•List Of Many Successful Indigenes It Has Produced
Oke-Agbo is a popular community in Ijebu-Igbo. Some actually think it is a separate town on its own. That is how popular the name Oke Agbo is in Ijebu. But no. We can tell you that authoritatively. It is one community that has produced many proud indigenes of Ijebu-Igbo. The list is long and unending. Some of the prominent Oke Agbo indigenes in Ijebu-Igbo who made the name of the community popular are the likes of late Senator Abraham Adesanya, Senator Olabiyi Durojaiye, Senator Gbenga Kaka, Senator Lekan Mustapha, and late Senator Buruji Kashamu. Let’s also tell you that Oke Agbo is one of the 5 sub-Ijebu-Igbo communities. They are Oke-Sopen, Ojowo, Atikori, Oke-Agbo and Japara, The arrangement is not a matter of traditional seniority but for administrative convenience.
ABOUT BEJE, THE FOUNDER OF OKE-AGBO
Oke-Agbo was founded by Princess Beje, a daughter and the last child of Osimore, the Onijasi, who was a king of Ijebu-Ode. Beje had three elder brothers namely Onayelu, Osimade and Igbonla Onayelu supposd to be the next king after his father in Ijebu-Ode but his younger brother, Osimade disrespected the Tradition and seized the opportunity of the absence of his elder brother, Onayelu, who was away from Ijebu-Ode on hunting expedition to a wide forest (known today as Ijebu-Igbo) at the time of the death of their father – Oba Osimore. When Onayelu returned to Ijebu-Ode, he met his younger brother- Osimade, who had enthroned himself as the Oba of Ijebu-Ode. This act caused a face-off between the two brothers. Thereafter, Onayelu decided to return to the forest and settled either willfully or as a result of persuasion, because he could not be a subject to his younger brother who got to power untraditionally, Hence, Onayelu scornfully called Osimade a jilter-Ofiran (it was this word” Ofiran” that became an appendical name of Osimade as Ofiran-Oye. Also, he (Onayelu) cursed Osimade that he would not have a male child (a crown prince) to inherit his (Osimade’s) throne Truly, Osimade who fathered some children did not have a male child to become an Oba (King) perhaps, this is one of the reasons why Ijebu people are known as “Omo a fase wure.” Among the female children of Osimade were Mosibi and Omosa that their names were motalized along the names of two areas – OkeMosa in Oke-Agbo and Mosibi in Oke-Sopen.
Princess Beje was a loving sister to Onayelu and she was usually visiting her eldest brother in Ijebu-Igbo, perhaps as a symbol of support and paying homage to his royal highness. In the end, she decided to settle in Ijebu-Igbo through the last visit that she made together with her elder brother Igbonla. According to Awonuga M. B. Olawale and Shobowale A. Sunday (1998) in their book – Oke-Agbo: The Land and The People, one day, Beje and her elder brother Igbonla, set for a visit to Onayelu. They found it difficult to cross the “Agbarun “ river which had overflown its banks. Gbonyin was a slave of Alara of
Igboye. When the Alara died, one of his slaves has to be buried with him according to the tradition then. Gbonyin found himself in this difficult position, hence he fled for his dear life. It was on his journey to nowhere that he met Beje and lgbonla at the bank of the” Agbarun “river.
Beje pleaded with Gbonyin to carry her across the deep river but he refused because he had noticed the signs of a princess on her. When all efforts by Beje to persuade Gbonyin proved abortive, she then pleaded that if Gbonyin could not carry her across the river he should help her partner who was a man like him without knowing that the said man (Igbonla) was her brother. As soon as Gbonyin carried Igbonla across the river, he was persuaded by Igbonla to carry his sister (Beje). Gbonyin agreed to carry Beje across. Beje and Igbonla then took Gboyin along with them to Ijebu-Igbo and introduced him to Onayelu. It was from here that their relationship grew and Beje later agreed to marry Gbonyin.
BEJE SETTLED AT OKE-AGBO
Beje, having agreed to marry Gbonyin, her brother Onayelu gave his blessing but with a condition that the area where they would settle would be named after Beje. They were asked to move eastwards to an area that was an habitat of a specie of birds-bucerotidae called” Agbigbo” (hombills). Therefore the place was called Oke-Agbigbo (a hill where hombills were living) as time passed on, Oke-Agbogbo was later shortened to Oke-Agbo. In accordance with the pre-condition given to Gboyin, Oke-Agbo is often referred to as Oke-Agbo Beje.
Although Beje was a Princess, yet she was expected to accord her husband due respect. However, after offering the necessary sacrifices, a school of thought said that Beje gave birth to a son but, no one was sure of the child’s name while another school of thought opined that she never had a biological child but loved children and took very good care of them. Beje was a personification of beauty, elegance and neatness. She was fond of painting her home with a kind of a native floor paint called “Igbole “. Hence her panegyric (Oriki) goes thus:-Beje r’oku s ‘aso si, Beje pale e, 0 p ‘ata, Enieriebi, Eni e ko lona e beere, Erelu !jebu ti n f oko je Apena, O ni ti oun ba lowo lowo oun a mu oko, Dun joba lori oko.
Beje died peacefully and was buried at Odomoro. Up till today her shrine is still at Odomoro as a symbol of the legendary woman- BEJE. As Ife people are proud of Moremi, so are Ijebu people proud of Bejeroku.
PAST AND PRESENT HEAD SOFOKEAGBO
(1) Pa Obayomi. -1912-1921. (2) Abraham Onakalu Temowo. -1922-1951 (3) Sunmola Okuwoga Agbereoju. -1952-1965 (4) Simeon Adebayo Idowu Okusanya. -1966-1977 (5) Amos Adeyeje Aikorno. -1977-1991 (6) Oba Haruna Olaoye Abass .. June 6th, 1992-2019 (7) HRH,Alayeluwa Oba Stephen Owolabi Adeleke Adekoya, MBA, FCIA- 2020 RULING QUARTERS IN OKE-AGBO, OKE MORO-ALEDO, IDOSA-ODOMORO, IMAGBON –IGA
