•ORIMOLUSI, Oba LAWRENCE JAIYEOBA ADABAJO
Today is not a day of long speech for me. It is a day of appreciation and prayers. First to God, the enabler of all things. The one who has made this day possible. The author and finisher of our faith. The only King of kings and Lord of lords. I worship Him. I return all glory, honour and adoration to Him. Thank you, Lord, for this Grace and mercy. May I respectfully, at this juncture, request that we stand up and observe a minute silence for the repose of the soul of Baba Prince Saliu Adebisi Sadiku. The role he played in the process of my emergence as The Orimolusi of Ijebu Igbo will never be forgotten. Baba Sadiku defended the legacy of the Ojuromi family until his last breath… May his soul rest in perfect peace.
My good people of Ijebu Igbo, you have demonstrated great love for me that I cannot quantify. You have welcomed me with warmth and open arms. You have expressed through your large turn out that Ijebu Igbo is henceforth set to be in the news for good reasons. I am not taking this show of love for granted. In all, you have shown that patience is not the ability to wait, but the ability to keep a good attitude while waiting. You have maintained peace all through these long years of waiting. Your reward is my total commitment to all the ideals we stand for.
You are not only my subjects, we are partners. We shall be partners in progress; accelerated progress to catch up on all lost times. And with your partnership and sincerity of purpose, we shall move mountains. ljebu Igbo is great but can be greater with unity. E je ka se ara wa ni osusu owo, ki itesiwaju le de ba ilu wa.
To all sons and daughters of Ijebu Igbo, who sacrificed to get us to where we are today, In due course, your roles and contributions will be acknowledged, documented and celebrated. I thank you all. Ni ote we, nilu Ijebu Igbo, eku a ke bi eku, eiye a ke bi eiye, Onise Owo, a s’owo bode pade, onisowo a rere oja,Onise Oba, oko Oba, ada Oba e ni sa wen lese o,aboyun Ile, won a bi tibi tire o. ewen abiyamo, aisan maa s’omo wen o. Won a dagba, won a dogbo, ewen nee ke a jeun Omo o. Didun, didun ra mba nile oloyin, aye dede eni a dun kale o.
Ni ote we, igbega, igbega raa maa maa ri nilu Ijebu Igbo o. Olorun Oba a gba fun eni o. Aajuse lagbara Edumare. The Ojuromi and Kupakude ruling houses in Ijebu Igbo, I thank you all for your support in the past and equally count on your continuous support in our bid to make our town greater than before. To all the 5 Obasin Ijebu Igbo representing each of the quarters, I call on you for cooperation and understanding. I am for peace. I am for due process. I am for collective goals and unified mission. Together, we will tell our story. We will write our history and we will be proud of our identity and heritage. I pray that God Almighty, who has been my guide, will equally bless me with the wisdom to lead aright, without fear or favour.
Good people of ljebu Igbo, I greet you all. Osi Ijebu Igbo a gbe de de eni o. A dara ri dede eni o.
What is in a name, you might want to ask? It was not a mere coincidence that Kabiyesi was named Lawrence jaiyeoba Adedeji
Tanimowo Adebajo. Dig deep into the meaning of his names, you will come to the conclusion that he is indeed a man of destiny, divinely prepared for greatness and groomed for royalty.
Oba Lawrence Jaiyeoba Adedeji Tanimowo Adebajo is proudly from the male Royal lineage of Ojurorni from Oke Tako in Ijebu Igbo. Sired by parents, Prince Tanimowo Adebajo and Mama Safuratu Adebajo (Nee Aderibigbe/JB.King) from Atikori, he was born on the 11th day of November 1953 in Fowoseje, a remote village in ljebu Igbo, a good education, it is said, is the foundation for a better future. Young Prince Jaiyeoba with, a burning desire to get educated, started his elementary education at St. Bridget Catholic Primary School, Fowoseje and, at age twelve, completed his primary education with merits. He enrolled at St Vincent Catholic Secondary Modern School, Oke Sopen, Ijebu Igbo in 1966 and equally completed his Modern School education in 1968. Fate however played a fast one on him as his Dad could no longer afford to pay his fees through to Secondary School. Painful as it was, Oba Lawrence Jaiyeoba Adedeji Tanimowo Adebajo chose to make lemonade from the lemon life’s circumstances threw at him. He was determined to, not only develop himself but, ensure he turned out to be a success in his life endeavours. He embarked on a lot of personal training and development exercises.
He became dedicated to achieving his goals and such dedication and relentlessness eventually paid off. Through his late father’s wise counsel, he started his career in the Transportation business by joining a Transport Company located in Ibadan. As the saying goes, a star that is determined to shine cannot be hidden, not even by darkness. The budding youngster, Prince Jaiyeoba performed so well, breaking records in his assigned duty that a Luxury Bus Transport Company from Lagos, lCOC poached and brought him to Lagos in February 15, 1975. He resumed duty as a Transport Officer and soon learnt a lesson of life through his then Managing Director, Mr. lnfeayinChucku Osondu who later became the Igwe of Umulolo, Okigwe, Imo State. It was at the end of year party of the company in 1975, and his MD told his story of grass to grace. Steady growth from a motor boy, to Danfo Driver to Transport officer and vehicle owner and eventually owned fleet of vehicles. This prepared him for the challenges ahead and equipped him with all that was needed to succeed in life as he ventured into the Transportation business. With this insight from his boss, he started saving from his monthly salary.
On December 24, 1977, Oba Lawrence Jaiyeoba Adedeji Tanimowo Adebajo bought his first new car which unfortunately got burnt after the second day of purchase. As one who would not allow setbacks to set him back. He quickly remembered the admonitions of his Boss and realized that even the accomplished suffers setbacks sometimes. The more bitter the lessons, the greater the successes will be. With zeal and determination for success, Prince Jaiyeoba forged ahead. In 1979, while still working for lCOC, he started making effort through personal contacts towards buying his first luxury Bus on hire purchase from a company owned then by Alhaji Saibu Gomina at Osogbo.
He eventually achieved his goal and bought a bus through a monthly payment that was spread for a period of 30 months. As a man of fair-minded conscience who would not want a clash of interest between his Boss and him, he resigned as a Workshop Manager and started his own transport business which was later registered as L. A. TANMO &: Sons on August 1, 1984; a business name he coined from his father’s name ‘Tanimowo’. It is on record that he completed payment for the bus in a record time of 10 months. He was thereafter introduced to a company in Lagos and he got a luxury bus which he also completed its payment in 8 months. The management of the company was so impressed at his performance and he was offered another Bus of which he also completed payment in
Seven months. This was how his business grew and he became a proud owner of a fleet of buses. The best, they say, will never rest. His company explored other frontiers and succeeded in securing a deal with Lagos State Waste Water Management Office (LSWMO) as an accredited Transport Company
for the organisation. With years of unblemished service to LSWMO, he was offered a Facility Management contract. Due to the company’s prudent and transparent management process, he was given a commendation letter by the Agency last year, having performed meritoriously for over 12 years. His facility management contract with LSWMO is still valid till date. No doubt, Prince Jaiyeoba is a successful and accomplished entrepreneur who before the age of 40, built his houses in Aledo Oke Agbo Ijebu Igbo and in Okota Lagos. Oba Lawrence Jaiyeoba Adedeji Tanimowo Adebajo is a humble,
noble, God~fearing and compassionate personality who is ready to help people rise above challenges. He has been able to assist many people through educational, business and financial support in various ways. He has helped people set up businesses and even stood as guarantors for those who needed huge financial assistance. To the glory of God, some of those he has assisted have become a success story today. His joy is seeing people celebrating successes around him.
A silent achiever, Oba Lawrence Jaiyeoba Adedeji Tanimowo Adebajo has to his credit a lot of anonymous donations. To him, he would want God to take Glory for enabling him to touch lives in various ways. His philanthropic activities earned him the title of Balogun Ijo of St. Peters Catholic Church, Oke Sopen, Ijebu Igbo. He has on various occasions stretched a helping hand to The Catholic Church, Oke Agbo, The Christian Association of Nigeria, Ijebu North and The Catholic Church in Ukpenu, near Ekpoma, Edo State. Apart from his various community support activities, Prince j Aiyeoba is not one that discriminates against religious leanings. This is evident in his contributions towards the renovation of several mosques in his neighbourhood. He has an award to show for this from a Mosque in Okota, Lagos, his area of residence. In his local community, Oba Lawrence Jaiyeoba Adedeji Tanimowo Adebajo was at various times the Secretary, Treasurer and the Chairman of his Community Development Association in Okota, Lagos. He was Chairman for several years before he voluntarily pulled out to allow others to contribute their quota towards the growth of the community.
Call him a reluctant candidate to the throne of Orimolusi of Ijebu Igbo, you will evidently find in him a man of impeccable character who keeps to his words and maintain his integrity in all his dealings. However, fate has entrusted this exalted position on him and through faith, he believes and states ‘if my ascension to the throne will uplift my dear town, Ijebu Igbo, so be it.” Now, we have a man who is genuinely committed to the growth of his town, Ijebu Igbo.
Oba Lawrence Jaiyeoba Adedeji Tanimowo Adebajo is married to Mrs Bolanle Mary Adebajo, an Entrepreneur from Osan Ekiti, Moba Local Government of Ekiti State and they are blessed with children and grandchildren. Here is presenting to you the Orimolusi of Ijebu Igbo, His Royal Majesty Oba Lawrence Jaiyeoba Adedeji Tanimowo Adebajo a man of destiny.
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