Obalufon Alaayemore, third Oba of Ife, was the son of Obalufon Ogbogbodirin, second ruler of Ile-Ife and eldest grandson of Oduduwa who lived and reigned for an unusually long period. The same Obalufon Alaayemore was one of the brothers of Oranyan, whose children (Ajaka and Eweka) were crowned by him (Oranyan) as the Alaafin of Oyo and Oba of Benin Kingdoms respectively.
Obalufon Alaayemore ascended the ancient and most important throne of Oduduwa when his brother Oranyan, who was supposed to ascend the throne of Ife after Obalufon Ogbogbodirin, was on sojourn at Benin and Oyo.
On the return of Oranyan from Benin and Oyo Kingdoms, after installing his sons as Obas of these kingdoms to ascend the throne of Ife. Obalufon Alaayemore fled from Ife to found Efon Alaaye in Ekiti. When Oranyan died, Obalufon Alaayemore was recalled from Efon Alaaye to ascend the throne of Oduduwa at Ife, for the second time and he thus became the third and fifth ruler of Yoruba race reigning at Ife. Before he left Efon Alaaye, Obalufon Alaayemore installed his son Adudu Oranku as Oranyan did at Benin and Oyo as the second Alaaye in his place and decorated him with all the paraphernalia of kingship and the kingship has ever remained within the lineage uninterrupted since 1200 A. D.
According to the Royal list of 1931, Alaaye of Efon was listed as number 16 among all the Obas in Yorubaland. Extracts from the Nigerian Government Gazette of 28th February, 1903 relating to the special meeting of Central Native council which was presided over by the Colonial Governor, Sir William MacGregor, the Ooni listed Alaaye of Efon as number eleven among leading Yoruba Obas to whom crowns have been given by the Ooni of Ife, ( and number four with regard to Ondo State).
With its unique historical facts and background, Efon Alaaye had been a Sovereign Yoruba kingdom as far back as 1200 A. D.; and it is blessed with rich traditional and cultural heritage.
Before the introduction of the Local Government system of administration into Nigeria, Efon Alaaye, as a sovereign Yoruba Kingdom, enjoyed a kind of traditional political democracy. The administration of the kingdom was in the hands of the Oba-In-Council, made up of the Oba and six Chiefs. Each of the six Chiefs was and still is a head of one of the six quarters that make up the town.
The six quarters making up Efon Alaaye town are:
AAYE QUARTER:
The quarter head is the OBAALA . The present Obaala is JOHN OLUFEMI FAKOREDE (born 1932). He was installed as the Obaala in November 1979.
OBALU QUARTER: The quarter head is the OBALOJA. The present Obaloja is TIMOTHY IGE AJAYI ADEKAHUNSI . He was installed as the Obaloja in 1982. ISAJA QUARTER:
The quarter head is the PETEKO. He is SAMUEL OWOLABI OYEDIRAN DADA(born 1959). He became the Peteko on the 2nd of May, 1992.
EJIGAN QARTER:
The quarter head is the OISAJIGAN, he is THOMAS OLABODE ADENIRAN(born 1940). He was installed on the 22nd of December, 1984.
EMO QUARTER:
The quarter head of the Emo Quarter is the ALAAYO. He is GABRIEL OJO AFOLAYAN ( born 1950). He was installed as the Alayo on the 14th of September, 1992, at the age of 51 years.
IKAGBE QUARTER:
The quarter head of the Ikaagbe Quarter is the OJUBU. He is JAMES OLOWOKERE. He was installed as the Ojubu in 1959.
Each quarter head has his own set of Chiefs, who are either males or females.
THE ALAAYE
He is the Royal Highness and Head of Efon - Alaaye (Kingdom). He stays at the Afin (Palace), while the quarter heads (Iwarafas) each stays or lives in his Akodi of the quarter.
ODE - ELEGBE
It is the most important sector of the Afin. It is where you have most of the tombs of previous Obas who reigned many years ago. Among the tombs is that of Oba Afin-bi Okin who is reputed as yet the longest reigning Oba.
At the Ode -Elegbe, all the traditional Oath Taking takes place at a specially organized shrine in the center of the sector.
There are three ruling houses in Efon Alaaye that normally produce the Oba in rotation. The ruling houses and the order of rotation are:
Ogbenuote
Obologun
Asemojo
The present Oba, His royal Highness Oba (Dr.) Emmanuel Aladejare Agunsoye II is the 45th Alaaye of Efon Alaaye, starting from Adudu Oranku, the son of the founder of the town, Obalunfon Alaayemore; he hails from the Ogbenuote ruling house. And the king-makers are the six high Chiefs who are heads of six Quarters into which the town is divided.
The six Kingmaker's are:
1. High chief Obanla of Aaye Quarter
2. High Chief Obaloja of Obalu Quarter
3. High Chief Peteko of Isaja Quarter
4. High Chief Oisajigan of Ejigan Quarter
5. High Chief Alaayo of Emo Quarter
6. High Chief Ojubu of Ikagbe Quarter
THE EYESEMUE EFON
Chief Eyesemue is the head of all women and women chiefs in Efon - Alaaye, she is refereed to as "Obabinrin". She performs more or less like the Oba when it comes to women affairs and she is assisted by other female chiefs to handle women affairs in the town. Her staff of office is a sword.
Her Oriki:
Eyesemue Efon, bi Oba ibomiran l'ori Esemu Oluda, Oleyin lerun, O rerikijobiA notable and powerful Eyesemue was Chief (Mrs.) Alice Ajayi Aiyodola Fasakin. She was installed in 1959. She reigned for twenty-six (26) years and died at the age of 121.
Efon Alaaye maintains certain traditional institutions up till today for the purpose of good harvest, prevention of diseases and the death of young people and for the maintenance of peace throughout the nooks and corners of the town and its environs. Such traditional festivities include Olookun, Odun Egungun, Sango, Atita, Oloore, Olokun and Odun Ogun and they are held annually.
The traditional occupation of the Efon Community is mainly agriculture, and this indicates that the people are mostly farmers, planting such crops like yams, cassava, rice, plantain, banana, maize, lolanuts, pineapples and cocoa.
By January 12, 1981, Efon Alaaye was created as an autonomous Local Government Administration by the Civilian Government of Ondo State when the community refused to participate in the affairs of Ekiti West Local Government created in 1976. The reason for the non participation in the affairs of the Local Government is the fact that Efon Alaaye was the Headquarters of Ekiti West District Council for eighteen years which became Ekiti West Local Government of Ondo State in 1976, when the headquarters was arbitrarily removed from Efon Alaaye to Aramoko-Ekiti without regard to history, amenities, population and wishes of the people. In 1984, under the Military Government of Ondo State, Efon Alaaye Local government Administration was renamed a Efon Area Authority; and by 1st July, 1989, Efon Alaaye was legally created as Efon Subordinate Area Authority by the Military Government of Ondo State with its Headquarters at Efon Alaaye. After the creation of Ekiti State, Efon-Alaaye Local Government was created with headquarters at Efon.
Today, the following towns and villages constitute Efon Alaaye Local Government. They are:
1. Efon Alaaye - Headquarters 2. Araromi 3. Iwaji 4. Igboaba 5. Etisun 6. Alerokuku 7. Abeta 8. Ita-Ido 9. Ita-Awure 10. Alawaye 11. Irunsin 12. Oba Ayetoro 13. Obake 14. Ido Ayegunle 15. Oroo 16. Agboro 17. Okoadagba 18. Aladura 19. Orisunmibare 20. Alagbamesan 21. Olomoweve 22. Igbodofin
We have direct links with Aramoko-Ekiti, Okemesi, Ido Ajinare and Ipole-Ilore. We do trade and intermarry.
The official coronation and presentation of Instrument and Staff of Office of His Royal Highness Oba (Dr.) Emmanuel Adesanya Aladejare Agunsoye II, the Alaaye of Efon Alaaye, was performed on Saturday, December 21, 1991. Under him the community hopes to make progress in all spheres of life.
We wish him many years of meritorious service to the people of Efonland, Ondo State and Nigeria in general.
Long may he reign
EFON ALAAYE ANTHEM

1. Efon npele omo oloke Oke - ko ma ‘Laye tile ogun Edu Ule Ahun Efon kumoye Lomode lagba lule loko Ibi an bini na se In mo mo gbagbe Ule Efon - Eye o la ke le Efon Olorun laba ri a. Efon npele omo oloke, Edu Ule Ahun Efon kumoye 2. Oba Laye l'Efon, Uwarafa mefa kete, Indi Efon mu gbonin - gbonin Akanda Ulu Olodumare Afefe ibeo tuni lara Omi ibe a mu fokan bale ni Un kejarun, o jina s'Efon. Efon npele omo oloke Edu Ule Ahun Efon kumoye. 3. Iyo l'Efon re lau jo ero Un da an da an mani Aaye, Obalu, Ejigan, Emo, Usaja, Ukagbe, Usokan Efon in dimu gbonin-gbonin Efon npele omo oloke Edu Ule Ahun Efon kumoye.
No comments:
Post a Comment