Oba Lamidi Adeyemi: 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Late Alaafin Of Oyo

The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, died on Friday night aged 83, Newsbreak.ng earlier reported.

Below are some quick facts about the late first-class monarch and the position he occupied:

1. Alaafin, or The Owner of the Palace in the Yoruba language, is the title of the emperor of the medieval Oyo empire and present-day Oyo town of West Africa. The people under him are called Yoruba and spoke the Yoruba Language.
2. Oba Lamidi Adeyemi’s nickname is ‘Iku Baba Yeye’, meaning the one who commands death. He is also known as ‘Alashe’, which means he who wields authority; and ‘Ekeji Orisha’, meaning the second-in-command to the gods.
3. His predecessor was Gbadegesin Ladigbolu II.
4. He was the Grand Custodian of Yoruba culture and tradition and the Emperor of Yorubas.
5. His father, the Alaafin of Oyo Oba Adeyemi II Adeniran, reportedly married over 200 wives. Oba Adeyemi II Adeniran was deposed and exiled in 1954 for sympathising with the National Council of Nigerian Citizens (NCNC). He had a conflict with Bode Thomas, deputy leader of the Action Group, which culminated in the death of Thomas.
6. Late Adeyemi’s senior wife is Ayaba Abibat Adeyemi. Altogether, he had 13 wives.
7. The deceased traditional ruler was chancellor of Uthman dan Fodiyo University in Sokoto from 1980 to 1992.
8. He loves boxing, and box even in old age.
9. He has a son who is a member of the Federal House of Representatives, Akeem Adeniyi Adeyemi, fondly called Skimeh. Skimeh is a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Another son of the monarch, Prince Bayo Adeyemi, commonly called D-Guv, is also a politician.
10. Last year (2021), Alaafin married an Igbo lady, named Chioma. This makes him the first Alaafin of Oyo to marry an Igbo.