{{Short description, Aristrocratic attribute in Yoruba culture Eso Ikoyi (also appearing as Esho Ikoyi) is an

aristocratic Aristocracy (, ) is a form of government that places strength in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocrats. The term derives from the el, αριστοκρατία (), meaning 'rule of the best'. At the time of the word's ...

attribute amongst the

Yoruba people The Yoruba people (, , ) are a West African ethnic group that mainly inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The areas of these countries primarily inhabited by Yoruba are often collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba constitute ...

which denotes an eminent

warrior A warrior is a person specializing in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal or clan-based warrior culture society that recognizes a separate warrior aristocracies, class, or caste. History Warriors seem to have been p ...

. It has been used as everything from a chieftaincy title to a part of

praise poetry A panegyric ( or ) is a formal public speech or written verse, delivered in high praise of a person or thing. The original panegyrics were speeches delivered at public events in ancient Athens. Etymology The word originated as a compound of grc ...

History

The Eso of Ikoyi were a class of military aristocrats that were just a rank below the

Oyo Mesi The Oyo Mesi is the privy council of Oyo, Oyo State, Oyo, a Yoruba people, Yoruba List of Nigerian traditional states, traditional state in Southwestern Nigeria. It dates to the medieval period, when it served as the government of a powerful pre-co ...

(or council of State) of

Old Oyo The Oyo Empire was a powerful Yoruba empire of West Africa made up of parts of present-day eastern Benin and western Nigeria (including Southwest zone and the western half of Northcentral zone). It grew to become the largest Yoruba-speaking ...

, a Yoruba empire that flourished in the medieval and early modern periods. They were originally a professional group of

cavalry officer Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry i ...

s who became the elite corps of the Oyo army. They evolved within a number of prominent families in Ikoyi, in the metropolitan province of Oyo in the 17th and 18th centuries, manifesting and sustaining high standards of bravery and proficiency, with their own culture and code of honour handed down from father to son. With the collapse of the empire at the beginning of the 19th century, and the shift of the capital southwards into the forest zone, cavalry ceased to be the elite of Oyo's army, and the Eso of Ikoyi were dispersed to learn new arts of war. Among generations of descendants, young men in several locations often called Ikoyi aspired to live up to the reputation of the Eso. By the second half of the 19th century, Eso had become a title of honour that was conferred on individual younger warriors for outstanding achievement in battle, reminiscent of the bravery and code of honour of the classical Eso of Ikoyi.

Notable bearers

Okukenu Okukenu Sagbua (fl. 1845-1862) was a Yoruba Egba chief. He was a founding member of the Ogboni of Egbaland, and also served as the first Alake of Egbaland. Life Upon the exodus of the Egba refugees to the comparative safety of Olumo Rock in th ...

, Sagbua I of

Egbaland The Egba people are a subgroup of the Yoruba people, an ethnic group of western Nigeria, a majority of whom are from the central part of Ogun State that is Ogun Central Senatorial District. Ogun Central Senatorial District comprises six local g ...

. Although Sagbua was originally an Eso title, its first Egba bearer, Okukenu, was admitted to the civil division of the

Ogboni Ogboni (also known as Osugbo in Ijèbú) is a fraternal institution indigenous to the Yoruba-speaking polities of Nigeria, Republic of Bénin and Togo, as well as among the Edo people. The society performs a range of political and religious fun ...

of Egbaland while holding it. Due to this, it remains a civil title to this day in that kingdom. Okukenu later relinquished it in order to become the first Alake of Egbaland. *Lasilo, Osiele I of Osiele. A contemporary of Okukenu's and a fellow holder of an originally Eso chieftaincy, Lasilo was admitted to the military division of the Egba Ogboni while holding the title of Osiele. He thus became the first Egba chief to rule over the Osiele military outpost that eventually became a suburb of Abeokuta. Like Sagbua, Osiele continues to be used as a title of honour in the Egba chieftaincy hierarchy to this day. *

Kayode Eso Chief Samuel Obakayode "Kayode" Eso, CON, CFR (born 18 September 1925 – 16 November 2012) was a prominent Nigerian jurist. He served as a Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria. Early life Samuel Obakayode Eso was born on 18 September 19 ...

, a member of the Odumirin/Arobiomo chieftaincy family of

Ilesha Ilesa () is an ancient town located in the Osun State, southwest Nigeria; it is also the name of a historic kingdom (also known as Ijesha) centred on that village. The state is ruled by a monarch bearing the title of the Owa Obokun Adimula of Ij ...

. Mr. Eso's grandfather, Ifaturoti, was a holder of the Eso chieftaincy title. As a result, the Eso family's praise poetry describes their history: ''Eso Ikoyi, Eso Aduroja, Apara Ogun bi eni pa'le''. When translated to English, this becomes "Eso of Ikoyi, the one who waits to fight, who finishes off the war with the care of one rubbing paint on a paved wall".J.F. Ade.Ajayi and Yemi Akinseye-George (2002), "Kayode Eso: The Making of a Judge", p 2.

References

African nobility Yoruba warriors Noble titles African traditional governments Cavalry

History

Notable bearers

See also

References