Awujale

Awujale is the royal title of the monarch of the Ijebu Kingdom. The holder is addressed as the Awujale of Ijebuland. The most recent Awujale was Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona Ogbagba II, who served as the Awujale from 1960 until his death in 2025. He was from the House of Anikinaiya.

By the declaration made under section 4(2) of the Chiefs Law 1957 of the Customary Law regulating the selection of the Awujale of Ijebuland Chieftaincy, there are four ruling houses:

1. House of Gbelegbuwa
2. House of Anikinaiya
3. House of Fusengbuwa
4. House of Fidipote

The Declaration was approved 25 August 1959 and registered on 1 September 1959.

Background

According to one tradition, the title Awujale originated from the nickname Amujaile, meaning a person who understands the art of wrestling on land. This nickname was given to Obanta (Ogboroban) after he reached a village ruled by a chief named Olu-Igbo, who refused him passage, and the issue was resolved by a wrestling march between them in which Obanta was victorious.

List of Awujales

Multiple regnal lists are known to exist, each containing some differences in the number and order of reigns. The succession of Awujale passed between four dynastic branches from the 15th century to the present day.

Revised Chronology (2017)

The following list is based on a revised chronology by Tunde Oduwobi. This list is mostly based on an earlier list by Badejo Adebonojo in 1947, with the exception that it adds the name Boyejo who died shortly after assuming office and was excluded from Adebonojo's list. Regnal lengths have also been adopted from Adebonojo from the reign of Tewogbuwa onwards.

Names with the ♀ symbol are female rulers.

Dynastic Chart

The following chart was recorded in Tunde Oduwobi's "The Age and Kings of the Ijebu Kingdom" (2017). It is based on the genealogical list recorded by Adenbonojo below (List D).

The chart shows a succession cycle of three original lineal branches deriving from Obanta and the next two successors. A particular branch could occasionally be bypassed. The accession of Lapengbuwa (no. 12) is the first recorded instance of this occurring, when succession passed from branch 2 back to branch 1 instead of 3. The royal status of a branch could lapse if there were no eligible candidates at its turn in the succession cycle, though the sole example of this centered on Gbelegbuwa (no. 40). A new branch may form if two kings were siblings and were succeeded by their respective offspring. During the colonial period, lineal branches were converted to "ruling houses", each named after a dynastic ancestor whose descendants would be considered in the selection process for the next Awujale.

Regnal lists

At least four regnal lists have been recorded based on oral tradition from the late 19th to the mid 20th centuries. There is some disagreement in the order and names of rulers, and not all lists include dates or reign lengths.

The following table uses lists from the following sources:

• List A – Tables of Principal Events in Yoruba History (1893) by John Otonba Payne. Payne was a grandson of king Gbelegbuwa, who is the first king on his list. Payne's primary concern with writing his list was to collect data that could be used judicial purposes, and therefore was more interested in contemporary information than exploring the past.
• List B – Ancient Ijebu-Ode (1937) by J.A. Olusola. Olusala was an editor of Ibeju Weekly News (1933–1940). His book compiled various records of the colonial era. Awujale Adesanya submitted this king list to a panel who were considering the demands of the Remo people for administrative independence in 1937. Olusola added an additional name to the list, who was the then-current Awujale.
• List C – Iwi Kini Ilosiwaju Wko Itan Ijebu (A Study of Ijebu History, Book I) by Odubanjo Odutola (1946). Odutola was well-known in the 1940s for his knowledge of local history and appeared in court litigations on behalf of the Awujale as his official historian.
• List D – Itan Ido Ijebu (A History of Ijebu) by Badejo Adebonojo (1947). The actual author of this book was Badejo's father Samuel Adebonojo, who was an ex-officio member of the Awujale's cabinet. The compilation of the book ended in 1947, but his son Badejo later made additions and inserted the then-current Awujale to the list. This list is notable for including reign dates for rulers before Gbelegbuwa and is also a genealogical list showing the lineages of the different rulers.

During the period up to Tewogbuwa, there are only thirteen names that are in some agreement across these lists.

References

Bibliography