Soun ajagungbade iii imperial majesty oba Oladunni oyewumi

Ajagungbade the Great, Soun of Ogbomosoland: A true conqueror

Femi OGUNLANA

His Imperial Majesty Oba (Dr) Oladunni Oyewumi Ajagungbade III, JP, CON, CFR, was Soun of Ogbomosoland between 1973 and 2021. His reign is synonymous with greatness, as he succeeded in elevating the throne he sat astride to its highest pitch in accordance with today’s standards. Recent events bring his legacy alive.

A great king is a blessing to a throne and community. Ogbomoso in Oyo state has always been lucky to have great monarchs, whose strides sustain the legacy passed down by the ancestors. His Imperial Majesty Oba (Dr) Oladunni Oyewumi Ajagungbade III, JP, CON, CFR, who reigned as Soun of Ogbomosoland from 1973 to 2021 made incredible impact to earn the title “Great” affixed to his name. He is a truly great KING, who caught the imagination of his time. The stool he inherited in October 1973 when he was installed, he colourfully took to new heights. While his ancestors fought with sword to fend off invaders, he wielded pen with dexterity and great vision and ambition to conquer lands and prestige. No doubt, he is one of the greatest Souns that ever reigned.

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When he ascended the throne, he came in as a Baale but under him through bravery, the stool got transformed into Obaship. This, he achieved on account of relentless struggle. He began, by daring all, the big (fearful) Obas and a military administrator, to deck his p

ate in beaded crown on the day of his installation. His declaration he would the sacred crown shook the whole of southwest but he flinched not, he went ahead, ready to face any consequences but no evil consequences followed. He thereafter set his eye on his confirmation as a KING and this, he achieved three years later, in 1976, when he was elevated a KING alongside the Olubadan of Ibadan, sequel to the recommendation of those who knew the worth of their stools attained by their unsurpassed roles especially Ogbomoso in preserving Yorubaland during the fierce Fulani invasions from about 1817 to the last quarter of that century.

Afterwards, he got consumed with the objective of further elevation, to be ranked among the first-tier traditional rulers in the land; he fought the Ooni of Ife to a standstill along with Alaafin, Olubadan and others over Oyo Traditional Council’s leadership and proper classification. All this he attained via his gallantry. His supremacy in Ogbomoso area also he secured obtaining official proclamations. The status of prescribed cum consenting authority of the Soun he effectively utilized.

In 1984, he led Ogbomoso to finally win a land case at the Supreme Court which caused a redraw of the map between Ogbomoso and Oyo. Oyo town previously claimed she owned the land up to Odo-Oba but Ogbomoso fiercely countered, insisting the boundary was Ipeba. The Soun that instituted the court case, Oba Adegoke Atanda Olayode, argued that those communities Oyo wanted ceded to her, are communities under the protectorate of Ogbomoso during the turbulent 19th century. The suit was instituted in 1912 or thereabouts, and in 1984, after Ajagungbade III rigorously breathed life into it, the Supreme Court gave judgment in Ogbomoso’s favour, 6-1 that the Ogbomoso’s land actually extends to Ipeba, which follows that circumference all round. By that, a large swathe of land was won. In fact, most Oriire local government area today came under Ogbomoso’s suzerainty through that.

Oba Oyewumi Ajagungbade pursued the objective of supremacy in Ogbomoso zone unremittingly, and ultimately, the Oyo State Government approved the title “Soun of Ogbomosoland” for the throne in 1993. A court case instituted to challenge this by some rival monarchs viz: Onpetu, Onikoyi, Alajaawa, Olugbon and Aresa suffered setback as the Appeal Court affirmed the supremacy of the Soun.

Earlier, the immediate past Olugbon, Oba Samuel Adegboyega Osunbade Adeyelu II, was so awed by the enormity of Soun’s status that at his installation in 1992, declared the Soun is supreme and is leader. He even accepted the identity “Ogbomoso.” Though squabbles tore them apart later but what he proclaimed stands as the truth.

Ajagungbade III attained the definitive when he weaved the stool of the Soun through thorny paths as a Permanent Chairman of the influential Oyo State Traditional Council, rotated alongside Olubadan and Alaafin. He didn’t stop at that, the designation “His Imperial Majesty” was assigned to him, a deserved honour reflecting Ogbomoso’s all-conquering feat of the 19th century. That is something awesome.

Ogbomoso’s story is a splendid one indeed, and a romance of history; from a settlement of hunters and herbalists with disparate origins, the town rose mightily through the ages to rank in the top hierarchy of traditional rulers today, overriding the preexisting kingdoms and meeting up in status with hitherto higher ranked monarchs, with several others overshadowed. It is an indication of God’s special love for the town, enabling a continued stream of great rulers and sons and daughters, who could hold their own in any circumstances.

The truncheon (ogbo) is incontrovertibly in the hands of another marvelous ruler who has shown early signs of a great ruler in the making – His Imperial Majesty Oba Ghandi Afolabi Olaoye Orumogege III.

But for now, all hail Ajagungbade III the Great!