Lifestyle
:Alaafin: The First Muslim Ajaka Descendant – By Prince Siyanbola Oladigbolu”
“There’s no doubt mankind serves the same god in different ways. But the most recognized and populous religions are Islam and Christianity, in the case of Nigeria at large.
So individually, people have been converting to Islam before the arrival of ( Sehik Maharoof Uthman ) popularly known as Uthman dan Fodio (RTA). Uthman dan Fodio was born on the 15th of December 1754 and died on the 18th of April 1817. So if you do your plus and minus you will realize he was 63 years when he died.
Meanwhile, Oyo-Yoruba came in contact with Islam around the 14th century during the reign of . Alh Abubakar Mansa Kankan Musa of the old Mali Empire. So the first Mosque was built in Ọyọ-Ile in AD 1550 during the reign of ALAAFIN EGUGUOJO. although, there were no Yoruba Muslims at all including Alaafin and every member of the supreme Oyo empire ruling house. the Mosque only served the spiritual needs of foreign Muslims from Mali, Sudan Mauritania, and so on living in the Ọyọ empire peacefully with Alaafin.
And all this happened in Oyo ile to be specific.
Atiba Atobatele is one of the last Oyo empire princes that did not leave present-day ILORIN on time after the conflicts in oyo Ile, so, he had already learned how to read the Quran from sehik Abdul Salaam (son of Sheik Muhammad’s Soliu Janta popularly known as ( Sheu Alimi ) and that was how he was converted to Islam and an Islamic name was given to him ( Muhammad Soliu) the same name as his Sheik’s father that brought him into Islam religion.
He (atiba) leaved with the Sheik Abdul Salaam until the stool of Alaafin was vacant in 1859. When The message got to him that he is the next Alaafin of Oyo. His Sheik ( Salaam) was very happy and couldn’t wait to see his student on the throne that has never been occupied by Muslims before. Young Prince Muhammad Saliu Atiba atobatele dynastically and gorgeously dressed from Sheu Halimi’s House to present-day Oyo with white horses and entourage.
The scounty Muslims in Oyo and indigenous were so excited about having a Muslim as Alaafin as well. After the coronation, Oyo Muslim councils were formed and Alaafin was made the head being the KING.
So Apart from cultural and traditional responsibilities, Alaafin has always been the head of Muslims. He (Alaafin) chooses Chief Imams that lead him in prayer in Oyo and other Islamic titles like.: Mufasiru, Mufti, and so on. That was how Alaafin Atiba became the first ALAAFIN AJAKA DESCENDANTS to convert to Islam and ever since then, all his successors emulated their father right from the reign of Alaafin Adelu. They were all Muslims.
1. Muhammadu Lawal (Alaafin Agogoija)
2. Abubakar ( siyanbola oladigbolu )
3. Muhammad Raji ( Alaafin adeniran)
4. Muhammad Bello ( Alaafin gbadegesin)
5. Abdul-hammed (late Adeyemi 3rd)
So, influence of Alaafin remains unlimited That’s why Oyomesi needs to be very cautious .
Alaafin stool has been tied to some other Islamic activities in addition to the spiritual influences right from the dispensation of the Alaafin Muhammad Saliu Atiba Atobatele who founded present-day Oyo.”
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My response is that I am a bit confused here. I thought AláàfinAólẹ̀ was the last king of Oyo Ilé and it was Alaafin Àtìbà that founded the new Ọ̀yọ́ Àtìbà. Who are the people who sent message to Alaafin Àtìbà to come to the place he founded to come and be king the new king after Ọ̀yọ́ ilé has been completely destroyed. I am a scholar and we usually screen history.
If it is true that Ọ̀yọ́ ilé was completely destroyed and Aláàfin Àtìbà took his people to this present Ọ̀yọ́. He would have concentrated on development of the land with his people and he is automatically the potential king.
Secondly those Islamic scholars whom Alaafin Àtìbà lived with in his childhood days are the people who lied to him that our ancestors originated from mecca. I learnt that the history of mecca was passed from Aláàfin Adeyemi 1 and we can see that the distortion history came from Ilorin kaliphate to mislead our future generations so that they can take over all our land from our kings.
Thirdly I am bit confused… We learnt that it was Abdusalami Alimi son that kpai Afonja and AláàfinAólẹ̀ Àtìbà father. How come the same person who kpai his father is the same person who mentored him.
Please I need more light here. How is it possible for a child to live with the person who kpai his father and Aláàfin Oluewu??Ṣé ọmọ ìyá nínú ẹ̀sìn ni wọ́n fi ṣe ni?? Or was Alaafin Àtìbà vulnerable and helpless having lost his parents and how old was he then??
We need more light from this history from Ọ̀yọ́ Prince??
IRE OOOOO!!
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Godwin Alabi-Isama (born 24 December 1940) is a Nigerian retired military officer, author and statesman who served as chief of staff to Brigadier Benjamin Adekunle of the 3 Marine Commando during the Nigerian Civil War.
Alabi-Isama was born on 24 December 1940, in Ilorin, Kwara State, to a Ukwani (Delta State) father and a Yoruba (Ilorin) mother. He attended Ibadan Boys High School. In 1960, he joined the Army and attended the Mons Officer Cadet School in the United Kingdom and the Senior Tactics School and Staff College in Quella, Pakistan. Alabi-Isama was a tactics instructor at the Nigerian Military School in Zaria, Nigeria and the Nigerian Military Training College (now Nigerian Defence Academy) in Kaduna prior to the civil war.
Brigadier-General Alabi-Isama served as the commander of the troops stationed at the Niger Bridge in Asaba, He was subsequently transferred by the Army Headquarters to the 3 Marina Commando, 3MCDO, operating on the Calabar front during the war. Alabi-Isama led forces against the Biafran Republic, successfully liberating various locations including Odukpani, Ikot-Okpora, Iwuru, Akunakuna, Itigidi, Ediba, Ugep, Obubra, Afikpo, Oban, and Ekang. He also “closed” the international border with Biafra at Nssakpa, as detailed in his book, The Tragedy of Victory.
In April 1968, Alabi-Isama and his 3MCDO men embarked on a mission to recapture Creek Town, Itu, Uyo, Ikot-Ekpene, Oron, Eket, Opobo, Abak, Etinan, Bori-Ogoni, Akwete, Afam, Aletu Ekene, Elelenwo, Okrika, and Port-Harcourt, successfully completing the operation the following month.” After the war, Alabi-Isama assumed the role of the Nigerian Army’s Principal General Staff Officer. In 1973, he served as the Acting Governor of the Mid-Western Region, where he notably received the first group of National Youth Service Corps members, as recounted in his autobiography. Following his retirement as a Brigadier-General from the Army in 1977, Alabi-Isama relocated to the United States.
Alabi-Isama played a pivotal role in leading the troops that successfully liberated the remaining parts of Cross River State following Colonel Adekunle’s amphibious sea landing at Calabar. Furthermore, he commanded the 3 Marine Commando troops that effectively captured the present-day states of Akwa Ibom, Rivers, and Bayelsa. His strategic planning, specifically the implementation of the Pincer 2 strategy, played a crucial role in bringing an end to the Nigerian Civil War.
The Tragedy of Victory: On-the-Spot Account of the Nigeria-Biafra War in the Atlantic Theatre is a sequential narrative of the war that lasted from 6 July 1967 to 15 January 1970 which was published in 2013. By Godwin Alabi.
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Until he left the world on February 17, 2018 at 78, Professor Akinwunmi Isola championed and promoted the Yoruba culture and language with his literary works. In 1986, he wrote and composed the college anthem that is currently sung in Wesley College Ibadan.
Among his works are:
Agogo Eèwò (2002) as Ifa Priest.
Sawo-Segberi (2005).
The Campus Queen (2004) as Professor.
Thunderbolt: Magun (2001) as Professor.
Brass Bells (1999) as Babalawo.
Efunsetan Aniwura (1981).
Efunsetan Aniwura (2005).
Isola was born in Ibadan on December 24, 1939, he studied at the University of Ibadan, earning a B.A. in French and was appointed professor at Obafemi Awolowo University in 1991. Isola wrote his first play, Efunsetan Aniwura around 1961-62 while still a student at the University of Ibadan. This was followed by a novel, O Le Ku.
He ventured into broadcasting at a time, creating a production company that has turned a number of his plays into television dramas and films.
On May 4, 2015, his book Herbert Macaulay and the Spirit of Lagos was staged at the Performing Arts Theatre of the University of Ilorin in Kwara State.
In 2000, in recognition of his immense contributions, he was awarded the National Merit Award and appointed a Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Letters. He was also a visiting professor at the University of Georgia.
BEAUTIFUL MOMENT HE PASSED AWAY
A day before his passing, his wife, Mrs Adebola Isola, said he ate amala and gbegiri and finished everything. The next day, around 9am after his bath, Mrs. Isola fed him with custard.
However, unlike before, he only took a little and continued saying: “Thank you, my wife.” She didn’t take it seriously at first because he had always appreciated her that way. But when he continued non-stop, she had to call his doctor and the children who were in Lagos.
She and the nurse who had bathed him earlier, decided to move him from the chair to the bed. Immediately his body touched the bed, he departed the world.
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Long before colonial conquest and modern borders, a fearless African woman carved her name into history through strength, strategy, and leadership—her name was Queen Amina of Zazzau.
Born in the 16th century in what is now Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria, Amina was a princess of the Hausa city-state of Zazzau (now Zaria). She was the granddaughter of King Sarkin Nohir and daughter of Queen Bakwa Turunku, the founder of the Zazzau dynasty. Amina trained as a warrior from an early age, mastering the art of war, horse riding, and governance—unusual for women of her time.
When she became queen around 1576, Amina transformed Zazzau into a powerful empire, commanding armies of up to 20,000 soldiers. She led over 34 military campaigns, conquering vast territories across what is today Northern Nigeria and parts of Niger, Cameroon, and beyond. Every land she conquered paid tribute to Zazzau, expanding its wealth and influence across the Sahel.
One of her most legendary contributions was the construction of city walls—now known as “Amina’s walls”—fortifications built around cities to protect them from invasion. These walls still stand today as historical monuments, symbols of her foresight and military genius.
Queen Amina was not only a warrior but also a builder of civilization. She promoted trade, especially in Kola nuts, leather, salt, and metals, making Zazzau a commercial hub. Under her rule, women had significant roles in governance and society—she redefined what leadership looked like.
Though she died in battle (reportedly around 1610), Queen Amina’s legacy lives on. She shattered gender norms and proved that African women were never just behind the scenes—they were kings, generals, and visionaries. Her story is a powerful reminder that Africa’s past is rich with heroes who led with courage, brilliance, and honor.
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