The Olufadi Royal Family of the Fushengbuwa Ruling House Lay Claims to the Awujale Stool
Funsegbuwa Ruling House Update
Olufadi overview perspectives
The selection process for the Awujale throne of Ijebuland has consistently adhered to established
traditions, historical precedents, and equitable practices among its four ruling houses (i.e.,
Gbelegbuwa, Anikilaya, Fushengbuwa, and Fidipote).
Consequently, the progeny of Olufadekemi a/k/a Olufadi, who represents the eldest male Abidagba (signifying a child born to a reigning monarch) lineage of Awujale Fushengbuwa (the 41st Awujale reigning from 1790-1820) have advanced a compelling historical and moral case to assume the role of the next Awujale of Ijebuland. The heritage of the Olufadi Royal Family, tracing back to Olufadi, is demonstrably transparent and morally unimpeachable.
A Refined History of the Olufadi Royal Family Lineage
The Olufadi Royal Family's ancestry originates from Awujale Awa Otutubiosun (the 13th
Awujale, reigning from 1537 to 1540), whose lineage connects to Awujale Munigbuwa (the 3rd Awujale, reigning from 1455 to 1460), recognized as the inaugural Awujale from the Ilenla Compound Agushebi Ijebu-ode, presently designated as the Fushengbuwa Ruling House Ilenla Compound. According to historical accounts passed down orally, Awujale Awa Otutubiosun experienced health challenges during his tenure as Awujale, prompting him to temporarily relinquish his royal duties and travel from Ijebu-Ode to a settlement near Ala village in Ijebu (present day Idowa) in pursuit of sanctuary and recovery. During this period, he delegated the administrative responsibilities of the Awujale to his younger sibling, Ajuwakele, who served as regent.
Following his recuperation, Awujale Awa Otutubiosun went back to Ijebu-Ode, only to
discover upon his arrival that Ajuwakele, his younger brother, had been formally installed as
Awujale.
In a gesture of reconciliation, Awujale Otutubiosun requested—and was granted by Awujale Ajuwakele—the right to retain certain crowns dear to him. He then returned and settled to his hamlet, earning the title “Oba tó gba iré oko Dagburewe”, and on acceptance by the small population of about 5,000 inhabitants founded the present day Idowa and became the first Dagburewe of Idowa (the 1
st Dagburewe in 1540). Although Oba Dagburewe Otutubiosun was the progenitor of a considerable number of descendants, it was his grandson, Jadiara who truly stood out, exhibiting a strong connection to his venerable ancestor, who had originally held the title of the 1
st Dagburewe of Idowa, eventually securing the elevated status as the 9th Dagburewe
of Idowa and exercising his authority from 1630 to 1660. During the extensive period when he held the distinguished and influential office of Dugburewe within Idowa, Oba Dagburewe Jadiara fathered numerous progeny, and it is precisely these very descendants who currently form the pool of prospective candidates from whom the future Dagburewe of Idowa can be selected and appointed.
At about 1660 when it was the turn of the Awa Otutubiosun lineage to provide a candidate for the throne, Oba Dagburewe Jadiara had been the only available qualified candidate to fill the position, he was appointed as Awujale of Ijebuland (the 25th Awujale reigning from 1660-1675). Jadiara’s reign earned him the praise name: “Omo Olowo Joye Meji, Oje Awujale Otunje Dagburewe”—a child of wealth who held two great titles.
As Awujale, Jadiara fathered two children: a son, Adeyale Fushengbuwa, and a daughter,
Adeberu. Both were Abidagba—firstborn heirs to the throne. The children that Oba Jadiara had
during his reign as Dagburewe of Idowa before he became Awujale were not considered
Abidagbas of the Awujale, a precedent that was firmly established: only the direct descendants
of an Awujale born on the Awujale throne could be presented as candidates for the Awujale
stool.
Those whose descendants traced only to the Dagburewe of Idowa lineage were deemed
ineligible to ascend the Awujale throne.
The Fushengbuwa Ruling House and the Emergence of Olufadi Awujale Fushengbuwa (the 41st Awujale reigning from 1790-1820), the descendant of eldest Adeyale Fushengbuwa, the Abidagba of Jadiara, became one of the most significant monarchs in Ijebu history. A proficient hunter and herbalist, he was married to eight women.
Their offspring became the eight units of the present Fushengbuwa Ruling House: Olufadi (male Adidabga); Tuwase (male Adidabga); Shenowo (female Abidagba); Okuyandewo (female Abidagba); Oshinuga (male Adidabga); Adekenu (female Abidagba); Adebiyi (female Abidagba); and Adeberu (female Abidagba). He was the Awujale who dispatched military units to participate in the Owu wars of the 19th century, a conflict that arose from the disintegration of the erstwhile Oyo Empire during the Fulani campaigns in the northern part of Yorubaland.
Historical records confirm that circa 1806, even as the war continued, Toyeje, then the Baale of Ogbomosho and the Deputy Aare Ona-Kakanfo subordinate to Afonja of Ilorin, along with Adegun, the Onikoyi of Ikoyi, encouraged Olowu Amororo to conduct an assault on Ile-Ife, driven by the slave trade operating in Apomu. This offensive led to the obliteration of multiple settlements in the vicinity of Ile-Ife. This was between 1806-1810.
As the kingdom of Ife prepared to exact its revenge, its formidable army, under the command of Balogun Singusin and effectively supported by Maye Okunade, found its advance unexpectedly checked at Adubieye, a location situated near Iwo. This halt was orchestrated by Oba Memudu Lamuye I, the then Oluwo of Iwo, who sagely counseled against further progression due to the sheer magnitude of the Ife forces. Consequently, the Ife army remained encamped at Adubieye for a substantial period of five years, specifically from 1810 to 1814. It was only after this extended period that a propitious opportunity arose for them to forge a strategic alliance with the Ijebu army, which was led by the distinguished Awujale Fushengbuwa. This combined force was further augmented by refugees who had fled from Oyo, and together, they proceeded to lay a protracted siege upon Owu Orile, an engagement that spanned from 1814 to 1819.
After enduring a grueling six-year conflict, Owu ultimately capitulated. The remarkably valorous and astute leadership demonstrated by Awujale Fushengbuwa, who commanded the Ijebu contingent, is widely recognized as the decisive factor that ultimately secured Ile-Ife's triumph in the significant Owu wars.
The Olufadi Descendants
The first Abidabga of Awulale Fushengbuwa, Olufadekemi, known as Olufadi, was born to his
Awujale’s Fushegbuwa’s wife, Olori Ibirolu of Ago-Iwoye. Olufadi, being the initial male
Abidagba, occupied a paramount status within the Fushengbuwa ruling house. Shortly thereafter, a second male Abidagba, Ali Adesimbo Aboki, known as Tunwase, was born to Awujale Fushegbuwa wife, Olori Shiwafu of Igbeba. Olufadi was also a hunter and herbalist like his father, Awujale Fushengbuwa. He had three wives and had several children, most notable his first three children from his three wives, son Oduwole Obanlefa, son Adeleye, and daughter Adenubi. Around 1886, when it was the turn of his family, the Fushengbuwa descendants, to present a candidate for the throne, and he was the only available qualified candidate to assume the position, Ali Adesimbo Aboki, from the Tunwase Royal Family was appointed Awujale of Ijebuland (the 45th Awujale, reigning from 1886–1895). This appointment occurred because his
older brother Olufadi had passed away prior to his opportunity to ascend the throne. Similarly in
the 20th century, the Tunwase Royal Family produced Awujale Adenuga Folagbade (the 50th Awujale, reigning from 1922-1929). His reign, however, was marred by corruption allegations that led to his deposition and exile to Ilorin in 1929 by the colonial authorities.
The vacancy created by the deposition of Awujale Adenuga Folagbade led to the selection of Oduwole Obanlefa Olufadi—the progeny of Olufadi, the first male Abidagba under Oba
Fushengbuwa—by the Fushengbuwa Ruling House Ilenla compound as the appropriate
successor.
A formal petition, initiated by him and dated February 15, 1929, was directed to
Resident P. A. Talbot of the Ijebu Province under colonial rule, articulating the Olufadi Royal
Family's entitlement as direct descendants of Olufadi, Oba Fushengbuwa's original male
Abidagba. Although the appeal presented a legitimate basis, colonial officials were persuaded by the arguments from the subsequent ruling house (the Fidipote Ruling House) that the
Fushengbuwa ruling house had already utilized its succession opportunity, thereby denying his
claim and, once again, the Olufadi Royal Family their rightful place.
Prince Fasasi Adebisi Obanlefa Adeyemi, Oduwole Obanlefa Olufadi’s grandson, ascended to the position of Olori-Ebi for the Fushengbuwa Ruling House, a role he maintained for a
remarkable 25-year duration (1988–2013). Presently, Prince Adeleke Adeyemi, Prince Fasasi's eldest son, serves as the general secretary of the Fushengbuwa Ruling House, a tenure initiated in 2015.
The history of the Olufadi Royal Family demonstrates a clear lineage of legitimacy and primacy within the Fushengbuwa ruling house.
As the first male Abidabga of Awujale Fushengbuwa, Olufadi’s exclusion from the Awujale stool for more than two centuries stands in contradiction to the very principles of fairness and equity upon which Ijebu kingship rests.
