AIYEPE - Cognate History Unravelled

Ladi Alli-Balogun

THE AIYEPE-IJEBU ROYAL LEGACY......

Aiyepe-Ijebu is a town in Odogbolu local

Government area of Ogun state formed in the

1800s by six (6) homesteads living in

different enclaves then called ORILE.

Listed as THE ORILE ABA, ORILE IDOBIRI,

ORILE ODOLOWU, ORILE ILAKAN, ORILE AFO

and THE ORILE ODOLUBUSANWA.

Tracing the history of ILAKAN, the people left

ILE IFE in the 14th century and first settled in

IMOTA in the present LAGOS STATE, but

consulted IFA oracle which directed them to

continue their journey,

However, they left some of their children in

IMOTA, one of them now reigns as the Alakan

in IMOTA .

They further proceeded and settled near

SAGAMU.

The ABA people also came from IFE and

settled near SAGAMU, but the invasion of

parts of REMOLAND by the EGBAs spurred

them into joining the AIYEPE UNION.

Prior to their settlement and incorporating

AIYEPE, they all lived at a distance of about

10 to 15 kilometers apart,

ORILE ODOLOWU and ORILE ODOLUBUSANWA

homesteads were near IKENNE-REMO, as at

that time, ILAKAN was very close to SAGAMU

while ABA settled close to ODOGBOLU .

ORILE AFO and ORILE IDOBIRI homesteads

were also not far from Sagamu .

All the homesteads and their quarters existed

separately for a long time, but Around this

period, there were incessant civil wars in

Yorubaland and many homesteads were raided

where people were killed or captured and

regular disappearance of their folks

particularly women and children.

Basically, to stop these incursions into their

territories, the six Quarters, then already Obas

met and held a meeting and agreed to live

together in the same vicinity and discuss how

to ward off the enemies and find a lasting

solution to the incessant attacks.

The outcome was a resolve to amalgamate, so

to speak, with a view to providing a

formidable rampant,

As was the tradition, the communities

consulted the Ifa oracle for guidance on a new

settlement for the union.

The oracle picked IRAPASOGBESAN which

belong to Odolowu.

Prior to the oracular consultation, there was a

solid agreement among the communities that

anywhere chosen would be regarded as

belonging to all and it was clear that since

the union of the six homesteads, there has

never been any dispute among them. “We are

all peace-loving people and regard ourselves

as one,” They proudly say

and then all moved to the selected land,

apportioning space according to the direction

of their original homesteads.

Since the amalgamation,

The name AIYEPE was derived from an Ijebu

dialect "SOJU AIYE NE PE" which literary

means “the world is completely gathered here"

As of this point, they never regretted coming

together as one people

Corroborating the peaceful co-existence of the

six obas since 1800, todays offsprings

narrated that their forefathers had foresight

and laid a solid agreement which has been the

basis for the peaceful atmosphere. when the

people founded Aiyepe, they walled the town

and declared it a property for all. Nobody

could lay claim to the land within the wall but

the land without could be claimed by owners.

The six quarters do things in common. They

have one big central mosque for the Juma’at

service on a vast expanse of land and a

mighty Anglican Cathedral for the people of

Aiyepe,

These claims of an untainted rapport were

corroborated by the Alaiye Aba of Aiyepe, Oba

Alaba Dehinbo. He said the six obas dine

together and have more than five dresses they

bought together. The Obas have always seen

themselves as one and solved their problems

mutually.

Sadly, the same sweet story cannot be said of

the Egba obas, the historical tormentors-in-c

hief of the Aba people. The unity that makes

polyarchy a commendable feasible experiment

in Aiyepe is visibly lacking among the Alake of

Egbaland, Osile of Oke Ona, Olowu of Owu

and Agura of Gbagurqa. In Abeokuta, acerbic

arguments and quarrels among the obas over

superiority have made a multiplicity of rulers

within one town look like an impracticable

exercise.

The Aiyepe reality, however, debunk this

notion.

That is the synoptic picture of the chieftaincy

affairs in Aiyepe, a developing town in

Odogbolu local government area of Ogun

State. In a rare example of polyarchy in the

obaship institution. Aiyepe is governed by six

traditional rulers. All the rulers are rated first

class. All are recognise by the Ogun State

government. The obas are also members of

the Ijebu Traditional Rulers Council under the

chairmanship of the Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba

Sikiru Adetona

To ensure rancour does not tear apart the

Aiyepe Traditional Rulers Council to which all

the six obas belong, the chairmanship is not

permanent. The council’s meeting, held

periodically, is chaired in rotation by the six

obas Aiyepe is between Odogbolu and Ikenne

and has an estimated population 35,000

people.

THE NAMES OF OBAS IN AIYEPE

Oba Musibau Dawodu Oseni, Akan 1, The

Alakan of Aiyepe;

Oba Raufu Adebayo Raji-Sulaimon, The Alaiye

ABA of Aiyepe;

Oba Bisi Okubanjo, the Obiri of Aiyepe;

Oba B.A Ogunuga, the Akalako of Aiyepe.

There is also the Olubisanwa.

Both Alakan of Ilakan Aiyepe and Alaye ABA

of Aba Aiyepe are celebrating their 1st

anniversary on the throne.

The Alakan is an Accountant. He is an FCA.

He is a retired CBN Assistant Director.

The Alaiye ABA is an IT expert.

How about the Obiri of Aiyepe, Alayeluwa Oba

Adebisi Okubanjo?

He was formerly a banker with UBA. He retired

as DG, Nigerian-British Chamber of Commerce.

There are also the Akalako and the Olowu.

The 2 stools are yet to be filled .

AIYEPE OBAS TITTLE

The Alakan of Ilakan Aiyepe

The Obiri of Idobiri Aiyepe

The alaiye ABA of Aiyepe

The Olubisanwa of ODOLUBUSANWA Aiyepe

The Olowu of Idolowu

The Alalako of AFO Aiyepe