Eulogy for Alaafin Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III
‘I SHALL BE GREAT, I SHALL BE THE NEXT ALAAFIN’
In 1968, the powerful Alaafin Bello Gbadegesin Ladigbolu passed on to join his ancestors. He succeeded Alaafin Adeniran Adeyemi II, in 1955. The 30-year-old young Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi, then an Insurance executive, with the Royal Exchange Assurance Limited, gleefully pronounced himself as the succeeding Alaafin in an article in major Nigerian newspapers ably titled “I Shall Be Great, I shall Be The Next Alaafin Of Oyo.” Certainly, the piece was an inspirational product of defiance, faith, boldness, sagacity and audacity. In navigating the labyrinths of Alaafin Lamidi Olayiwola’s intriguing, chequered, fascinating, memorable and distinguished career as Alaafin of Oyo, the title of this piece, certainly suits the narratives. Here is the chronicle.
Destiny has an uncanny hand in the conduct and affairs of men. In Yoruba pantheon, it could be likened to “ori”, literally meaning head, that is, a person’s spiritual intuition. It is often personified as an orisha in its own rights. It foretells the human essence and consciousness. Whatever one becomes, or whatever happens in one’s life, according to Yoruba myth is as destined by his “ori.”
Man’s unalterable destiny is usually a navigated journey of an unseen hand. In the course of that journey, the navigator charts the course and directs the route. And such is the life and times of Alaafin Adeniran Adeyemi, and his biological son, Alaafin Lamidi Olayiwola Atanda Adeyemi.
As an interface between the reigns of Adeniran Adeyemi and Lamidi Adeyemi, was a reigning monarch- Alaafin Bello Gbadegesin Ladigbolu, who succeeded Adeniran Adeyemi in 1955 and whom Lamidi Adeyemi also succeeded, on the 19th of November 1970.
Destiny, certainly leads to human destination. Among Oba Adeniran’s children, Lamidi Adeyemi was his favourite. He had seen at Lamidi’s birth on the 15th of October 1938, the lacerations on his left breast and the spots on his legs, at the same spots on Olayiwola, as tell-tale signs of future royalty. This royal observation, endeared Lamidi’s mother, Olori Ibironke of Epo Gingin, Compound, Oke Afin, Oyo, to Adeniran Adeyemi. Unfortunately, Olori Ibironke died at an early age, when Lamidi was still an infant.
Alaafin Siyanbola Ladigbolu I, was Alaafin of Oyo between 1911 to 1945 and was succeeded in 1945 by Adeniran Adeyemi. Siyanbola Ladigbolu, was a very powerful monarch and he was a strong ally of the British Resident, Captain W.A Ross. In 1945, Adeniran Adeyemi succeeded him as Alaafin of Oyo and was on the throne till 1955, when he was sent on exile by the Western Region Government.
In preparation for royalty, the young Lamidi had a brief training in Quranic knowledge in Iseyin and also lived under the tutelage of Pa Olatoregun, an Anglican school teacher and headmaster of St. Andrews Primary School, Oyo, and disciplinarian, all in an effort for young Lamidi, to learn the rope of traditional kingship, statesmanship and dignifying royalty. Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, in the quest of this preparation for royalty, was at an early age, sent to Abeokuta to live with Oba Adedapo Ademola and had some part of his early education in Ake Palace Elementary School and he was until his death, fluent in the Egba dialect.
Interestingly, Peter Olayiwola Adeyemi and Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi, were peers in the palace of their father-Adeniran and were of the same age grade. He saw a great future in these his two children. At the time he sent Lamidi to the palace of the Alake of Egbaland to live, he
also sent Peter Olayiwola to the palace of the Orimolusi of Ijebu Igbo to live. Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi, at a later date in his adolescence also lived with a Lagos Aristocrat, his father’s friend- Sir (Dr) Kofo Abayomi.
In Ijebu Igbo, Peter embraced Christianity and became a devout catholic. He was absorbed into the Ijebu culture, had his primary and secondary education in Ijebu land, from where he joined the Catholic seminary and was eventually ordained a Catholic priest for the Archdiocese of Lagos on the 13th of November, 1975.
He was for 46 years, devotedly in the vine yard of God. He was described as an awesome and dedicated priest. He died on the 3rd of May, 2021 at Sacred heart hospital, Lantoro, Abeokuta.
The Very Rev. Peter Olayiwola Adeyemi, was buried at the Ikoyi Cemetry, Lagos.
At a condolence visit, led by catholic pontiffs, to the Oyo Palace, to commiserate with the Iku baba Yeye on the death of his brother, prince, peer and soul mate, he went philosophical in his response“we all try to live a fulfilling life, but there is a great fear of death that tends to hold many people back from living the life they want to. It tends to be the unknown world that makes us be fearful of death, but when you start to look at death from a different perspective, it can clear away some of the fears”
“these quotes about life and death will remind you to live each day to the fullest and not to fear death so much. Life is such a wonderful gift, it makes me humble each time I stop to think about it. Think about going to sleep and never waking up again”
From Peter Olayiwola Adeyemi’s death, Iku Baba Yeye, like a seer, knew his own exit was iminent. In their early days in the palace, the two Olayiwolas, were inseparable duos. Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi at a later date in his adolescence, also lived with a Lagos Aeristocrat, his father’s friend, Sir. (Dr.) Kofo Abayomi and his wife, Lady Oyinkan Abayomi. He also attended St Gregory’s College, Lagos- a Catholic School. The young Lamidi Adeyemi lived with Oba Samuel Oladapo Ademola II, the Alake of Egba Land in the Ake palace between 1947 and 1948, when the Egba Women’s Union, led by Mrs Funmilayo Ransome Kuti, protested against payment of taxes without representation.
Mrs. Ransome Kuti, who had earlier in 1943, organised the Abeokuta “Great Weep” was becoming a big thorn in the flesh of Oba Oladapo II. It was regarded as a “hell of a time”. In the streets, the market places, before the Alake’s palace, thousands of Abeokuta women, went about shedding tears. The Alake and the authorities could do nothing to stop it and gave way to the women’s demands.
Mrs Ransome Kuti picked up the gauntlet again in 1948, when the Alake sanctioned the taxing of Abeokuta women. The Egba women’s union, was a well-organized and disciplined organization. The Egba women’s refusal to pay abnormal tax, combined with enormous protests, organised under the guise of picnics and festivals, was a guise to beat the security of the British colonizers, who teamed up with the local lackeys, to subdue the women. At one protest, the “Oro” stick, was brought out- a symbolic artefact of the secretive male cult of the Ogbonis, supposedly imbibed with great powers and the women were instructed to go home before evil spirits overcame them. When the women shrank back in fear, Funmilayo Rasome Kuti grabbed the stick, waved it around that the women now had the power before taking it with her displaying it prominently in her home. This action gave her, a reputation of fearlessness and courage, which led 20,000 women to follow her to the home of Alake of Egba Land (Alake Ademola). As the women protested outside the King’s Palace, they sang in Yoruba, “Alake, for a long time, you have used your penis as mark of authority, that you are our husband, today we shall reverse the order and use our vagina, to play the role of husband.” With this unified action and song, they chased him out of the Palace, condemning him to exile on the threat of castration and this resulted in the king’s abdication and his exile to Osogbo.
Mrs Funmilayo Ransome Kuti was a teacher, a political campaigner, women’s rights activist and traditional aristocrat, who was described by the West African Pilot Newspaper, as the “Lioness of Lisabi.” She was the first woman to ride a car. She was also the mother of Afro beat legend, Fela Anikulapo Kuti. Her amiable consort in this crusade was Eniola Soyinka, her sister-in-law and mother of the Nobel Laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka.
It is interesting to note that Oba Oladapo Ademola II, was accompanied to exile by Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi, who was then living with him and who saw this interesting drama.
As a result of the Macpherson constitution of 1952, which now gave immense powers to political elites as against traditional institutions, the powers of the traditional monarchs as regards the political control of their domains ceased. Chief Bode Thomas now became the first chairman of the Oyo Divisional council in 1953, while the Alaafin of Oyo became a mere member.
On Chief Bode Thomas’ first appearance in council, after being appointed as chairman, all the council members stood up for him in deference to welcome him except Oba Adeniran Adeyemi II, who for cultural reasons could not show deference to anyone in public. Bode Thomas rudely shouted at the king, for having the temerity and audacity to disrespect him, “why were you sitting when I walked in, you don’t know how to show respect.”
At that time, Bode Thomas was 35 years old and Oba Adeniran Adeyemi was in his 80s. The Alaafin felt very insulted and said, “se emi lon gbomo baun (is it me you are barking at like that?) Oba Adeniran Adeyemi II, for emphasis, was father of the late Alaafin- Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III.
The confrontation happened on the 22nd of November, 1953. Bode got home and started barking! He barked and barked like a dog all night until he died in the early morning of November 23rd, 1953, He cut short his promising career.
Before Alaafin’s deposition, around the middle of 1955, the Western Regional Government, set up the Floyd Commission of enquiry to look into the causes of persistent unrest in Oyo Land. A few months after the Floyd commission had concluded its enquiries and submitted its findings, the bombshell fell. At the tottering age of 84 years, Adeniran Adeyemi was told by the Regional Government to quit the palace and that was a journey into the unknown that ended with his demise on the 14th February 1960.
From Iwo-Oke to Ilesha and then to Egerton Lane in Lagos, the ex Alaafin- Alhaji Adeniran Adeyemi, certainly saw the other side of life after palace. Alhaji N.B Soule, a rich Dahomean, (Republic of Benin), who came to Lagos in 1929, offered Adeniran the needed succour and encouragement at this trying period. He offered him and his entourage bed and lodgings in the name of Allah and in allegiance to the NCNC. The NCNC as a party which the Alaafin loved, fought for his reinstatement with various petitions to the Colonial Secretary and parliamentary warfare on the floor of the Western House of Assembly. The Oyos were predominantly NCNC members, and were led by Pa Afolabi.
Alafin Adeniran Adeyemi once said, “I was sent away by Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s Action Group government, because of my unflinching support for the cause of the NCNC... I am not angry with Chief Awolowo, in fact, I am not angry with any one person or group of persons or organisations, I am only angry with destiny, that in at it has chosen to push me out of my palace and stool to face the uncertainties of life at my old age. The £210 subsidy from the regional government was cut off.”
In exile in Lagos, at the No. 31 Egerton Lane, thousands of men and women flocked the residence, to pay their respect and obeisance to the 88-year-old ex-monarch and in retrospect and appreciation, he once said, “these people are very kind and their daily respect to me remind me of my palace at Oyo. And there were many people in that palace during my time. I had over 200 wives and many children and of course, I was receiving a stipend of £210 every month from the regional government. This, together with the gifts many of my subjects were making me, was enough to support my household. What you see here, though the best of the worst, is not like home home is still the best.”
The ex-Alaafin always had about 30 odd wives at a time in Lagos.
These 30 from the pool of 200 wives will come at one time and spend all the time they can afford with their royal husband and go back to Oyo-making place for another 30, who will come and take over from them, until the number is rounded up and begins to rotate again. But to Alhaji Adeniran Adeyemi, it was not all merry. He lost his crowned prince, Aremo Adeyemi, in a ghastly motor accident on his way to llesha to visit him. Certainly, the mishmash of the life of Egerton lane, could not be compared with the royal revelry, elegance and candour of the Oyo Royal Palace.
Sometime in early 1960, Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi, secured admission to study law in the United Kingdom. He got a loan from the African Continental Bank, (ACB) Yaba Lagos, through the influence of Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, his father’s friend and was to proceed to the United Kingdom, when unfortunately, his father, Alhaji Adeniran Adeyemi died 48 hours to the London trip on the 14th of February 1960, at the age of 88 years.