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Ọba Jimoh Oladunni Oyewumi, Ajagungbade III (Yoruba: Jímọ̀ Ọládùnní Oyèwùmí; 27 May 1926 – 12 December 2021) was the Soun of Ogbomosho, or traditional ruler (Ọba), of the Yoruba town of Ogbomosho, for 48 years, until his death in 2021.
| Jimoh Oladunni Oyewumi, Ajagungbade III | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ṣọ̀ún of Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́ | |||||||||
| Soun of Ogbomoso | |||||||||
| Reign | 24 October 1973 – 12 December 2021 | ||||||||
| Coronation | 14 December 1973 | ||||||||
| Predecessor | Salami Ajiboye Itabiyi | ||||||||
| Successor | Ghandi Afolabi Olaoye, Orumogege III | ||||||||
| Born | Jimoh Oladunni Oyewumi 27 May 1926 Ogbomosho, Nigeria | ||||||||
| Died | 12 December 2021 (aged 95) Nigeria | ||||||||
| Spouse | Ayaba Olaronke Oyewumi | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| House | Oluwusi | ||||||||
| Father | Oba Bello Afolabi Oyewumi Ajagungbade II | ||||||||
| Mother | Ayaba Seliat Olatundun Oyewumi | ||||||||
Early life and ancestry
editOba Jimoh Oladunni Oyewumi, Ajagungbade III, he was born on 27 May 1926 into the Royal House of Oluwusi in Ogbomosho to the reigning king, Oba Bello Afolabi Oyewumi, Ajagungbade I, and one of his queens, Seliat Olatundun Oyewumi. His father had many wives and 63 children: 31 daughters and 32 sons.[1] He was the youngest of his mother's three sons.[2] He was born in the tenth year of his father's reign.
His paternal grandfather was Oba Gbagungboye Ajamasa, Ajagungbade I, who reigned from 1869 to 1871 (or 1870 to 1877). His great-grandfather was Oluwusi Aremu who reigned from 1826 to 1840. Oluwusi was a half brother of Toye Akanni Alebiosu of Ogbomoso, the 7th Aare Ona Kakanfo of the Oyo Empire and also a Soun of Ogbomoso.[3]
Oluwusi's father was Ikumoyede Ajo, the latest Soun's great-great grandfather, who ruled Ogbomoso from 1770 to 1790.[4] Ikumoyede's father, Oba Ajagungbade III's great-great-great grandfather, was Erinsbaba Alamu Jogioro, who was the second Soun of Ogbomoso, and regarded as a strong and brave warrior. He ruled from 1741 to 1770. Jogioro's father was the first Soun of Ogbomoso, Olabanjo Ogunlola Ogundiran, who founded the town of Ogbomoso in the mid 17th century.[5] Thus, Oba Ajagungbade III, in a direct male descent is the great-great-great-great grandson of Soun Ogunlola.[4]
The Royal House of Oluwusi is one of the 5 royal houses of Ogbomosho, each of them descended from the five sons of Ikumoyede (Toyeje, Oluwusi, Jaiyeola Baiyewuwon Kelebe, Bolanta Adigun, and Ogunlabi Odunaro).[6]
Education and life before reign
editOyewumi's father died on 18 February 1940, when he was 13 years old. After the death of his father, he was forced to stop his schooling at St. Patrick Catholic School, Oke-Padre in Ibadan, and return to Ogbomoso, where he stayed with his mother during the royal funeral. He then attended the Ogbomoso People's Institute, in Paku, Ogbomoso to continue his elementary education, though he was soon forced to withdraw, and where he learned cloth waving from one of his brothers in the city of Ilesa, where he weaved and sold aso ofi. He then travelled to the northern city of Jos, Nigeria, on 17 May 1944, where he started a business selling imported goods and beer from the United Kingdom. His ability to speak English earned him many business opportunities and open doors to his business with Europeans. He then founded J.O.Oyewumi and Company (Nigeria) Limited, a hotel business chain.[2] He returned from Jos to Ogbomosho in 1973 to put his name forward as a contestant to the throne of the Soun after the death of Oba Olajide Olayode II.
Reign
editAs in many Yoruba towns, the monarch is elected by a group of chiefs known as the Afọbajẹ (kingmakers, literally meaning "One who enthrones a monarch).[7] Many Ogbomosho princes put their names into consideration, and through several rituals including via invoking Ifá, and an official vote, (in which he got 92 votes out of 94),[8] Ọba Oyewumi was selected as the 20th Ṣọún of Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́. Oyewumi succeeded his third cousin, Oba Salami Ajiboye Itabiyi on October 24, 1973, and took the royal name Ajagungbade (Ajágungbádé) III, used by both his father and grandfather, meaning "One who fights a war to receive the crown." He was the first Soun of Ogbomoso to wear a beaded crown, which sparked controversy, as the beaded crowns are often only worn by high ranking kings, and as Ogbomoso was often a town within the vicinity and control of the Oyo Empire, the Soun was not a major monarch.[9] During his reign, he built a modern palace and facilitated the development of Ogbomoso into a more industrious town.[10] He was the longest serving Soun in history.
Personal life
editOyewumi was a polygamist and married several wives. He married his first wife Ayaba Igbayilola Oyewumi (now deceased), in 1950. Among his other wives include Ayaba Olaronke Oyewumi (b. 1949). He had 24 children and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.[1] Kunle Oyewumi is his 21st son.[11] One of his daughters is the notable Nigerian gender scholar Oyeronke Oyewumi.[12] He was a Muslim, though several of his wives and children are Christians.[8]
He gave up the ghost on 12 December 2021, at the age of 95.[13]
References
edit- ^ a b "Celebrating Soun of Ogbomoso, Oba Jimoh Oladunni Oyewumi @94". 27 May 2020.
- ^ a b "At 90, Oba Oyewumi opens up… My life as Soun of Ogbomoso". 27 May 2016.
- ^ "The Souns | The Land of Ogbomoso".
- ^ a b "Soun Dynasty". www.ogbomoso.net.
- ^ "A tale of Ogbomoso's sacred chain". Daily Trust.
- ^ Oluwasegun, Jimoh, Mufutau; Philip, Oloruntola (6 October 2016). The Balogun in Yoruba land The Changing Fortunes of a Military Institution: Essays in Honour of Chief Lanre Razak The Balogun. Book Builders. ISBN 9789789211265 – via Google Books.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Refugees, United Nations High Commissioner for. "Refworld | Nigeria: Information on the administrative hierarchy within the Yoruba tribe including the difference among ruling houses, chiefs, Obas, elders, whether they can refuse a title, initiation rites surrounding the institution of kingship, the influence of Obas among the local community and the present government's attitude towards them". Refworld.
- ^ a b "Dad was a polygamist before he became king — Soun of Ogbomoso's son". 12 November 2017.
- ^ "Soun Ajagungbade at 90". 30 May 2016.
- ^ "My business suffered when I became king–Soun of Ogbomoso". 27 May 2016.
- ^ "Untold Story of Soun of Ogbomoso's son who is Orji Uzor Kalu's powerful aide | Prince Kunle Oyewunmi shares the story of his life with asabeafrika + He is the 21st son of the Soun | Asabeafrika".
- ^ Oyewumi, Oyeronke (1997). The Invention of Women: Making an African Sense of Western Gender Discourses. University of Minnesota Press. pp. xvi. ISBN 0-8166-2441-0.
- ^ Soun Of Ogbomoso Jimoh Oyewumi Dies