Day by the ODU Abuja branch. Both speakers have made my job easier today although I will be looking at the topic from another angle entirely. I do not intend to bore you with too much details of what the topic entails therefore I have classified this paper into the following broad headings.
The ancestral figures
Education
Commerce/Industry
Politics and Governance
Law
Health
Military/Paramilitary
Religion
Entertainment
Sports
I will hide under these ten classifications to attempt to mention just a fraction of those who had played one role or the other in community development in the history of Ofa. Let me apologise ahead that this paper is not, cannot and must not be used as the roll-call of our heroes and heroines. Doing so will be a disservice to the labour of these great men and women. What I have done here is to take samples from different areas of influence and I also made attempts to limit the names as much as possible to those who are no longer alive (after all baoku ise o tan). There is no way I can mention all of those names even if I have a month to deliver this paper.

The Ancestral Figures
Iba! I pay homage to our common patriarch, our progenitor in Ofa, Olalomi Olulakun Olukitibi Olofagangan who strove very hard and faced many daunting obstacles to ensure he bequeathed to us Ofa town and planted the seeds of community development that is today the envy of everyone. I extend my reverence to all those who had sat on the exalted throne of Ofa after Olalomi till date and personages who assisted them to administered the town during their various reigns. I acknowledged the historical role and the fame of Omowumi – the one popularly known as Moremi Ajasooro.

I recognised the valiant Ajayi Areonibon (Balogun Asegbe) and the gallantry of Ofa army with the like Salako Lalemi (Osi Apabiekun, Wande Ojo Kure, Aare Beribepo, Atolowotele, Adegoroye and others who staked their lives to defend Ofa territorial integrity. Mention must be made of the foresight of Oba Oyeniran Ariwajoye I in whose reign the railway track was laid into Ofa; a single developmental project which put Ofa on the global map even before some towns and cities which are today state capitals. It was also in his reign that Ofa town and her monarch was once again recognised as a sovereign with a staff of office between 1907 -1915. Of course, it was also during his glorious reign that the seed of education was sown in Ofa with the establishment of the St. Marks School. The pioneering efforts of Oba Olabisi Oyedotun Esuwoye I (1926 -1936) in changing the palace roof from dried grasses to corrugated iron sheets.

The actual foundation of modern Ofa developmental stride was laid during the epic reign of Oba Yusuf Wuraola Isioye (1937 – 1969). His reign witnessed the formation of the iconic Ofa Descendants Union (ODU) in 1935, a union which is the multipurpose vehicle that has conveyed Ofa to her enviable position today. This great union has been the harbinger of developmental projects such as township roads, electricity, hospital, and most importantly the flagship project – the Ofa Grammar School (OGS) in 1943.

I must not leave this section without due recognition of Olofa Mustapha Olawore Olanipekun Ariwajoye II (1970 -2010) for building on the solid foundation laid by his predecessors. His reign witnessed accelerated infrastructure growth especially the establishment of the Federal Polytechnic Ofa in 1992 and Ofa was made a single town local government area in his reign. Also of significance was the re-attainment of the first class status for Olofa throne - a feat also achieved by his grandfather Olofa Ariwajoye I.
It will be a disservice to my own forefathers if I failed to mention the strategic and divine role played by Eesa (prince) Ajibola Igbaroola (1747 -1845) in the emergence and subsistence of the Ofa royal throne as it is today.

Education
After paying obeisance to the ancestral figures, it is only natural that the next segment should be education which has been ascribed as our industry in Ofa. The planter of western education in Ofa was Bishop A.W. Smith with the establishment of St. Marks Primary School in 1912 (as the first of such in the old Ilorin Province). That seed germinated to inspire other academic institutions such as:
St. Cyprian Primary School 1921 (Catholic)
Ogidiri Primary School 1924 (African Church)
First Baptist Primary School 1932 (Baptist)
Wesley Primary School 1934 (Methodist)
Iyeru Okin Primary School 1945 (Anglican)
Anglican Girls School 1956 (later metamorphosed to St. Clares Anglican Girls Grammar School in 1963)
Anglican Teachers College 1957 (this was moved to Ilorin in 1961 and named after Bishop A.W. Smith).
Ofa Community Girls School 1967 (later handed over by the ODU to the Anglican Mission and renamed Anglican College of Commerce)
Mention must also be made of the efforts of the Muslim societies like Ansar-ud-deen, Nawair-ud-deen, Tawakalitu, FOMWAN and Anwar-ul-Islam in the establishments of various Islamic schools both at the primary and secondary levels culminating in the siting of Summit University in Ofa by the Ansar-ud-deen society.
Mr. J.O.S Onawola (from Ile Alagure) claimed the trophy as the first registered pupil to attend a school based in Ofa while Mr. John Awotunji Oyeleke (of Ile Asalofa) took the garland as the first indigene to serve as the Headmaster of St. Marks Primary School in 1917.
It is not anomalous for Reverend R.N. Ludlow to come first on the list of contributors to education advancement in Ofa especially in the formation of the famous Ofa Grammar School (OGS) of which he was the first Manager. Closely followed by the first university graduate in Ofa - Mr. Augustus Bandele Oyediran (Ile Ologiri), the first African Principal of Methodist Boys High School Lagos and the first General Secretary of Ofa Descendants Union who lent his wealth of intellect and experience to the school during its gestation period. The monetary and intellectual contributions of the following people to the progress of education cannot be quantified: Pa John Opaleke, Pa J.O.S. Onawola, Rev. J.B. Olafimihan (the first indigene to be principal of OGS), Pa Solere, Pa J. Olatunji, Alhaji Sani Giwa Ilesanmi, Alhaji Bello Ajibade Jato, Alhaji Aliyu Onaolapo Olatinwo, Alhaji Gbadamosi Adeyemi Ijaiya, Mr. John Awotunji Oyeleke and all the 351 donors for the offtake of OGS in 1943 among others will remain indelible.
The pioneering efforts of Chief (Mrs) Felicia Adeola Adesiyun in the establishment of the first private primary school (Adeola Model School in 1960) and Chief Emmanuel Adesoye who gave Ofa a world-class private secondary school cannot be forgotten. Others who belong to the pantheons of education temple are Alhaji Sakariyah Moradeyo Dolapo, Architect Dejo Omotosho, Alhaji Tiamiyu Olatinwo, Prince Yunus Abioye Oyeleke, Prince Michael Olarinoye Popoola (Baba Teacher), Pa Nathaniel King Olawoyin, Chief Morohunfola and the latest to join them – Professor Jamiu Mosobalaje Olaloye Oyawoye.
We remember with accolades the brains behind the founding of Olalomi Comprehensive College in 1979 and those who assisted with funds and infrastructure for its take-off by providing all the 35 buildings required (Alhaji Karimu Olagunju Ile Aade provided the coaster bus, Dr J.D. Soleye donated the clinic, Prince Yunus Abioye Oyeleke (library), Alhaji Yusuf Giwa (admin block), Alhaji Sani Aba Balogun, Alhaji Tiamiyu Olatinwo, Alhaji Bello Asunmo Agunbiade, Alhaji Yusuf Adebayo, Pa Amosun, Chief Adesoye and others donated a block of classroom each).
Similarly, the four High Chiefs of Olofa Olawore Ariwajoye II who embraced and gladly accepted to host the four newly established secondary schools in 1981 (Moremi High School, Iyeru Grammar School, Okin High School, Ofa Community Grammar School).
I must not end this segment without mentioning the first set of public letter writer in Ofa – Pa Ojo Soleye (Baba Letter writer) of Ile Eejisun and Pa James Agboola of Ile Aponbi. Both of them held forth and filled the communication gap until the literacy level improved in Ofa. We thank them for their contributions.
The Ofa of today has made a huge leapt in educational advancement; between 1912 and 1962 Ofa had 10 primary schools and only 4 secondary schools. Today, the town can boast of over 50 public primary schools, 30 public secondary schools, 544 private secondary schools, 108 private secondary schools, and 12 tertiary institutions. Alhaja Raliat Oyenike Sanni (nee Oyeleke) blazed the trail in girl-child education as the first female university graduate in Ofa. Ofa today is knocking on the doors of the Guinness World Records as the single town with the highest number of professors; about 10 of them have held the position of Vice Chancellors in various universities.

https://newsbulletin.com.ng/2023/07/02/ofa-of-yesterday-today-and-tomorrow-the-inspiring-roles-of-indigenes-in-community-development/