This article is about the biography of the Alaafin Of Oyo, the late Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Atanda Adeyemi iii who was born on March 15, 1938. He was the longest serving Alaafin of Oyo. He was also the son of Oba Adeyemi II, the immediate former Alaafin of Oyo who was sent into exile in 1954 for showing sympathy towards the National Council of Nigerian Citizens (NCNC).
It was after the civil war, Lamidi Adeyemi succeeded his father Alaafin Gbadegesin Ladigbolu Il as the king of Oyo in the year 1971. He was working as an insurance clerk before he emerged as the new Alaafin.
In ancient times before the pre-colonial era, the Alaafin was seen an absolute ruler whose powers spread throughout the Yoruba empire. The Alaafin of Oyo and the Ooni of Ife are seen as the most powerful monarchs in Yoruba land. History has it that the Oyo empire is the traditional empire of Yoruba land, although not the seat of Oduduwa, the founder of the Yoruba tribe.
The late Alaafin, in his lifetime, impacted positively in the lives of not just his immediate subjects in Oyo town where he held his royal court, but in Yoruba land and Nigeria as a whole.
At his coronation on November 18, 1970, at the age of 32 in succession to Oba Gbadegesin Ladigbolu I, Oba Adeyemi became the 45th Alaafin in the history of the ancient Oyo Empire, which at its zenith stretched into present day Benin Republic.
His contributions to national development were equally outstanding. This was shaped by his personal experience in his formative years and in the events he witnessed. He lived with his father in exile after being dethroned and banished to Lagos in 1955. As a lad growing under such circumstances, he witnessed first-hand what it was to suddenly fall from the grace and privileges of royalty to the nonentity and anonymity of life in exile with his father. In a way this tampered with his understanding of the vicissitudes of life and prepared him for the nuanced role he was to play as the Alaafin of Oyo.
Other Titles of the Alaafin of Oyo
Apart from being a wealthy rich Yoruba king which makes the Alaafin of Oyo net worth run into billions of Naira, there are other names or titles by which the Alaafin is called. These names includes: Kabiyesi which means “the King Who No One Can Question”, Iku Baba Yeye meaning “The One Who Can Command Death” or “Pronounce Same Upon His Father or Mother* Or “He Who Is Parent To Death”. Alashe which means “He Who Wields Authority”, Ekeii Orisha which means “second-in-command to the gods”.
The late Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Atanda Adeyemi iii was also a holder of the Nigerian national honor of the Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR). It was also him who installed the ate Bashorun Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola (MKO) as the Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland on March 14, 1988.
Lamidi Olayiwola Atanda Adeyemi Ill was appointed the chancellor of Uthman dan
Fodio University, Sokoto. He held this position from 1980 to 1992. In 1990, he was appointed Amir-ul-Hajj by the then former military president, Ibrahim Babangida. The Alaafin’s religion is Islam.
The current net worth of the Alaafin of Oyo, Lamidi Olayiwola Atanda Adeyemi iii has not been released by Forbes. He is ranked among the list of first class Obas in Nigeria and is also one of the richest kings in Nigeria.
Since he is a wealthy businessman with many landed properties both in Nigeria and Abroad, it won’t be a surprise if the current Alaafin of Oyo net worth is estimated to run into millions of US dollars.
The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, is confirmed dead. Alaafin Adeyemi, who was the third from the Alowolodu Ruling House, died at the Afe Babalola University Teaching Hospital, Ado Ekiti at age 83. He ruled for 52 years.