Samuel Adesina Gbadebo, otherwise known as Gbadebo II, was a Nigerian traditional monarch who held the title of Alake of Egbaland. Prior to becoming Alake, Gbadebo organized agricultural shows in the Western region of Nigeria.

Life

Gbadebo was born in September 1908 to the royal family of Oba Gbadebo I and Esther Omolara. He graduated from

Abeokuta Grammar School Abeokuta Grammar School is a secondary school in the city of Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria. It is currently located at Idi-Aba area, of Abeokuta. Often called the first grammar school in Nigeria, it is attended by students from all parts of Nige ...

. He began his professional career within the Egba Native Authority, where he had the opportunity to work with Alake

Ladapo Ademola Oba Sir Ladapo Samuel Ademola KBE, CMG (1872–1962), also known as Ademola II, was the Alake of Abeokuta from 1920 to 1962. Before he was crowned Alake, Ademola was involved in the affairs of the Egba United Government. As a member of th ...

, who took interest in his career. Thereafter, he joined the staff of the

Nigerian Railway Corporation Nigerian Railway Corporation (commonly abbreviated as NRC) is the state-owned enterprise with exclusive rights to operate railways in Nigeria. History and legislative background The Nigerian Railway Corporation traces its history to the year ...

as a clerk, he worked for the railways thereafter in both the Eastern and Western regions. In 1936, he returned to

Abeokuta Abeokuta is the capital city of Ogun State in southwest Nigeria. It is situated on the east bank of the Ogun River, near a group of rocky outcrops in a wooded savanna; north of Lagos by railway, or by water. , Abeokuta and the surrounding a ...

, engaged with the Egba Native Authority, he took classes in forestry at

Ibadan Ibadan (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Oyo State, in Nigeria. It is the third-largest city by population in Nigeria after Lagos and Kano, with a total population of 3,649,000 as of 2021, and over 6 million people within its me ...

and later became head of forestry for the Egba Native Authority. Between 1954 and 1955, he was in training at the British Forestry Commission. When he returned to Nigeria, he worked for the Western region in promoting agricultural shows. In 1963, he was appointed Alake of Egbaland. In his new role, he established an advisory committee consisting of the four areas of Abeokuta: Ake, Gbagura, Oke-Ona and Owu. The committee's decisions were forwarded to the district council for guidance on Abeokuta matters. Gbadebo also instigated a unifying committee to manage the affairs of the Abeokuta Urban District Council and Abeokuta Divisional Council. He sided with Akintola's NNA alliance during the Western region political crisis between 1964 and 1966 and sought to use his patronage to support Egbaland. He died in 1971 and was succeeded by Oba Lipede. He is an uncle of Oba Gbadebo III.

References

{{reflist Abeokuta Nigerian_traditional_rulers