HISTORY OF IKALE PEOPLE OF ONDO STATE

Around 1502, there was a development in Benin Kingdom, Oba Esigie was on the throne and since succession to the throne was from father to son, he was worried that he had no male child who will ascend the throne after his home call. He married many wives so as to produce a male child. The premonition was that some forces were behind his not having male children. One of his wives conceived and went into hiding.

He gave birth to a male child in the morning but at that time, many people had gone to their places of word. Automatically, the male child should reign after him. Before he could made an Oba, certain rites were to be performed. They put all the things: crown, sekere, horsetail, beads as a mark of an Oba before the child.

Towards evening, when people were returning from their various places of work, another wife of the Oba gave birth to a male child and people were happy, and started jubilating to herald in the new Oba. News now came that a male child had been given birth to the Oba in the morning but kept in secrecy –A –b – o –d –i.

The two male children were growing up in the palace. This made the Oba to foresee problems as to who is to ascend the throne after him. He now advised the elder male child to go across Owena River to establish his own kingdom. Abodi left with some Chiefs in Benin and came to the Western side of Owena. He first settled at Arogbo – Ile. While leaving the place, he asked Larogbo to take charge of Arogbo – Ile. He proceeded to Irele and settled there for a while.

This first Abodi is called Abodi Jabado. He reigned for a long period before joining his ancestors. His son, called Tufewa reigned after him. People that were with the Abodi were called Abodi people. The settlement of Abodi in each of the places he settled was called Ikoya. Tufewa went to Ile – Ife to learn the art of governance because he did not learn the intricacies of palace administration in Benin.

It was also recorded that Esigie sent him to Ooni in Ile – Ife. He was there for three years. At the end of his third year, the Ooni gave Abodi benedictions. He made him to kneel down in a circle marked with white chlk and asked him to carry out these rites in his country/kingdom. Abodi came home with this chalk. This led to the use of white chalk (Efun) which is used to make inscriptions or marks on the ground (meaning) Ikale. That is what we bear today. Without prejudice to anybody, some people say we covered the land “a ka ile yi”. While some people claimed that a man was living beside the Owena River named Aale, and so his village was called Aale. From the three schools of thought, we presume that the act of using a white chalk to make inscription on the ground to mean Ikale is the most acceptable.

The Chiefs that accompanied him from Benin and those that joined him later were given districts to administer. These chiefs were called Olojas. They were given recognitions as Obas in 1979. meanwhile, Abodi gave them titles and they were responsible to him. Today, to a large extent they are autonomous in the administration of their areas. There is no time that the Ikales are nine or their rulers were nine. But the idea of Ikale “mehan” came during the colonial era. The reasons were best known to the colonial masters. Ajagba, Ujosun and Akotogbo were administered by Benin confederation. Two reasons were advanced for carving out the three:

(i) They spoke Benin language

(ii) They were too distant from Ikoya administration.

One needs to say that if the colonial masters had understood the origin of the Ikales, they would not have carved out these three area and put them under Benin Administration.

Originally, we had: Larogbo of Akotogbo,; Oluhogbo of Ujosun,; Ahaba of Ajagba,; Laragunsin of Iyansan,; Odogbo of Omi,; Olofun of Irele,; Halu/Lapoki of Ode-Aye,; Jagun of Idepe,; Obagberume of Igbodigo,; Lumure of Ayika,; Orungberuwa of Erinje,; Olura/Oloto of Igbinsin,; Rebuja of Osooro,; and Onipe of Ubu.

Some of the rulers mentioned above are offsrings of other Royal Fathers. For example, Jagun is an offspring of Larogbo, Rebuja is an offspring of Lumure. Due to lack of contact, Onipe was lost to Ijebu area. Today, in addition to the aforementioned Obas, we have: Norogun of Ayede,; Olu of Igodan/Pkunmo,; Majuwa of Morubodo Kingdom,; and Orofun of Iju – Odo. Ikoya is very important in the history of Ikale development.

Abodi Jabado was asked to move out and found his kingdom. Esigie gave Abodi all the paraphernalia of office. Sword (Uda) was left out. Oba Esigie was confused with whom to give; either Oba Abodi or Orogbua. Oba Esigie then called his palace chiefs to consider whom to be given the sword. The palace chiefs made two of them to contest for the “Uda”. The sword was thrown up for them to catch.

In the process, Abodi gripped the handle while Orogbua held the blade. Orogbua’s hand was cut and Abodi won the contest and had the “Uda”. Oba Esigie told Abodi to use the sword to ward off attacks, aggressions and insults. In other words, the uda was given to Abodi to ward off enemies (ki o fi ko iya) To confirm this, Abodi is the only Oba that bears the appellation, “Ogun Olugba uda…”

Anywhere Abodi settles is called Ikoya. He settled in Atijere, Ode, Lagos etc. It was Abodi Kugbayigbe who came to found the present Ikoya. Ikoya is a shifting settlement along with its civilization, culture, custom, ethics and norms.

In those days, there was a lot of human sacrifice. Only the relations of Abodi were spared. Strangers were usually made use of for this sacrifices. This made them to move from Ikoya Kingdom because that time, to stay at Ikoya was between life and death. The Ikales because of their good administration, their neighbours feared them. There were two events when they had clashes. Alake wanted to override Onipe. Onipe called on Abodi and the force of Alake was forced to retreat. It was not directly between Alake and Ikale. It was later that Alake discovered that Abodi assisted Onipe but Abodi had already moved away from there. Ondos and Ikales fought wars though not with the entire Ikale but with some districts like Aye, Irele having boundaries with them. In each of these wars, Ikales always emerged victorious because the entire Ikale fought as a unit.

In one of the wars, the Ondo warrior were decisively routed which led to the immediate death of the then Osemawe who could not stand the defeat (O si igba). Apart from external wars, Ikales had internal conflicts between Osooro and Idepe and Ayeka. We had no war with the Ilajes, Ijaws, and the Ijebus. The war we had with Larogbo was a very critical one in which Erinje was grossly affected which made them to hide in a place called Aluma. Apart from this, there were no serious wars like Kiriji and others.

The present chieftaincy titles practiced in Ikale was brought by Abodi Tufewa when he traveled to Ile – Ife. The first set of Ijama were Lisa, Jomo, Petu, Sasere, Odunwo and Isowa, headed by Lema. They were established in all Ikale areas by the second Abodi. In most Ikale areas today, these six chiefs form the leadership of Ijama. It is not mandatory that you have all of them. In some towns, they are Egharepara. Ijama was banished in 1919 but resuscitated in 1930’s because Ijama is the organ of administration. The hierarchical setup is: Oba – Ijama – Ijoye – Omoja.

Copied

WELCOME ADDRESS BY SENATOR BABAFEMI OJUDU AT THE PRESENTATION OF THE BOOK ‘POLITICS THAT WORKS’ ON THE 4TH OCTOBER 2021.

It is my great pleasure to welcome you to the presentation of the book Politics That  Works and the bringing together of the old and aspiring politicians to discuss the future of politics in our dear nation.

1.Nigerian is ripe for transitioning; the appetite of the nation is sharply changing and craving more youthful, innovative and genuine governance. The future we desire for our dear nation is anchored on the mobilization, equipping and positioning of more youthful minds in position of power to transform our political space and to creatively upgrade our public sector, to the point where it can rub shoulders with first world nations.  This  is why we are here today.

2.The future of politics is one that is driven by young people, organized by technology, and fired by a competitive pursuit for world standard excellence. 

3.The underlying motive behind the argument put forward by this book is a better future for Nigeria and that future can only be made possible by a new kind of politics. In our political history, since the formal creation of Nigeria, there have been three major eras. Each new era was the result of the toil, sweat and blood of a generation that chose to stand out.

4.First, we had the colonial era. The age of the British rule, where men- the likes of our grandfathers and fathers- the Chief Obafemi Awolowos, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chief Micheal , Imoudu, Alhaji Ahmadu Bello, Bello Ijumu, Mrs Funmilayo Ransome Kuti, Madam Margaret Ekpo fought in their time for independence and came out victorious. It was this generation that handed over to us an independent nation. 

5.Next was the era of military rule. The ones who seized power and rode roughshod over us and took away our freedom to choose . The next generation, those currently between ages 40 and 70, threw themselves in with everything they had and fought  them really hard. Some were slain, others were incarcerated for many years, while some others fled the country to stay alive. This was a fight that had me arrested about 15 times, and on one of those times, locked up in solitary confinement for eight months, wearing only a single piece of clothing.

6.Those days are still fresh in our memory. The  harrowing tales of the experience of fellow comrades linger in our thoughts,

 a sad reminder of the dark days. 

7.That was a fight for freedom that had our newspapers and magazines operating in the dark, shifting base from pillar to post, as they were   declared prohibited and the operators declared wanted  by the military government. 

8.The newspaper operations became a mobile enterprise in what has come to be known as Guerrilla Journalism. It was a fight that had my colleague Kunle Ajibade and Chris Anyanwu jailed for life for a coup they  knew nothing about; a fight that killed many of my comrades and colleagues, including my  enterprising correspondent in Kaduna Mr Bagauda Kaltho.

9.The list is of the victims of this epoch is endless and the harrowing cries from the cells of fellow inmates sometimes still keep me  awake. That fight also had people like Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Wole Soyinka, Dapo Olorunyomi, Bayo Onanuga, General Alani Ipoola Akinrinade, Dr Amos Akingba, Chief Anthony Enahoro and a host of others, ran  for their lives and take asylum in other countries.

10. We eventually came out victorious and democracy was put in place but unfortunately we were too angry, tired and in some cases shy to make a bold bid for power. Imagine if elements such  as Olisa Agbakoba, the man who made human rights a household issue in Nigeria, had returned to the East to take over power; Owei Lakemfa and Abdul Oroh had gone with other of our Comrades to South South and Femi Falana and several activists of that period from South West had held sway in politics. Imagine if it were the elements like Salihu Lukman , Tony Akika who were the deciders in the North.  The  story would have been different today. We all were looking for a purity of circumstance and as a result of this  dropped the baton and let evil elements in our generation take over the mantle of leadership. It is that realization that the nation is endangered in the hands of those clueless inheritors that brought  a General Muhammadu Buhari out of his retirement . You all could see the hell he went through before he could wrestle power from them. Even now they are still vicious and not relenting  in their opposition to him.

11.Now, it is the turn of the new generation to fight! You are fighting hard on the social media. Yes, we can see that. Many of you are full of anger that you have almost been consumed by abusing everybody and throwing tantrums . Many of you have even gone as far as denigrating , hating and cursing your  country Nigeria. Some have lost hope completely and talking about the ‘second option’ . A number of others are withdrawing to their ethnic cocoon , brewing hate, and weaving lies, sewing seeds of discord,  manufacturing fakery, reaching out to the depth of the sewage  to look for heroes. 

12.This cannot be right. Anger solves no problem. It will only lead to despondency and frustration. It is time to take a new approach. A positive one that will be beneficial to all.

13.It is time for today’s youth to take the right tools, with the right understanding and strategy to chart a course for their generation. We believe the struggle, after Independence, after Democracy, is a struggle for Development! The responsibility is on the young generation, the incoming leaders, to hand over a developed nation, in the league of first world countries, to their children. 

14.You can only do that by getting involved, and participating meaningful. You have the energy, you have the intelligence. The internet, thank God, has exposed you to myriads of information and developmental options. What is left,  is for you , to have the right compass to enable you take over the politics and governance of our country. 

Time is not on your side. 

15.The bad as well as the crooked elements among your generation are hankering for power and they have amassed wealth from all manners of dubious means . God forbid , if you don’t make haste and make the right moves today they will , using their ill gotten wealth, shut you out of governance and that will be very dangerous for you and for the future of our country.

16.Not long ago the Arab Spring swept through the Middle East. It was driven by a crop of educated youths with a deep understanding of their terrain and a sound vision of liberal politicking with developmental principles, derived from social networking. They used innovative means to standardise their public service. It is time for you ,the Nigerian youths,  to deploy your  enlightened minds,  your  ingenuity, your creativity and exposure to rebuild our nation. 

17.Some will say but your  generation and the generation before you are  holding tightly to power, how exactly do young ones  take over? How would the angry  youth   get in the political ring with old, experienced, resourced and powerful politicians and win? 

18.This is the gap myself and Alex Adekunle James, a member of your generation , have collaborated to fill through the book we are presenting and the mentorship program we are launching today. 

19.The Politics That Works  book, first of its kind in Nigeria, is a step-by-step guide that answers the many questions limiting youth dominance of our political space. 

This book makes an attempt at providing a strategic way for young people to play around the current obstacles and attain political office without compromising their values.  

20.We seek, through this book, to bring the new generation of politicians out of their confusion and hand them the take-over baton. We will help the youths understand what politics that works entails.  We have in the book unveiled the superior grassroots strategies you  can employ to beat the odds whilst holding tightly to your values. 

21.This initiative does not stop with the book, we have also put together a continuity and sustainability plan for the Politics That Works community called MOP Nigeria - where interested youths can sign up onto the mentorship program to learn real politics, be mentored by the grandmasters and get support to participate, run and get into office. We have set a target to put 500 young Nigerians in positions of power by 2031.  

22.Thank God today we have with us as Special Guest of honor,  the Vice President of Nigeria,  Prof Yemi Osinbajo, a youth friendly leader, a man who is schooled in the past , active in the present and willing to be a bridge to the future. His speeches and actions has indicated that he is willing to hold your hand and lead you to be masters of your destiny. 

You have also watched  our leader, President Mohammadu Buhari and his partners in progress,  built the foundation and put in place the German floor of that edifice of the future. The one who  will come after him will lay the blocks and put a solid roof . The finishing will be that of your generation to do. It is our hope that you will come up  with a beautiful , enduring and long lasting edifice. What you therefore need to realize is that no builder build well without undergoing a period of apprenticeship and preparation. It is time for you to sign on and learn.

Once again I welcome you to this historic event - The Politics of the Future conference; a long overdue conversation between three categories of political stakeholders; The old and established politicians, the fresh and young politicians and the aspiring politicians, to chart a course for the future of Nigeria politics.

It promises to be the most insightful conversation on politics you have been a part of. 

Thank you and have a great time.

OCTOBER 1983 Coup Rumours Against President Shehu Shagari

 October 1983, Major Daniel Idowu Bamidele heard of coup rumours against President Shehu Shagari and promptly reported to his General Officer Commanding (GOC), Major-General Muhammadu Buhari (who, unknown to Bamidele at that time, was in the thick of the plot).

A week later, Bamidele found himself on a plane to Lagos, detained by the Directorate of Military Intelligence at Tego Barracks and was accused of plotting a coup against Shagari.

Fake witnesses were paraded and a mock interrogation contrived, while reports were being made to the Nigerian Security Organisation (then under Umaru Shinkafi) to mislead the Shagari regime.

Meanwhile, the real plot continued underground with the full involvement of the same Military Intelligence group that was interrogating him.

Finally, on November 25, 1983, with no credible witness to nail him, and no legal basis to charge him for a one-man conspiracy, Bamidele was released. He returned to Jos, befuddled about what had actually transpired, until on January 1, 1984, his own GOC, Buhari, to whom he had reported the plot, emerged as the new Head of State!

Learning from his ordeal in 1983, Bamidele had kept quiet about any coups.

However, in 1985, the Major was arrested (for failing to report the alleged Vatsa coup conspiracy), tried by a special military tribunal, and executed by firing squad on March 5, 1986, along with others such as Major-General Mamman Vatsa.

Bamidele's words to the tribunal were:

"I heard of the 1983 coup planning, told my GOC General Buhari who detained me for two weeks in Lagos. Instead of a pat on the back, I received a stab. How then do you expect me to report this one?

"This is not self-adulation but a sincere summary of the qualities inherent in me. It is an irony of fate that the president of the tribunal who, in 1964, felt that I was good enough to take training in the UK is now saddled with the duty of showing me the exit from the force and the world." 

Source: HistoryVille