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On Prince Gbadebo's return, Adesoji's older sister Ibiyemi, unable to contain her excitement of the news, had to be held back from initial physical contact with her war-weary and juju laden father. Until he had rid himself of his protective war attire by appeasing his gods, then was it safe to embrace his family.
Prince Gbadebo being an Ifa priest, presented his newborn to his Ifa Oracle demanding to know what the future holds for the new baby Aderemi. The father was told to bow to his son. The Ifa predicted that baby Aderemi, was going to wear the crown of his ancestors, that his reign will be known far and wide, and he will come in contact with strangers in far away places. Prince Gbadebo told his wife to get coral beads to dress his son as was customary for royalty. In the belief of the oracle, mother-Adekunbi went into protective mode, always washing Aderemi in herbs, until he outgrew her methods. His father died in 1897 when he was 8 years old. Having lost his father at an early age, he was raised by his mother. The emergence of Christianity dissuaded his mother from the traditional family worship of Ifa, hence his enrollment at the new local Christian primary school of St Phillips, Ife, as one of the first students in Ife to attend a local school in 1901.
The young Prince Aderemi had a vision. His objection to farming with his much older and beloved brother, Papa Prince Adeyemo, led to his enrollment at the Anglican primary school at Aiyetoro, Ile-Ife. Under the tutelage and mentorship of Revd Canon J Adejumo, a.k.a. Baba Aiyetoro, who later became his father in law. He had an affinity for the law profession and could have travelled to the United Kingdom for the law programme, with his contemporaries of the day - Bashiru Augusto. Not Aderemi, he had a date with destiny - the Ife Crown. Despite losing his father Prince Gbadebo so early, he kept his ambition on track ,thanks to his mother Adekunbi Ipetu, who had her husband's early Ifa Oracle prediction behind her mind.
On the 2nd of September, he became the 49th Ooni of Ife. He was widely dubbed the first literate Ooni. Oba Aderemi quickly acclimatised himself to his new environment, at 40, he was the youngest of the Yoruba Obas at the time. Oba Aderemi with the aid of the traditional Ife elders, (Obalufe, Obajio, Obaloran, Wasin, Obalaye, Akogun, Jagunosin, Ejesi), formed the administrative set up that transformed the ancient town in the next decade. Oba Aderemi championed Education during his reign as Ooni, which was the sentiment behind the foundation of Oduduwa College in January 1932. Oba Aderemi personally funded the construction of the Secondary School, a model institution at the time; Oba Aderemi believed that the surest way to facilitate and sustain modernisation is through education.
A great landmark of his reign pertaining education was the foundation of the University of Ife, which many attributed to Oba Aderemi’s influence in the ruling Government, with the Ooni tenaciously proposing Ife as the ideal location for the foremost institution to be situated. Oba Aderemi constructed the main building of his palace, which remains a mainstay of the Ife palace to date - with its unique colonial-style. Ooni Aderemi served as the permanent chairman of the council of Obas from 1966-1980.
His reign as Ooni was remarkably peaceful, with his innovative ideas in business creating a pathway to wealth for a lot of indigenes, especially in the agriculture industry, where he was a business leader himself.
Sir
''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as ...
Titus Martins Adesoji Tadeniawo Aderemi (Atobatele I), alias Adesoji Aderemi, (15 November 1889 – 3 July 1980), was a Nigerian political figure
A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...
and Yoruba traditional ruler as the Ooni (King
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king.
*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
) of Ife (or ''Ilé-Ifẹ̀'', as it is properly known) from 1930 until 1980. He served as the governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
of Western Region, Nigeria
The former Western State of Nigeria was formed in 1967 when the Western Region was subdivided into the states of Lagos and Western State. Its capital was Ibadan, which was the capital of the old region.
In 1976, the state was subdivided into thre ...
between 1960 and 1962.
Adesoji Aderemi was known as a wealthy man and had a large family of many wives and children. One of his children was the civil servant Tejumade Alakija.
During the colonial era, the Oba Ooni gained a considerable amount of power due to the colonial policy of indirect rule and being labelled a first class Oba among traditional rulers in Yorubaland
Yorubaland () is the homeland and cultural region of the Yoruba people in West Africa. It spans the modern-day countries of Nigeria, Togo and Benin, and covers a total land area of 142,114 km2 or about 60% of the land area of Ghana. Of this ...
. The policy of indirect rule
Indirect rule was a system of governance used by the British and others to control parts of their colonial empires, particularly in Africa and Asia, which was done through pre-existing indigenous power structures. Indirect rule was used by vario ...
was used to ensure native awareness and consultations about colonial policies affecting the regions. The British leaned on existing native political structures and hierarchy, particularly the Nigerian traditional rulers
Nigerian traditional rulers often derive their titles from the rulers of independent states or communities that existed before the formation of modern Nigeria. Although they do not have formal political power, in many cases they continue to comma ...
, for political consultation and tax collection. Later on, the Ooni with the consent of the leading Yoruba political leaders used his position to close the gaps of exploitation of divisional differences among Yorubas and tried fervently to rally the Yoruba towards a common goal. In 1962, the king acting as governor, used his power to remove the premier of the region, sensing the premier did not have the support of the majority members of the House of Assembly. The event escalated the political rivalries in the region.
Early life
He was born on the 15th of November 1889, during the turbulence of the Yoruba civil war to Prince Osundeyi Gbadebo of the Osinkola ruling house ofIle Ife
Ile may refer to:
* iLe, a Puerto Rican singer
* Ile District (disambiguation), multiple places
* Ilé-Ifẹ̀, an ancient Yoruba city in south-western Nigeria
* Interlingue (ISO 639:ile), a planned language
* Isoleucine, an amino acid
* Anothe ...
and Madam Adekunbi Itiola of Ipetumodu, (she was his 19th and youngest wife). In the absence of his warrior father, who was on a war expedition; he was named Adesoji Aderemi, meaning "The crown has woken up," and "The crown consoles me," respectively.
On Prince Gbadebo's return, Adesoji's older sister Ibiyemi, unable to contain her excitement of the news, had to be held back from initial physical contact with her war-weary and juju laden father. Until he had rid himself of his protective war attire by appeasing his gods, then was it safe to embrace his family.
Prince Gbadebo being an Ifa priest, presented his newborn to his Ifa Oracle demanding to know what the future holds for the new baby Aderemi. The father was told to bow to his son. The Ifa predicted that baby Aderemi, was going to wear the crown of his ancestors, that his reign will be known far and wide, and he will come in contact with strangers in far away places. Prince Gbadebo told his wife to get coral beads to dress his son as was customary for royalty. In the belief of the oracle, mother-Adekunbi went into protective mode, always washing Aderemi in herbs, until he outgrew her methods. His father died in 1897 when he was 8 years old. Having lost his father at an early age, he was raised by his mother. The emergence of Christianity dissuaded his mother from the traditional family worship of Ifa, hence his enrollment at the new local Christian primary school of St Phillips, Ife, as one of the first students in Ife to attend a local school in 1901.
The young Prince Aderemi had a vision. His objection to farming with his much older and beloved brother, Papa Prince Adeyemo, led to his enrollment at the Anglican primary school at Aiyetoro, Ile-Ife. Under the tutelage and mentorship of Revd Canon J Adejumo, a.k.a. Baba Aiyetoro, who later became his father in law. He had an affinity for the law profession and could have travelled to the United Kingdom for the law programme, with his contemporaries of the day - Bashiru Augusto. Not Aderemi, he had a date with destiny - the Ife Crown. Despite losing his father Prince Gbadebo so early, he kept his ambition on track ,thanks to his mother Adekunbi Ipetu, who had her husband's early Ifa Oracle prediction behind her mind.
Ooni of Ife: 1930-1980
Prince Aderemi’s wealth and exposure made him the clear candidate to rise to the throne of Ile-Ife. Upon the death of Oba Ademiluyi, his predecessor, he became the outstanding contestant for the throne.
On the 2nd of September, he became the 49th Ooni of Ife. He was widely dubbed the first literate Ooni. Oba Aderemi quickly acclimatised himself to his new environment, at 40, he was the youngest of the Yoruba Obas at the time. Oba Aderemi with the aid of the traditional Ife elders, (Obalufe, Obajio, Obaloran, Wasin, Obalaye, Akogun, Jagunosin, Ejesi), formed the administrative set up that transformed the ancient town in the next decade. Oba Aderemi championed Education during his reign as Ooni, which was the sentiment behind the foundation of Oduduwa College in January 1932. Oba Aderemi personally funded the construction of the Secondary School, a model institution at the time; Oba Aderemi believed that the surest way to facilitate and sustain modernisation is through education.
A great landmark of his reign pertaining education was the foundation of the University of Ife, which many attributed to Oba Aderemi’s influence in the ruling Government, with the Ooni tenaciously proposing Ife as the ideal location for the foremost institution to be situated. Oba Aderemi constructed the main building of his palace, which remains a mainstay of the Ife palace to date - with its unique colonial-style. Ooni Aderemi served as the permanent chairman of the council of Obas from 1966-1980.
His reign as Ooni was remarkably peaceful, with his innovative ideas in business creating a pathway to wealth for a lot of indigenes, especially in the agriculture industry, where he was a business leader himself.
References
Further reading
*A. I. Asiwaju, "Political Motivation and Oral Historical Traditions in Africa: The Case of Yoruba Crowns", ''Journal of the International African Institute'', Vol. 46, No. 2 (1976) {{DEFAULTSORT:Aderemi, Titus Martins Adesoji Tadeniawo 1889 births 1980 deaths Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Nigerian recipients of British titles Nigerian Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Nigerian knights Nigerian traditional rulers Oonis of Ife Governors of Western Nigeria 20th-century Nigerian politicians Yoruba politicians People from Ife 19th-century Nigerian people People of colonial Nigeria