Herbert Macaulay: Between Ogbomoso, Ibadan and Ore Aganju?

The root of the man generally referred to as the father of the Nigerian Nationalism, Herbert Macaulay has become a subject of controversy. In the Saturday Tribune of September 7, 2018, the controversy surrounding the birth place or roots of Macaulay was tried to be solved. However, the newspaper report created more controversy than the one it attempted to solve. The undying controversy was brought back to life through a biography of the late nationalist written by Mr. Jide Fatokun, a former Managing Director of Ogun-Osun River Basin Authority. In his book, Herbert Macaulay a.k.a. Oyinbo Alawo Dudu: A unique indigene of Ibadan, he claimed Ibadan origin for Macaulay because his grandfather, Ojo Oriare was from Ibadan. There is no doubt that Fatokun has as a source an article written by Ogedengbe Macaulay in the defunct Drum Magazine of October, 1970.

In the said write up, he affirmed that T.B. Macaulay was the son of Ojo Oriare who was a freed slave and herbalist or native doctor in Kissy, Sierra Leone. Secondly, that Ojo’s wife was Kilangbe that is, T.B. Macaulay’s mother, was a native of Ile Ogo in Oyo Province in Western Nigeria. Beyond that however, he established the connection between Oriare families of Ogbomoso and Ibadan by asserting that Oriare migrated to Ibadan from Ogbomoso over 200 years ago. He went further to state the position that Oriare occupied in the political set up of Ibadan as Baba Isale of Ibadan. He also mentioned the family compound situated at Oke Akere- Orita Merin – Mapo road. Also, mentioned were the Mogaji of the family in 1970 who was Raji Ishola Oparinde and the farmland of the family of Ijokodo, Oke Ona and Ojoo.

I’m concerned no one is willing to be Sowore’s surety ― Judge

Questions were raised by Dr. Lasisi Olagunju, the Editor, Saturday Tribune about the veracity of the claim. First, was Ojo Oriare who was said to have been captured, sold to slavery and later freed and fathered the father of Macaulay, a native of Ibadan? Two, was the man captured before or after the foundation of Ibadan? Three, where was the man captured? Four, any relationship between Ojo Oriare, grand dad of Macaulay and Oriare family in Ibadan?

Two or more unassailable facts probably formed the basis of Olagunju’s counter claims over Macaulay’s Ibadan ancestry. First is the claim by Fatokun that one Odelotan, the father of Ojo Oriare migrated to Ibadan after Owu War to settle before giving birth to Ojo who was sold into slavery. Olagunju claims that the liberated Ojo Oriare was recorded to have given birth to Rev’d T.B. Macaulay, the father of Herbert on January 17, 1826, this is about two or three years after the end of Owu War. This means that Odelotan had not gotten to Ibadan before Ojo Oriare gave birth to Macauley’s father and that the modern Ibadan itself has not been founded. Then, what is the veracity of Fatokun’s Ibadan ancestry for Macaulay? Secondly, I think, another basis on which Olagunju disproves Fatokun’s Macaulay’s Ibadan ancestry is the position of the Emeritus Professor of History, Bolanle Awe’s advice to Fatokun in the foreword she wrote in the book. According to Olagunju, Awe noted that the “assertion that Macaulay was of Ibadan Ancestry has to be properly proved with unassailable records beyond present claim”. Olagunju’s position was further given fillip by the record of Isaac B. Thomas, the former Managing Editor of the defunct Lagos-based Akede Eko, a colonial era newspaper. Thomas was said to have been a student and friend of Macaulay for many years. Thomas wrote a biography on Herbert Macaulay and his records in Olagunju’s view were more plausible and laid to rest the controversy of Macaulay’s ancestry. Not only that, it disproves Fatokun’s claims of Ibadan origin for Macaulay. Thomas, who based his position on direct interview with Macaulay on April 20, 1946 less than a month to his death asserted that Ojo Oriare was of Ore Aganju’s descent in the district of Ikirun now in Osun State. According to him, Ojo Oriare was captured as slave, sold and later liberated and being a native doctor or herbalist before he was captured, plied his trade in Sierra Leone and popularly known as Daddy Ojo at Kissy in Sierra Leone. His wife, Kilangbe, recorded to be a daughter of the founder of Ile Ogo also in Yoruba Province of Oyo in the Southern Province of Nigeria.

Possibly, as a result of the controversy, Saturday Tribune had to send a reporter to Ore Aganju to establish the veracity of Thomas claims. The interview with the Ore Monarch, 82 years old, Oba Abdulrasheed Oyewole Oyeyemi III and some individuals in the town, as published in the Saturday Tribune sheds light on the origin of Macaulay cum Ojo Oriare. Oba Oyeyemi III accorded Macaulay a princely status, his grandfather having come from his own lineage of Oloore of Ore Royal Dynasty. Oba Oyeniyi III said it emphatically that Ojo Oriare was born at Ore and boasted that he would be pleased to ask the reporter to be taken to the relic of the birth place of Oriare, which he did. Oba Oyeyemi based his position on the oral tradition from his forebears about Macaulay’s ancestry. In addition, certain individuals in Ore corroborated the Oloore’s position including a History graduate.

Olagunju and the Saturday Tribune have to be commended over the efforts to unravel the ancestry of the father of the Nigerian Nationalism. Lagunju’s advice for Oriare families, especially those in Ibadan and Ogbomoso to go further in the research to reach a plausible conclusion on their history, due to some missing gaps in Fatokun’s book formed the basis of this report which was prompted by the monarch of Okeleerin, Ogbomoso Oba S.B. Amao where Oriare’s family compound, Ile Areere is located in Ogbomoso. The position of Oriare’s family in Ogbomoso tallies with Fatokun’s position on Herbert Macaulay’s origin save the issue of Odelotan whom Fatokun said led Oriare family to Ibadan. The family head, Alhaji Hamza Suleiman Aworinde asserted that Oriare, a warrior father of Ojo left Ogbomoso for Ibadan through Owu war with his brothers Odelotan, Oderinde and others. He said further that they used to visit the family left behind in Ogbomoso even when they had settled in Ibadan. That was how the relationship was sustained between those at Oriare compound in Ibadan and those at Okeleerin Ogbomoso. He concluded that Ojo Oriare returned from Sierra Leone to Ogbomoso and when he died, he was buried in Ogbomoso.

Nasarawa Police arrests pastor, 46 suspects for armed robbery, kidnap, other crimes

Psychoanalysis of various sources on the origin of Herbert Macaulay, especially those of Fatokun, I.B. Thomas, Ogedengbe Macaulay, Oba Oyeyemi III of Ore and Oriare family in Ogbomoso shows that there was a man called Ojo Oriare who begat T.B. Macaulay. Secondly, all sources agreed that he was captured as a slave and rescued in Sierra Leone where he lived and worked as a native doctor. The difference is the place of origin of Ojo Oriare between Ibadan and Ore Aganju. The position of I.B. Thomas who was a friend and student of Macaulay on the origin of Macaulay which he said was Ore cannot be waved aside. Also, the stand of Ogedengbe Macaulay, the son of Macaulay who claimed Ibadan origin for Macaulay cannot be doubted also. However, Ogedengbe being the son of Macaulay must know about his father more than Thomas who was a mere friend. More so, the position of the Oriare family in Ogbomoso is crucial because the family had relationship with Oriare family in Ibadan. However, Oba Oyeyemi’s position supporting Thomas on Ore origin of Macaulay could have held water if we can see Oriare descendants in Ore as we have them in Ibadan and Ogbomoso.

A more plausible fact about Macaulay’s origin is that Oriare a warrior originated at Ile Arere, Okeleerin, Ogbomoso. He begat Ojo and other children. Ojo was a native doctor, he might have learnt the art from his father or elsewhere. He might have left Ogbomoso for Ore Aganju very close to Iresa to practice his trade. It might have happened that during the course of his stay in Ore Aganju, he was captured and sold to slavery. However, before that time, he might have sustained a relationship with his kiths and kin in Ibadan. An important fact to be noted at this juncture is that there is no evidence yet that Ojo lived in Ibadan. Another undisputed fact here is that Ojo was not captured in Ibadan and could not have been captured in Ogbomoso at that time. The possible place where he could have been taken was Ore possibly by Ijesha marauders or slave merchants.  While in Sierra Leone, he begat T.B. Macaulay. On T.B. Macaulay’s return to Lagos, he too begat Herbert Macaulay among other children. Factually, efforts can be made to ascertain Herbert Macaulay’s origin but none of the available sources especially on Ojo Oriare ancestry has helped in reaching a definite conclusion. Therefore, we can only conclude on tripartite origin of Macaulay from Ogbomoso, Ibadan and Ore Aganju. The research continues.

On Oriare’s movement to Ibadan stated by Fatokun, he has to go and do more research as Olagunju pointed out. There is no doubt that Oriare moved to Ibadan through Owu War but we cannot reconcile his position on the birth of Ojo Oriare with the movement of his father to Ibadan. This makes further research into Herbert Macaulay ancestry imperative even in spite of my own contribution. We should recollect that Owu War began in 1821. The war was between Ife and her allies like Oyo. Owu was supported by Egba who domiciled in present Ibadan. Many of the Oyo army that supported Ife were from Ogbomoso area. These were erroneously termed as Oyo refugees fleeing from war front in the northern part of Yoruba land by scholars like Akinjogbin, Ajayi, etc. These include Lajubutan, Delesolu at Oje and Babalola the father of Fijabi, who variously left Oje Ile or Ijeru for the war front, Abayomi from Iresa, Ope Agbe, Ibikunle among others. Among these warriors was Oriare. We should also recollect that after the victory of Ife and Oyo over Owu and Egba allies, Ife and Oyo elements including Oluyole, Oluyedun among others seized Ibadan from Egba. What I am trying to establish is the fact that Oriare settled in Ibadan after the Owu War with his warrior contemporaries. The fact that he settled in Oja Iba area shown that he was among the earliest settlers in Ibadan. The extent of his family land at Ojoo, Ijokodo, Odo Ona and today’s part of Mokola, Sango and Apete areas further shows his status in Ibadan.

Adewuyi Adegbite sent the piece through ayekooto05@gmail.com