AJAGBA:- ORIGIN The origin of Ajagba Kingdom in Irele Local Government area of Ondo State lies in Ile Ife prior to the coming of Oduduwa and his train. The date of migration could not be accurately confirmed since written records were hardly available. The traditional dating system was in the form of animal festivals, shifting cultivation, storage of one cowry every year and counting them at the demise of every ruler. The date of migration was however placed at circa 1010A. Three prominent rulers left Ile Ife at the same time. Their reason for migrating was not unconnected with the ambition of Oduduwa to install his children as rulers wherever he went. Orinuwa, Orunmaken and Jowiri became disenchanted with the monarchical ambition of Oduduwa. They therefore decided to migrate rather than becoming subservient to the over-lordship of Oduduwa. Orinuwa became the king of Benin and head of Benin Empire. Orunmaken went to Ugbo and became the king of Ugbo. Jowiri became the Ahaba of Ajagba. Jowiri stayed briefly with the Olugbo at Ugbo. However a slave named Akoko stole the crown and other royal effigies of Jowiri. A search party pursued him and overtook him near Ojuolo now Ojuala. There the crown was retrieved from him and he was consequently killed. The particular incident that led to the retrieval of the crown led to the name of the title of the monarch being Ahaba and the fact that the crown was retrieved through violence made the town to be named Ajagba. The fact that the slave was named Akoko made it a taboo to use akoko leaves during the coronation of kings at Ajagba. In other Yoruba towns and villages, Akoko leaves are associated with royalty but Ajagba remains the only town where the tree and its leaves are abhorred in obvious reference to the effrontery of Akoko. At the dawn of Ajagba, Akarigbo, Yasere, Awotale and Lemagbuwa were all living together. The place they lived was called Ajagba. There was a court headed by Yasere because he was learned. OBA THOMAS ADESAYO IN HISTORY ‘Prior to the emergence of the British administration in the history of Nigeria, every Oba was independent in his domain except the vassal or tributary towns who held the title of Baale or Oloja if the town was big but did not have beaded or crowned Oba. The Olugbo of ugbo in Ondo State is now a first class monarch while the Ahaba remains a second class Oba. It is an irony that both the Ahaba of Ajagba and the Olugbo of Ugbo were traditional colleagues who left Ile-Ife at the same time.’ The death of the immediate predecessor Oba Michael Olasehinde Elumaro who departed this world and joined his ancestors in 1985 left the position vacant for fifteen years without a successor. During that period of interregnum, local government creation, chieftaincy review commission, upgrading of traditional monarchs, federal, states, and local government benefits were allocated and re-allocated to Obas in various kingdoms to the exclusion of Ajagba kingdom. Neighbouring and subservient towns that hitherto had Oloja titles overtook Ajagba for no just cause. Other traditional colleagues of the same rank and status particularly Olugbo of Ugbo, Amapetu of Mahin, etc. who are closest living examples were elevated to grade A monarchs leaving Ahaba behind. The Ahaba of Ajagba has not failed to support the government of the day and has not committed any negation of the common laws of the land and humanity. In the whole Ikale kingdoms, before the creation of local governments such as Irele, Ese Odo, Ilaje, and Okitipupa, there was no kingdom that was higher than Ajagba. Since the yardstick for measuring the status and premium position of an Oba should be true history rather than politics, Ajagba has been a true colleague of the Olugbo, Abodi, and Amapetu. It is pathetic that these monarchs are today considered grade A Obas in Ondo State. If an undergraduate of recognized university writes an examination and scores a first class, but falls ill later, the result will not be changed to a third class after recovery from the illness. The above argument shows that the period of interregnum in Ajagba should not be a basis for relegating the position of the monarch below his colleagues nor place it below its juniors. Justice therefore requires that the position of the Oba of Ajagba should be upgraded in line with the true spirit of democracy, justice and fair play. As a result, the position of the Ahaba of Ajagba should be brought to be at par with those of Olugbo of Ugbo, Amapetu of Mahin, and other traditional colleagues who held exact status before the period of interregnum earlier mentioned. In 1954, the Ahaba of Ajagba Oba Olasehinde Elumaro was appointed the permanent president of the Bini Confederation District Native Authority. The Ahaba of Ajagba Oba Olasehinde Elumaro was a member of Western House of Chiefs Ibadan in 1960 where he also doubled as a member of Public Petitions Committee. Oba Elumaro Oba Michael Elumaro Olasehinde was a descendant of Awotale family. It is noteworthy that Awotale was a female child of Lemagbuwa. She however received favour from her father through her humane disposition to the welfare of the father who then a king in the land. She cared for him during the period of need. He prayed for her and her descendants. The result is the astronomical leap of her descendants. From that lineage great monarchs had emerged. They include: Kaka, Awotale, Olasehinde and Elumaro who was the son of Olasehinde. Elumaro ascended the throne in 1955. He was educated at Ondo Boys’ High School and enlisted in the Nigeria Police. He reigned for thirty-three years on the throne. He was the first to own a car in the town. He initiated the construction of Irele-Sabomi-Ugbotu-Ajagba road. He would drive his car to Ajagba through the barge he constructed on the river at Ugbotu. The car would be paddled through the river to the other side. There was a particular incident involving the great monarch and the paddlers at Ugbotu. He was then the Secretary to the House of chiefs Meeting in Ibadan. He was billed to travel to Ibadan to attend the meeting. However, that was not to be because the paddlers at Ugbotu delayed his journey through their indifference to the seriousness of the business at hand. He arrived at Ibadan very late and was pissed off that he could not meet the meeting in session. He arrived home and immediately initiated the processes of constructing another road through O-t-u River to Omi and Irele through the assistance of Aribo, Konye and other prominent people at Irele in 1972. The farmers at the Irele end were prevailed upon not to collect compensations on their farm products that were destroyed in the process of constructing the road. Ajagba and Notable Quarters Yasere: The origin of the people of Yasere could be traced to Benin. Their forefather named Igbinedion was originally at Yasere village. Later, he migrated to Benin. While there, he took ill and it was revealed to the relations that he could only recover if he returned to Yasere where the shrine of a deity named Orisalugbo was located. Through the assistance of his elder brother named Ogebor, Igbinedion returned to the village. Not only that he settled there and other members of the team returned home. A wife named Orisayameno was later brought for Igbinedion at Yasere village. Before long, Igbinedion regained his health. He remained at Yasere and gave birth to Olupitan, Ikudabo, Orisaseyi and Adekaun. Olupitan gave birth to Emmanuel Leji and another male child who was named Olupitan after the original Olupitan and other children such as Fagbemi, Ijimakin, Eyito, Nayewun, Joseph Akinnagbe, Matthew Mefika Olowolagba the father of Abayomi Olowolagba, Orisatomo a female child who got married to a man at Fayo, Leah Gboje who got married to Tewe, Duroje who got married to a man at Ijuosun and thus gave birth to Lawson. Adekaun gave birth to an only son named Omamoyehan. Ikudabo gave birth to Inuebimi, Lamoye, Oke, Arowosogun and Wiliki while Orisaseyi gave birth to Okeya. Fayo: Moses Olamiyeye Aladekoye the son of Aladebehinje Fayo narrated the origin of the folk at Fayo to the author. The mother was named Orisatomo: ‘Fayo folk were the descendants of Oba of Benin. The children of the Oba of Benin were many and a time, they decided to leave one by one towards founding separate entities. The folk first settled at Ugbo because Olugbo was their uncle. After some years at Ugbo, they migrated. They settled at Ojuolo now Ojuala. They found Apoi people there and decided to migrate further to the present location of Ajagba. Both Jowiri and Fayo had their crowns.’ Memorable people from the family of Aladekoye include: Mofolorunso Aladekoye, William Aladekoye, Rufus Aladekoye, Alfred Aladekoye, Adeolu Aladekoye and others.
Posted on: Tue, 04 Mar 2014 05:22:51 +0000
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