His Royal Majesty Oba (Dr) Michael Odunayo Ajayi, Arowotawaya II,is in a happy mood right now.He has added a new year to his age. He ascended the throne as the Elerinmo of Erinmo Ijesa Kingdom in July 2014. Erinmo Ijesa is an ancient and historically significant town within the Oriade Local Government Area of Osun State, renowned for its spiritually significant mountainous terrain.
A direct descendant of the 2nd, 3rd, and 5th Ooni of Ife through the lineages of Obalufon Ogbogbodirin and Obalufon Alayemore, Oba Arowotawaya II hails from the cradle of Yoruba civilization. Notably, Obalufon Alayemore was the first monarch to wear the revered Ade Aare (the ancestral crown now worn by all Oonis) in Ile-Ife and introduced the practice of bead adornment for Yoruba royalty. Oba Ajayi inherits his royal heritage from the Arowotawaya and Oboye Lekan Ruling dynasties within Erinmo Kingdom.
Prior to his ascension, HRM Oba (Dr) Michael Odunayo Ajayi enjoyed a distinguished career in the organized private sector. He commenced his professional journey as a Management Trainee with the Unilever Group (then UAC of Nigeria Plc) almost forty years ago, where he spent a decade. He subsequently held the position of Head of Consumer Healthcare Division at Nigeria German Chemicals Plc (formerly Hoescht), a leading pharmaceutical company, where he spearheaded the relaunch of prominent pharmaceutical and household brands like Abidec, Benylin Cough Syrup, Novalgin etc
His career progressed internationally when he was appointed Managing Director of AH Tradelink (a West African pharmaceuticals distribution company) in Ghana, overseeing pan-West African pharmaceutical operations. He later served as the expatriate Executive Vice President of Phyto Riker Pharmaceuticals, a US-owned manufacturing firm, managing the export of high-quality generic pharmaceuticals to over 20 African nations. Following his corporate tenure, Oba Ajayi established a management consultancy firm and engaged in the importation and distribution of own-branded medical devices across West Africa.
His career spans over three decades in diversified sectors of the economy like manufacturing, food processing; packaging, trading, import and export.
He also served as the founding Director General of the Ghana-Nigeria Chamber of Commerce and Industry a position he held till he ascended the throne, and the Founding President of the Forum of Nigerian Professionals and Business Executives in Ghana. His academic background includes a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology with minors in Accounting and Business Administration from the University of Ilorin, a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Marketing with distinction from Lagos State University (1998), and an Honorary Doctorate degree in Commerce awarded in 2014. He is an alumnus of Bishop Smith Memorial Primary School, Ilorin; Government College, Ilorin; and the military school, Command Secondary School, Lagos.
His commitment to community development and philanthropy is profound. Inspired by his grandfather, the late Omo Oba Pa Job Ajayi, a founding figure and the first Baba Ijo of the Christ Apostolic Church Headquarters in Erinmo, and his parents – his mother, a dedicated retired educationist and ordained pastor from Igbara Oke, Ondo State, and his father, Prince Dr Joseph Olubowale Ajayi, the first university graduate from Erinmo and the esteemed Asiwaju of Erinmo Land – Oba Ajayi has continued a legacy of service.
For over a decade as Elerinmo, he has annually hosted thousands of children for educational funfairs on Christmas and Children’s Day. He holds numerous prestigious appointments, including Board of Trustees member of the Nigeria-US Trade Council, National Patron and BoT member of the Yoruba Oodua Union, Royal Patron and BoT of the Nigerian Youth Congress, and Patron to various socio-cultural, socio-economic, and youth organizations globally. He also serves as the administrator and National Deputy President of the Yoruba Obas Forum.
A widely travelled monarch, Oba Odunayo Ajayi, has received multiple national and international awards, notably being the first Nigerian monarch at the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange in April 2017. He is also a published author of eight books. Recognitions include Most Outstanding Philanthropic Monarch of the Year 2019 (South West), Award of Excellence for Youth Empowerment and Unity, special recognitions from the City of Newark, New Jersey, and the New Jersey State Senate and General Assembly, Golden Excellence Leadership Award (Most Distinguished King in Yoruba Land 2018/2019), Royal Patron/Ambassador of the Stop Rape Campaign in Nigeria, Fellowship of the Institute of African Royalty (South Africa, 2020), Nigerian Outstanding Traditional Ruler of the Year 2021, and the Oba Atunluse Omoluabi Oodua Agbaye Award, among others. Through his Oba Arowotawaya Foundation, he has provided numerous scholarships and established a vocational school offering free skills training and work tools to empower youths and women.
His reign has also witnessed significant infrastructural development projects, including the provision of boreholes, palace renovation, procurement of electricity transformers, construction of a modern market, empowerment of farmers, annual foreign medical outreaches, establishment of a cocoa grading store, women empowerment initiatives, the creation of an Erinmo Elders Council (Majeobajes), the establishment of a modern garri processing plant, interest-free loans for women in garri production, the formation of the thriving Arowotawaya Football Club and Cooperative Society, the creation of the Erinmo Kingdom anthem, and facilitating a peaceful selection of the Chief Imam. He has consistently provided food and cash palliatives and Ramadan meals to vulnerable members of his community.
Beyond Erinmo Ijesa, Oba Odunayo Ajayi also superintends over eleven other towns and villages, appointing local chiefs to ensure effective dispute resolution and governance within his wider domain.
Oba Arowotawaya II is a Fellow of the Institute of Conflict Management of Nigeria and also a Fellow of the Institute of Alternative Dispute Resolution of Nigeria
