History, origin of Owu kingdom and past Olowu of Owu

Few days ago, the Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun announced the emergence of the New Olowu of Owu kingdom, Professor Saka Matemilola as the successor to Oba Adegboyega Dosunmu who died in December 2021. Prior to his emergence as the new Olowu, a keenly contested election was held  among the seven candidates of the ruling houses in Owu, Ogun State, among them we see the former president of federal Republic of Nigeria, chief Olusegu Obasanjo,  in order to decide the next Olowu of Owu kingdom.

A brief insight on the profile of the New olowu of Owo shows he is quite an educationist, he  bagged a Doctorate degree in Applied Mathematics from the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom. He is also a Scholar at the Institute of Petroleum Studies, University of Port Harcourt. Also, he can be described as a philanthropist who has contributed greatly towards the development of his community by rendering assistance in the form of providing social amenities like water boreholes, monthly feeding allowance to the needy, financial support to healthcare, provision of school facilities. He is also a respected member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, Nigeria Council.

Traditionally, over the centuries, it is the custom in Owu kingdom for Olowu of Owu to be the paramount ruler and head of the kingdom; this has been the tradition since Inception. However, the lineages of the kingship can be traced back to the  first Olowu of Owu, son of Oduduwa’s daughter. Every Olowu that ruled the  Owu Kingdom were princes selected from six ruling houses namely Amororo, Otileta, Ayoloye, Akinjobi, Akinoso and Lagbedu. The Oba will be assisted by his appointed chiefs known as “Ogboni ”s and Ologuns.

Other past Olowu who has ruled the kingdom of Owu from the genesis before Oba Saka Matemilola includes

1. Oba Pawu 1855-1867 (OTILETA Family)
2. Oba Adefowote 1867-1872 (OTILETA Family)
3. Oba Aderinmoye 1873-1890 (OTILETA Family)
4. Oba Adepegba 1893-1905 (AYOLOYE Family)
5. Oba Owokokade 1906-1918 (OTILETA Family)
6. Oba Dosunmu 1918-1924 (AMORORO Family)
7. Oba Adesina 1924-1936 (OTILETA Family)
8. Oba Adelani Gbogboade 1938-1946 (OTILETA Family)
9. Oba Salami Gbadela Ajibola 1949-1972 (AYOLOYE Family)
10. Oba Adebowale Oyegbade 1975-1980 (AKINJOBI Family)
11. OBA Michael Oyelekan April 29th, 1987 -May 8th, 1987 (AKINOSO Family)
12. Oba Olawale Adisa Odeleye 1993-2003 (LAGBEDU Family)
13. Oba Adegboyega Dosunmu Amororo II From 2005-2021

Historically, the history of Owu kingdom is gloomy and there have been several conspiracy theories that surround her history. Based on the oral sources, the founding of Owu Ipole which was formerly known as  Orile-Owu was shortly after the settlement of Oduduwa in Ile – Ife.  Like  they said Owu was the first to be founded after Ile – Ife. Going by oral tradition, it is believed that the Owu occupied an area directly along and below Niger River in the present country of Nigeria. Orile-Owu later expanded and became a very popular and powerful Yoruba settlement, which eventually attained the status of a kingdom of great repute. It became a force to be reckoned with within Yoruba land, particularly between the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

During the second half of the 19th century, Orile-Owu began to decline due to hunger, persistence war and insecurity over their lives  and properties resulting from slave raiding. Therefore, they had to evacuate the territory in  search of a secure place in order to ensure their survival. The Owus moved out of their settlement  and escaped southwest in groups for safety in the face of heavy external aggression (Chief Olalere per comm., 2011).Their initial settlement was destroyed as a result of the late 19th century intra-sub-ethnic wars. This caused a lot of damage to the people and in response to the threat, the Owus had to move out of the territory to take refuge in neighboring kingdoms, which is why there is wide dispersal of the Owus all over the country. Owu settlements can be found today  mostly in Yoruba communities like Abeokuta, Lagos, Igbomina land in Kwara State. Based on the account given by Ogundele and Babalola, 2007:60; Ogundele and Ebonine: 2010, the fall of Old Oyo empire in the early 19th century, coupled with the final invasion of Orile-Owu in 1825 was pertinent to the demographic changes in southern Yoruba land. 

After moving out of their former territory for a new settlement which is Ibadan,, the rulers of Ibadan upon hearing the impending Owus attack on their territory, they immediately send  diplomatic emissaries to them.  On the contrary, unlike earlier settlements, the Owus did not stage any war or violence attempt against the army of Ibadan,  instead they peacefully moved into the town, this was unlike their initial territory where they made use of force and war.  As a response towards their peaceful gesture, the monarchs of Ibadan provided them territory to settle (Ita Lisa to Owu Ipole near Ikire).

Going forward, they also settled in Abeokuta among the people of  Egba. The Owus people had engaged in several wars (Owu war) and won battles. They moved from territory to territories, which is why today they can be found in  the Niger River, Lagos State, Epe, etc. Moreover, they can not be classified neither as Ijebus or Egbas. 

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