On March 29, 1941, at 04:00pm, Olateru was crowned Olowo of Owo by his honor, the Chief Commissioner, Western Provinces, G.G. Shute, on the grounds of the Owo Government School in the presence of a large crowd of onlookers. Thousands of people witnessed the occasion, including representatives from the other traditional rulers in Yorubaland and various organizations in Owo and environ.
Oba Olateru was born in 1910, three years before his father, Olagbegi I, ascended the throne. He had his elementary education at Owo Government School and during his school days, he was a keen and polite student, an avid athlete, who at every annual prize giving day received prizes for sportsmanship. He carried this habit of sportsmanship with him into his adulthood. He was an avid lawn tennis player and he won many trophies during his time. Even when he became Olowo, Olateru continued to carry on one of the sports that were the darling of the British officials, lawn tennis.
On leaving school, he became a schoolteacher but he later joined the Owo Native Administration as a treasury clerk. He worked at Owo as a tax collector but later, transferred to Ute and while there, he won the contest for Olowo.
Oba Olateru Olagbegi made provisions for more elementary schools and following his accession, the number of elementary schools increased from four (4) to twelve (12). The school population increased from one thousand, three hundred and thirty (1,330) in 1941 to three thousand, five hundred and sixty three (3,561) in 1950.
The Anglican Mission, a Christian denomination, had built Sts. John and Mary, two teacher training Colleges and post primary institutions for men and women and St. Catherine’s Grammar School for girls. The Roman Catholic Mission established St. Louis Girls Grammar School and St. Louis Hospital. Another Christian mission had built the New Church Grammar School.
The Methodist mission, one of the first Christian missions to establish a school in Owo, also joined the race for school construction at the post primary level by building the Methodist Grammar School, and later, Mr. Ajasin established Owo High School. Also established during Olowo Olateru Olagbegi’s tenure are Irekari Grammar School, Idoani and Ekamarun Grammar School, Ifon. Many secondary modern schools were established during his time. The West regional Government established the Owo Trade Center and the Farm Center. The people of Owo kingdom ascribes these educational opportunities to the wisdom and foresight of Oba Olateru Olagbegi, some says that great was the day and fortunate was Owo and her people when Olateru Olagbegi became the ruler of Owo kingdom.
The new king rebuilt the palace with an impressive facade, made improvements in areas of the palace which had become dilapidated and created modern amenities and conveniences in the place while preserving some of the old buildings with their traditions. There are still in the palace multiple compounds, Ughas (courtyards), both ancient and modern. It appears that many Owo people followed his example by erecting modern buildings.
During the time of Olowo Olagbegi II, there were newly laid streets throughout his domain with the main market, Ulede, having improved and modern stalls, (but no toilets, as the public toilets that were built by the colonial authorities were unhygienic and constituted a health hazard), as well as a motor park. Buildings of modern types were erected for the council offices and he was instrumental in the building of the Owo Town Hall, a small replica of the Mapo Hall, Ibadan at the Ugbo-Ogwata near Okiti Asegbo. Other amenities like the Owo Town Hall, Cooperative Assembly Hall, the National and Standard Banks, the supply of pipe borne water, electric lighting in the streets, a new imposing central mosque and a Muslim Grammar School, all coming into being during the time he was Olowo.
Immediately following Olateru’s enthronement, he brought forward the proposal for the establishment of a secondary school in Owo. The people of Owo had longed for this type of educational institution for a considerably long time. It is said that he believed that education, beyond the elementary level, would bring progress to the town and provide enlightenment to the people. In 1946, after some efforts on the part of the new king and his Edibo chiefs, the idea of building a secondary school became a reality when the premier secondary school in Owo, Imade College, named after Imade, the founder of the town was established. Imade College stands as a monument to the self-determination of Owo people and co-operation between the king, Olateru Olagbegi, and the people of Owo.
Before the establishment of the school, it became a problem to get suitable personnel among the citizens of Owo, with the requisite qualification and training, to staff the administration of the school as there was then no individual with the required qualifications among Owo citizens with the capacity to head the new secondary school as the qualification of a Bachelor’s degree and training in post-primary educational theory and practice were required by the British administration for the headship of a secondary school in Nigeria.
Olateru strove strenuously to realize the goal of training up an Owo citizen to attain the requisite qualification. He suggested that a ‘son of the soil’ be sponsored by the Owo community for further studies at the University overseas. As a result, after consultation with some old students of St. Andrews College, Oyo, Mr. Michael Adekunle Ajasin was selected to go to Fourah- Bay College, Freetown, Sierra Leone, and (now the University of Sierra Leone).Mr. Ajasin obtained a Bachelor’s degree in history from Sierra Leone and a diploma in Education from the University of Durham, England. He returned home to head Imade College, Owo. Following his return to Nigeria, Ajasin became the principal of the school.
Following Olateru’s ascent on the throne of Owo, progress and development became the norm in the kingdom and that there had not been any time in Owo history when she had seen so much advancement and progress in education, town planning, health, religion, agriculture and administrative reforms. But we have to remember also that there had not been any such time in Owo history and in Yorubaland as a whole. Olateru was fortunate to rule at a time of great progress in Nigeria, especially in the Western Region. But a critical assessment of the period reveals that it was also a turbulent and sad era.
Although the era witnessed, at the outset, an unprecedented advancement in education and enlightenment and an economic boom derived from cocoa production and sale, and general prosperity, Owo people also continued in the path of their frontier-like culture of political turbulence, instability and unpredictability. As soon as he ascended the throne, the new king resuscitated the Owo Inner Council which then became, as in the past, the executive council of the land.
In 1944, in consultation with this Council, he mulled the idea of creating the twenty four new chieftaincy titles, called Aragbagbaiye. In 1957, these citizens, chosen by the people, became members of the Inner Council but with a proviso that the titles would not be hereditary. The Aragbagbaiyes: for Igboroko- (1) Aladenika-Olusemola; (2) Adetula-Olufisan; (3) Justus Okoro; (4) Giwa Amadu-Egbewa; for Iloro- (1) Samuel Adeloye- Aboluwodi; for Ehin-Ogbe- (1) Jombo-Olanunma; (2) Badejo Oloka-Olora; for Isaipen: (1) Olanipekun Oyegun; (2) Jacob Dapo Aisida; for Ijebu: (1) Babatunde Ogunbodede- Ashara.
Later, in 1947, the Owo Town Council, with elected members who were the representatives of the people with fifty per cent of the council members being non traditional chiefs, both men and women, came into being. The Olowo exercised authority and ruled with his Inner Council. Under the guidance of the District Officers E. N. C. Dickinson, J. F. Hayley and W. K. D. Macray and with the cooperation of Chief (then Mr.) M. A. Ajasin, a re-organized District Council came into effect. The Council began to work to democratize according to the provisions of the Richards Constitution which came into effect in 1946.
Administrative Committees were formed and members were appointed and placed in charge of the different departments of the council. It was still the traditional order but with a facade of progress.
May God continue to bless Owo Kingdom with good leaders of purpose and may the soul of the departed leaders rest in peace. Ase.
