Oba P.A.O. Ise-Oluwa Oluyede, A Tribute

AS the Ayede Ogbese Royal Council and the people of the gateway kingdom to the North-East of Akure, the capital of Ondo State, South-West Nigeria unite and celebrate the life and times of their monarch, His Royal Majesty, Peter Adetunmbi Olasehinde Oluyede IV, Ise Oluwa I, who was caught up with his ancestors and the common wealth of the celestial in the early hours of Tuesday July 14, 2015, the formative and transformational footprints of the Oluyede Dynasty in the last one 100 years or more take the front burner.

Oba P.A.O. Ise-Oluwa Oluyede consolidated the foundational legacies of his forebears, particularly, his own father Joshua Amudede Oluyede I, who gave the community of Ayede-Ogbese an identity of its own and autonomy within the larger Akure sub ethnic group. Instead of a hegemonic closed community, the Oluyede Royal family conceived and nurtured with other savvy members of the town, a truly multi-ethnic and properly integrated sub-urban Nigerian settlement. Thus before bowing to the will of God and the overwhelming demand of his people as the leader they wanted, Oba Oluyede, an accomplished Professor of Law, distinguished member of the Nigerian appellate bench, erudite author and scholar, a dedicated family man and committed Christian, first ensured that his means of livelihood was secured in firm way.

He was always at total peace on how to inter-face between the rigors of being a first class public servant and notable academic and the required common touch and native intelligence requisite to leading rural folks. Life started for Oba Oluyede by understudying his father, Joshua Amudede Oluyede, the first major community head for Ayede-Ogbese and his mum, Mrs. Ogunseyin Oluyede perform rudimentary, and sometimes hard, routines on the farm, preparing herbs, games hunting and perfecting his skills of roofing and carpentry technology learnt from a master carpenter in Ijebuland. Apart from carefully watching his parents as the first agents of socialisation and role models, as a prince, he did not toe the path of many princes or princesses of the time, some of whom savoured the vulgarity of avoiding schools because anyone from royal lineage was not expected to be flogged.

He learnt very quickly in life that education was a rapid path to social ascendancy in the new Nigeria the colonial masters were running. He brazed up and latched on to schooling opportunities. He was passing brilliantly at his tests as an elementary pupil at St. David’s Anglican School, Ijomu, Akure. He excelled in sports, especially soccer and music. After elementary school, he proceeded to Ondo Boys’ High School where he wrote and passed his General Certificate of Education (GCE) exams in 1951.

He would later join the public service and work as a produce officer. In 1952, he rode on his bicycle on an Ibadan street and met the acquaintance of then Miss. Titilola Dorcas Ajayi, and her friend Susan. The opportunity of riding into the two friends developed into a significant friendship.

The two (Oluyede and Titilola) fell in love and later married in 1958. P.A.O. Oluyede later passed his G.C.E at Advanced Level, Intermediate LL.B, by private study before leaving for the United Kingdom with his wife in 1960 where he passed the English Bar Finals in 1962; the LL.B in 1963 and the LL.M in 1965. The future king returned to Nigeria and joined the University of Ife in 1965. In 1967, he went back to the United Kingdom (Northern Ireland) and obtained his PH.D and subsequently returned to University of Ife (now O.A.U), where he lectured for some years before he went to the University of Dares-Salam as a Senior Lecturer, in Tanzania. Subsequently, he obtained his LL.D by examination from University of Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Oluyede at various times taught at several Universities in Nigeria including Ife, Lagos, Benin, Ekpoma, Calabar, Ibadan, and Abuja. He was also a faculty member of the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies Lagos, Nigeria. He was an accomplished and brilliant member of the Bench. He was a foremost authority in Constitutional Law, Administrative Law and Conveyancing, authoring several books and articles in these and other areas of Law.

In 1975, he was appointed an Assistant Director of Legal Services at the Federal Ministry of Defence where he served with merit until he was invited by the Ondo State Government in 1976 to serve as the pioneer Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary (S.G and P.S), Ministry of Justice.  He remained in Ondo State civil service until 1983 when he was simultaneously appointed as Professor of Law by both the University of Lagos and University of Benin.

As a public servant, and later as a Judge, he kept dignified aloofness from politicians. Prof. Oluyede was deeply involved in the activities that legitimately led to the creation of the Diocese of Akure Anglican Communion, Church of Nigeria. For nine years, from 1983, he was Bishop’s nominee and member of Synod.

He was also an active member of the Saint David’s Cathedral Standing Committee for many years. He was the “Baba Ijo” of Saint Andrew’s Church Ayede-Ogbese from 2000 and was awarded the title of Grand Commander in Christian Faith (G.C.C.F) by Oke Osun Anglican Diocese of Nigeria.

Oluyede became the Alayede of Ayede-Ogbese on November 11, 2010. He was given the staff of office on the November 26, 2010, and ruled until July 14, 2015 when he went to be with the Lord at the age of 86. He had six children and several grandchildren. Oba Oluyede would always be remembered for reaching out in real diplomatic fashion to promote bond, trust, cooperation and peace amongst traditional rulers in the kingdoms that constitute Akure consciousness and Ondo State in general.

He was the face of honour, dignity and reckoning that Ayede-Ogbese wanted and ultimately got. His time was Ayede-Ogbese’s finest hour.  His remains were interred yesterday after a Christian interdenominational funeral service at the palace grounds. High Chief Abitogun, a journalist and Odopetu of Ayede Ogbese wrote from Kansas City, USA