IJEBU ODE HERE WE COME

The entourage arrived Ijebu Ode, then a walled town to a mixed reception. While some Ijebus accepted the arriving prince as the Ifa oracle foretold “stranger” to lawfully succeed Olu-Iwa, the then regent, Oshi, disbelieved and resisted him. Those who believed heralded the arrival with the cry of “Oba wa n’ita shortened to “OBANTA” meaning. “The Oba is outside the walls” and rallied to welcome the entourage. The continued resistance of Oshi provoked a civil conflict which Obanta and his supporters easily won. Oshi then fled to the Northern part of the town in full surrender and declared a truce by the pronouncement of “IJA O SI” meaning “No more war”. Thus was founded “the ija-osi” shortened IJASI Quarters of Ijebu Ode and the begining of the derisory epithet of Oshi “OBA IJASI” meaning “Oshi the Oba of Ijasi”.
    Before the civil conflict started the entourage had passed through Odo-Esa where Obanta settled the Obinrin Ojowu and Olowa-Iberu and planted a commemorative tree the Iroko tree which has since remained the shrine for the worship of Obirin Ojowu. Obanta had also briefly halted at Isoku where he hailed on Oloja Bara and directed that some relics of the remains of his late mother, Gborowo be interred. The site of the burial marks the shirne of Osun Gborowo worship at Isokuk till date.
    The entourage has also briefly stopped and passed Ikanigbo as earlier discussed, and had also reached Ipamuren area where, Jibeyin, the younger brother of OLISA, elected to settle. His settlement, then called Afokoro, remains the temporary traditional place of sojourn for an Olisa-Elect till date and was indeed the home of the new Olisa Adesanya Ademokun II between Saturday, 8th October and Tuesday 21st December, 1993, a mondatory seventy-five days (as ‘osu n’osu meta) or three lunar months by Ijebu reckoning.
    The entourage had also passed through Ijada where the Olisa choose to settle, but that was much later. They passed through Oyingbo where the Okunrin Ojowu elected to settle, and the mother of Olisa also took ill and had to be quartered. She did not survive the illness as the later died, and her remains were interred at the Oyingbo.
    The entourage finally rolled on to a predestined confrontation with Oshi at Ipebi and the ensuing civil conflict of which we had spoken. Obanta then became in reality the second Awujale of Ijebu, if the regency of Oshi is listed amongst the 57 Awujales of Ijebu-Ode, though his descendants do not anymore participate.
OLISAS OF HISTORY
    While the oral history of the rulership of Ijebu Ode today lists fifty-seven (57) Awujales beginning with Olu-Iwa, a similar list might have produced 55 Olisas or more since Obanta. In fact, a version of the history deposed that some sixty (60) Olisas had reigned as of 1977, but every effort to trace their names and dates has been unsuccessful, save some twenty-nine (29), starting from Okuwa obanta. The Olisa family tree from okuwa Obanta has thus been constructed and dated since 1750.

THE OLISA FAMILY TREE
    Okuwa obanta is reported to have begotten two sons, Olukoye Oba Asan and Ishiga Oba Jasan both of whom succeeded him as olisa Olukoye Oba Asan in turn begot four male children. LABOYEDE, AIGBON (WUNOMO) OLUDIPE (ADEDIPE) and OWOJOBI (AWOJOBI), while Oshiga Oba Jasan has three, namely, IBISI ADE, AKURO and ADEGBUTI are seven of whom succeeded to the title of Olisa, thus was born the modern seven rotational ruling houses of the Olisa, succession has been strictly through the male line except in one case in 1817 when Rubakoye (Rolukoye), a  woman, ascended the throne. Her reign was rather short as she was soon succeeded by Adebote in 1820. Obaruwa, the 10th Awujale of Ijebu land who ascended the Ijebu throne around 1602 A.D married Usenbi, the daughter of Adebambo who was descended from the Olisa lineage. Usenbi begot a son, Adepo who in turn married Adefolaju an Egba princess by whom he had two children Moradehun abbreviated to “RADE” (F) and Ademase (M) Moradehun also begot four children namely, ADENBI (f), ADEPALE (f) ADEOLA (m) and ADEYORINWA (m) “RADE” virtually single-handedly secured the Olisa title for one of her “brothers” Amuneyin in 1780, and he was succeded by Ademokun I in 1839, and Aboki in 1885. Thus was founded the “RADE” family lineage in the Olisa ruling houses, the newest member of which is Alhaji R.A. Adesanya Ademokun II. Sanni Adesanya was a great grandson of Adelofa (M), one of the sons of “RADE” Sanni Adesanya begot late Alhaji Wahab Sanni Adesanya the father of our new Olisa Ademokun II (F) a daughter of “RADE” was great granmother of Chief Bello Kuku,declined the invitation to become an Olisa and erroneously transferred by the opportunity to his Half-brother by same father Aboki Olupoiki Kuku who ascended the Olisa of Ijebu-Ode post in 1885. Thus was established what is now knownas the Amuneyin Ademokun line of Olisa family.