ADO-ODO HISTORY AND CULTURE

EREKITI AND ADO KINGDOMS, AWORILAND: AN X RAY OF TWO BEADED OLOFIN CROWNS Erekiti is an ancient Yoruba enclave of Awori pedigree rooted in Ado Ife, popularly called Addo by the British in the past and renowned as Ado-Odo today. The earliest founders of Ado Kingdom include the legendary figures: Onitako, Onirunmi Ekun Jagude, Alamuwa, Ojona (Bajomu), Iya Agbe Odua, Omarun, Olomu and many other titular heads. Ado Kingdom as stated in archival documents strongly reveal that the Ados were foremost Awori nationality, who left ancient Ile Ife around 1050AD with stopover in various places including precinct of present Ondo state. ONITAKO led the group which included an Ife Prince called Omo Olofin, Olu Ile Idada, who according to tradition passed on during migration and his child, Princess Adegba Esibi, popularised as Oloja had the upper hand to her father's beaded crown and sword as the first Oba of Ado (Olofin Omo Olu Ile Idada, Omo Alade Ile Ife). The reign of Oba Adegba Esibi was a co...

BRIEF HISTORY OF ADO-ODO AND LIST OF HER OBAS   Ado-Odo is the traditional seat of the ancient Awori Kingdoms. Ado is renowned as an ancient fortress of age-long traditional practices of Ifa – the Yoruba deity of wisdom and the Oduduwa (OOdua) Temple. Among the Yorubas, Oodua is regarded as the mother of all deities in the world. All of these and more made Ado to stand out as an unconquered sanctuary of the Western Yoruba district during the fratricidal wars in Yoruba land, particularly in the nineteenth century until the advent of the Europeans.   Ado Kingdom as presently constituted is inhabited by Aworis and Yewas of Ishaga, Imasayi, Ibooro, Ketu, Eguns (Ogu), Oyos, Ijebus, Egbas and non-Yoruba elements particularly the Hausa, Igbo, Ijaw and others. Nobody could say precisely when the kingdom was founded. Ado probably evolved from the events which historians dated around eleventh century when the instinct for survival, prestige and adventure forced people out of Ile-Ife, th...