The Alaafin of Oyo, Alaafin Lamidi Adeyemi, has died. He died in the Afe Babalola University Teaching Hospital in Ado Ekiti on April 22, 2022, at the age of 83, and the cause of his death has not been established. His 52-year reign was the longest of any Alaafin of Oyo in history. We have created a full biography of the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III, in honor of his death.
Education and Childhood
On the 15th of October 1938, Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III, the late Alaafin of Oyo, was born to Raji Adeniran Adeyemi, a former Alaafin of Oyo who was ousted and deported in 1954 for supposed political ties.
At a Quranic School, he began his schooling in Iseyin, a city not far from Oyo town. He then returned to Oyo Town, where he stayed with the headmaster of St. Andrews Primary School until moving into the palace of the Alake of Egba, Oba Oladepo Ademola.
Due to the 1947-48 rally of Egba women against "Tax without representation" led by Mrs. Funmilayo Ransome Kuti, his father, Oba Ademola, was compelled to abandon his kingdom and live in exile at Osogbo.
His father sent him to Sir Kofoworola Adebayo Abayomi at Keffi, Ikoyi, Lagos, in 1948. He attended Obalende Modern School in Keffi and Tinubu Methodist School after that.
After completing his elementary schooling, he was accepted into Igbobi College and St. Gregory's College, Obalende. St. Gregory's College Obalende was his choice.
He graduated from St. Gregory's College with honors and intended to study law; however, his plans were thwarted when his father was overthrown as Alaafin on February 14, 1946.
While working at the Royal Exchange, Lamidi was given a job at the Royal Exchange Assurance in Lagos. He authored essays about himself and his experiences in newspapers under fictitious names.
In 1968, he penned an article titled "I SHALL BE GREAT," and a year later, he wrote another titled "I SHALL BE THE NEXT ALAAFIN." He was moved to write critiques of how Nigerian teachers were treated after seeing one of his former instructors with a ripped shirt and tie. He also wrote a book named. "In Yoruba land, women's liberation is a misnomer."
He was promoted to the 14 Floor, where he specialized in mandatory Facultative Insurance and internal memo drafting, shortly after his time at the Royal Exchange Assurance.
He began to make a lot of money, but his father insisted that he invest every cent he received. As a result, he started a business buying wrecked cars to fix and resell.
The Ascension of Alaafin to the Throne
The Alaafin of Oyo's biography would be incomplete without looking into the events that led to his accession to the throne.
Following the death of Alaafin Bello Gbadegesin, the Oyomesi contacted Oranlola (Baba Iwo) of Alowolodu to become the new Alaafin, as is customary.
He then summoned a meeting of the royal family. He told them about his conversation with Oyomesi and suggested Sanda 'Ladepo, his son.
Except for Baba Salami Dudu, all of the family members agreed. Alaafin Adeyemi Adeniran ll was encouraged by Baba Salami Dudu to have a son by Prince Lamidi Adeyemi.
The battle for the Alaafin throne became more heated, where some of the princes from Oyo's major royal houses became contestants. Aremo Sanni Gbadegesin, Prince Olanite Ajagba, Prince Afonja Ilaka, and Prince Sanda 'Ladepo Oranlola were killed.
On November 18, 1970, the kingmakers chose Lamidi Adeyemi, who subsequently moved into the palace after performing the proper rites under the supervision of the Oyomesi.
As a result of this process, he was inducted into the mysteries of numerous gods, such as the Ifa mysteries and the Sango mysteries. Likewise, he was forced to go through similar inductions to be the deities' direct ambassador on Earth.
The coronation of Lamidi Adeyemi III as the Alaafin of Oyo took place in the Durbar Stadium in Oyo town. Colonel (now retired General) Adeyinka Adebayo, the then military Governor of the Western State, presented him with the staff of office as the Alaafin of Oyo.
Personal Life
The Alaafin has 13 wives, including his senior wife, Ayaba Abibat Adeyemi, with whom he attends most ceremonies.
Ayaba Rahmat Adedayo Adeyemi, Ayaba Mujidat Adeyemi, Ayaba Rukayat Adeyemi, Ayaba Folashade Adeyemi, Ayaba Folashade Adeyemi, Ayaba Badirat Ajoke Adeyemi, Ayaba Memunat Omowunmi Adeyemi, Ayaba Omobolanle Adeyemi, Ayaba Moji Adeye
Contribution of Alaafin to Yorubaland and Nigeria
The Alaafin of Oyo's biography concludes with a look at his contribution to the growth of Yorubaland and the country as a whole. The Alaafin, as one of Yoruba land's most powerful traditional rulers, utilized his position to enhance the lives of numerous Obas, elevating many non-crown-wearing Obas to the level of beaded crown-wearers and battling for their (the Obas') welfare at all times.
General Murtala Ramat Muhammed, the leader of state at the time, included the Alaafin in his hajj entourage in 1975. In 1979, he was also given the national honor of CFR at the National Theatre in Iganmu, Lagos.
For the first four years of his tenure, Kabiyesi Alaafin Lamidi Adeyemi III was appointed by the Federal Government as the pioneering Chancellor of the newly created University of Sokoto, presently Uthman Dan Fodio University, Sokoto. When his first tenure came to a close, the University's senate and council nominated him for a second term. The proposal was generously approved by the president and visitor to the University, and he was chosen for a second term. And at the end of the second term, he was unexpectedly appointed for a third term, giving him a total of 12 years as Chancellor of the University.
The Alaafin appointed Chief MKO Abiola as the Aare Ona Kankanfo in January 1988 in honor of Abiola's contributions to Yoruba country and Nigeria's overall social, economic, cultural, and political growth.
In acknowledgment of his devotion to the consolidation of Islam in Nigeria, the Federal Government selected the Alaafin as the Amiru Hajj operation to lead the Muslim faithful in the 21 states of the federation in 1990, under the government of General Ibrahim Babangida.