Lamidi Olayiwola Atanda Adeyemi, the present Alaafin of Oyo from Adeyemi branch of Alowolodu family, was born on October 15, 1938. Crown Prince Lamidi Atanda Olayiwola Adeyemi’s father Late Oba (Alhaji) Adeniran Adeyemi II, being a staunch Muslim, mapped out his son’s journey into education, starting from the Quranic School in Iseyin. He (Prince Lamidi) later went back to Oyo but not into the palace. Rather, he stayed with the headmaster, St. Andrews Primary School (now St. Andrews College), proceeding thereafter to live with the Alake of Egba, Oba Oladepo Ademola, in his palace. Prince Atanda’s education met a dead end following the 1947-48 demonstration of Egba women against “taxation without representation” led by Mrs Funmilayo Ransome Kuti. The effect forced Oba Ademola to abdicate his throne to live in exile at Osogbo. That period was Prince Adeyemi’s introduction into the other side of life he had never imagined to have existed. Mosquitos, home chores and lots more became his duty. But as they say, hardship only makes one tougher.
His father sent for him in 1948 and later sent him to live with Sir Kofoworola Adebayo Abayomi in Keffi, Ikoyi, Lagos. While in Keffi, he attended Obalende Modern School, owned by Pa Domingo; father of the renowned musician Adeyomi Domingo. He later attended Tinubu Methodist School overlooking the famed fountain, the first General Bank. Oba Adeyemi came second in his Entrance Examination into secondary schools in Lagos Island and was offered places at two great schools Igbobi College and St. Gregory’s College, Obalende. He chose to attend St. Gregory’s College Obalende in accordance with his guardian’s wish. Obalende was a cross-cultural settlement and living in there required wit and will, otherwise one will be walked over.
Oba Adeyemi III lived in tough areas of Lagos Island. Places like Faji, Olowogbowo and the famed Ojuolomokoto. His Sport Life All work and no play they say makes Jack a dull boy. The ruler as many may have known and as many will find incredulous, is a sportsman. Before his ascension to the throne of his forefathers, he trained and still trains as a boxer. He runs; jogs and plays football. Typically of him, if time permits, he does as much as six kilometres and skips the rope. The Crown Prince Atanda Adeyemi could have grown in luxury and affluence as a royal son should, but his childhood was a far cry from what could have been.
His father though not read appreciated the value of education through the contact he had with the British Administrative Officers that came to the Old Oyo Empire. Consequently, he lived to fight tooth and nail to see that his son was well-read. Needless to say, Oba Adeyemi III left St. Gregory’s College with very good grades and had the choice to study Law, Economics or Public Relations. He chose to study Law because he majored in English doing both narrative and descriptive essays; coupled with good retentive memory and a fantastic ability to remember dates and people, he felt his future in Law was secured. Little did he know that fate has other plans in stock for him. His quest for Law changed when his father was deposed on February 14, 1946, two days after the planned journey abroad. He was offered a job at the Royal Exchange Assurance, Marina, Lagos. Despite the fact that he had landed where his dreams could not carry him, he made the best of every situation fate presented him. He wrote articles under pen names in newspapers, writing about himself and his experience.
One of his numerous articles was entitled” I SHALL BE GREAT” in 1968 and a year later, he wrote yet another one: “I shall be the next Alaafin”. He wrote critiques of how the Nigerian teachers were treated, having been inspired by the state in which he saw one of his old teachers in a tattered shirt and tie. He wrote yet another entitled. “Women Liberation: A misnomer in Yoruba land”. This may not be unrelated to his view that women in the Oyo Empire were, in his words, “at least very active”.
Shortly after his stay at the Royal Exchange Assurance, he was promoted to the 14 Floor into the specialist area of obligatory Facultative Insurance and Internal memo drafting. He began to earn lots of money but his father gave strict instructions that the must invest every penny that came his way. Consequently, Oba Adeyemi III ventured into business buying wrecked cars to repair and resell. Oba Adeyemi’s journey had not been on a smooth path, rather he rode on the high stormy sea, sun-burnt mountains and many times on rock hilly parts. Having lost his mother, Ibironke, at an early age, he had little or no motherly touch and never had to stay for a long while with his father. He was almost always a lonely man. But his dreams and determination for success drove him to heed the calls of the gods, forgetting his own personal life for the sake of others, he has become an Icon, undoubtedly an Iroko tree: where all birds from the universe find their rest.
Ascension to the Throne
As the usual practice in the selection of the new Alaafin, after the death of Alaafin Bello Gbadegesin, the Oyomesi contacted Oranlola (Baba Iwo) of Alowolodu to become the Alaafin. He then called for a meeting within Alowolodu royal family. He informed them of his meeting with Oyomesi and that he suggested his son, Sanda ‘Ladepo. All the members of the family agreed to this except Baba Salami Dudu. Baba Salami Dudu suggested Prince Lamidi Adeyemi a son to Alaafin Adeyemi Adeniran ll. The contention for the throne of the Alaafin became more intense to the extent that some of the princes from the larger royal families in Oyo became contenders. Among these were Aremo Sanni Gbadegesin, Prince Olanite Ajagba, Prince Afonja Ilaka, Prince Lamidi Adeyemi, and Prince Sanda ‘Ladepo Oranlola.
The contest to his emergence began in 1968 when he was invited along with ten others from his ruling house to contest for the vacant stool of the Oyo Empire. As it was the custom of the land, there were three parameters with which they were judged. The First was eligibility, the second was popularity and the third was the stamina for the huge responsibilities of the office of the Alaafin of Oyo.
Oba Olayiwola Atanda Adeyemi emerged the first; defeating ten others after a rigorous screening exercise. However, due to what observers attested to be political interference, the then government “refused to endorse my appointment, saying the procedure was not right” were the words of this great monarch during one of the numerous interviews he granted. So the process started over again with the same result the second and the third time. Interestingly, despite the immense pressure upon the Oyomesi ‘against his candidature by the government, the Oyomesi stood its ground. Thus the process was put in abeyance until after the civil war when the whole process started all over again. To the relief of many and the chagrin of the opposition, Oba Adeyemi III was elected the winner and was finally chosen by the kingmakers on November 18, 1970, and then moved into the palace after completing the necessary rites under the tutelage of the Oyomesi.
In the process, he was inducted into the mysteries of various gods like the Ifa mysteries, and the Sango mysteries. He was also made to undergo these inductions in order to be the direct representative of these deities on earth. He was taken through these processes so as to know all the chants, the proverbs, oriki of all the past Obas. More so, it was during the various purification and cleansing processes, at the hallowed grounds of the Yoruba ancient shrine that Oba Adeyemi III made a covenant with the illustrious Yoruba ancestors that he would defend, protect and add glamour to the Yoruba norms and tradition; vowing to be the icon, the embodiment of Yoruba culture, And, he had since then taken his covenant seriously and had delivered the
dividends of his covenant.
At an impressive ceremony at the Durbar Stadium, Oyo town, Oba Adeyemi III was presented with the staff of office as the Alaafin of Oyo in the presence of thousands of witnesses from all works of life by the then military Governor of the Western State, Colonel (now retired General)Adeyinka Adebayo. Then began the journey laden with a huge responsibility to protect, defend, and project the cherished values of Yoruba customs and traditions with the zeal and if need be to lay down his life defending those values.
Fortunately, and much to the relief of the Oyo Empire and the world, the need to lay down his life to defend Yoruba values never arose, hence his 70 birthday celebration, with 38 out of those years spent on the throne of his forefathers. The philosophy behind the Alaafinate as an institution “is a duty for service and service to humanity”. This translates that: once someone becomes the Alaafin, the totality of his life is service to the people and humanity in general. The Alaafin has no life of his own; day and night he is for the service of the Yoruba race, nay humanity.
In the cause of these many years, Oba Adeyemi III had striven to work strictly in accordance with the oath he took in the presence of the Oyomesi, on behalf of his people. Being a self conscientious perfectionist, we make it bold to say that he has worked assiduously and tirelessly with many governments both at the state and federal levels
He had married two of his wives Alhaja Olori Abibat Adeyemi (Iya Dodo) and Alhaja Olori Rahmat Adedayo Adeyemi (Iya Ilekoto) before his ascension to the throne of his forebears. Some of his notable children are Late Alhaja Kudirat Akofade Erediuwa, Barrister Babatunde Adeyemi, Princess Folasade Arewaomoba, Princess Taibat Adeyemi, Prince Nurudeen Adesegun Adeyemi,Prince Akeem Adeniyi Adeyemi (Skimeh), Prince Adebayo Fatai Adeyemi among others.
