A special tribute to “Doctor of all Doctors” Saki, Uku Ekun. Om’Oba Adebimpe Ige Adubi, Oluseye Akun Ogunleye- Aladejana the Duke and the Bajimo of Akure Kingdom. By Prince Dr. Wumi Akintide
A special tribute to “Doctor of all Doctors” Saki, Uku Ekun. Om’Oba Adebimpe Ige Adubi, Oluseye Akun Ogunleye- Aladejana the Duke and the Bajimo of Akure Kingdom. By Prince Dr. Wumi Akintide
The remains of my favorite Uncle would be laid to rest in Akure on August 6 & 7 of 2025.
I wish I could be there in person to pay him my last respect but could not do so due to circumstances beyond my control.
I am writing this tribute in the ancient Mega City of Rome upon my return from a tour of one of the greatest Museums in the World,
I am talking of the Vatican City Museum where I got some additional inspiration to write this tribute in honor of another History maker in our neck of the woods in Akure the Ondo State Capital where he was born and raised.
Dr. Ogunleye Aladejana has earned the right to be crowned the Deji of Akure 10 years ago, but was bypassed only because of his age at 87 and because he came from a female line thru his mother “Mama Yoyo” of blessed memory. Candidates from the female line can be selected where there are no qualified candidates from the male line.
The learned Prince was the best qualified by education and temperament and because he was a force to reckon with in the protracted struggle to carve out a second Ruling Line from the one and only Asodeboyede Ruling House in which I served as Secretary General in 1999 taking over from late Prince and Attorney Moradeyo Adesida who was among the competing candidates in that Election Circle when Deji Otutubiosun Oba Adelegan Adesida had emerged the ultimate winner in 1975, and he reigned for 16 years and
was succeeded in 1991 by my
Uncle, the Assistant Commissioner of Police Oba Ataiyese Adebobajo Adesida the IV who became the last Deji before the second Ruling House comprising of Osupa and Odundun descendants, was established by Decree signed into Law by Navy Captain Sunday Olukoya as Military Governor in 1991.
Dr. Ige Ogunleye Aladejana and individuals like Baale Alayere Village in Akure North, Pa Ogunlade Aladetoyinbo the biological father of the current incumbent Deji and few others had led the struggle to create a second ruling House in 1991 following the selection of Deji Ataiyese by the Ondo State Government
Dr. Ogunleye Aladejana was installed the Duke and the Bajimo of Akure Omowa by Deji Adelegan Adesida the Third.
The conferment of that title on him had helped to make him the full- fledged Head of the Osupa/ Odundun Ruling House in succession to Pa Ogunlade Aladetoyinbo.
Dr. Ige Ogunleye had served in that capacity till his call to glory at the ripe age of 97.
Dr. Ige Ogunleye Aladejana, was named “the Doctor of Doctors” by Bola Otu and her Oseghe Country Music Band of Owo Imoro when Dokita Om’Oba Ige Ogunleye had presided as Chairman at the Launching of the Biography of Deji Afunbiowo Adesida the First , titled. “The Lion King and the Cubs” -A Biography of Oba Afunbiowo Adesida as the pioneer architect of the golden century of Akure History from 1897 to 1997” which was published in 2007 by International Publishers, Ibadan and authored by me.
I could not think of any Akure Prince more worthy than Prince Ige Ogunleye- Aladejana who had written a chapter in that book titled “The Akure/ Edo Connection” which had fully explained and traced the roots of Deji Oba Osupa to Benin City as Akure and Benin towns were joined in the hip by the long History of the two towns
“Doctor of all Doctors” was not only one of the best Gynacologists Nigeria has produced, he was also an Akure Historian as clearly shown in his well documented profiles in this eulogy.
Dr Ige Ogunleye-Aladejana as the Chairman at the Book Launch for Oba Afunbiowo Adesida the First at the Auditorium of the Federal University of Technology in Akure on December 19, 2007.
He had delivered an opening remark that would be remembered for ages, while the Special Guest of Honor and Chief Launcher at the solemn ceremony was my friend and colleague in the Federal Civil Service, Senator Bode Olajumoke of Imeri near Idogun while then High Chief Gb’ Obaniyi Of Akure Land now Kabiyesi the Oluabo of Ilu Abo in Akure North Local Government Oba Samuel Oluyemi Falae, the former Secretary to the Federal Government of Nigeria under President Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida was the Keynote Speaker.
It was at that unforgettable Ceremony that Bola Otu in singing the praises of Dr. Ige Ogunleye first described him as “Doctor of all Doctors”
It was an appellation the same Bola Otu had previously used in describing Owomoyela Orlando Owoh in the Nigerian Music World but Bola Otu had to know that Dr Ige Ogunleye Aladejana with his chains of Degrees in Medicine and Gynacology was the real “Doctor of Doctors”
I therefore took the title for this special tribute and eulogy from Bola Otu and rightly so because I cannot think of a better nomenclature to describe the learned Doctor.
This eulogy would not be complete if I leave out the fact that Dr. Ige Ogunleye was a product of Kings College Lagos before going to the Kings College of the great University of London to study Medicine where he graduated top of his class in his final year.
The learned Doctor had returned from the UK to join the old Western Region and was transferred to Ondo State following the creation of Ondo State in 1976.
He had served in Ado Ekiti General Hospital for many years before his transfer and promotion to Akure as the PMO and the number one and the most senior Doctor in Ondo State before his retirement.
He had established his own Akure Specialist Hospital of Oke Arata in Idopetu Quarters in Akure where he built and solidified his reputation as the best Gynacologist in Nigeria helping many barren women in Nigeria who had given up every hope of ever having their own fruit of the womb but miraculously turning them into mothers after laying his magic hands on them.
Dr. Ige Ogunleye Aladejana was doing that before the “In Vitro” Technology became the vogue in Nigeria and many other countries of the World.
Dr. Ogunleye clientele had come not only from Nigeria but from all over Africa.
There was a particular story of one woman who had lost all hope of ever having a child before coming to Dr Ige Ogunleye.
The same woman had ended up becoming the mother of 3 bouncing babies who have all celebrated their 40th Birthday with pomp and pageantry a few years back.
Dr. Ige Ogunleye was so good in his profession that he had become the talk of the town as the best Gynaecologist in Nigeria performing wonders in his Clinic and creating employment opportunities for Nurses and and doctors in his Hospital and saving lives .
This eulogy would also not be complete if I don’t correct the wrong impression being peddled around by few of his detractors in Ondo State who spread the false rumor that Dr. Ige would not treat you unless you first pay his fees up front.
I am here to tell anyone who has blackmailed him like that to tender their unreserved apologies before it is too late.
Dr. Ige Ogunleye as I knew him for 50 years was a very compassionate doctor with a good heart to help the sick one among us but many have taken undue advantage of him by running away once they have been nursed back to good health and they never come back to pay their Bills.
When I decided to check out of Nigeria and to return to America for greener pastures, the only Doctor I could trust to become the primary physician to my mother, was my Uncle Dr. Ige Ogunleye- Aladejana who treated my mother free of charge for many years and my mother had survived to the ripe age of 84 and she died at her Specialist Hospital at Oke Arata in Akure.
I wired to Dr. Ogunleye a check for 500,000 00 Naira in appreciation of what he has done for my mother but the gentleman returned the check telling me he could not take money for looking after his own Aunt.
It was a big surprise to me I would never forget
I would be the last person to allow such misleading impressions of him to remain uncorrected based on my personal experience from him.
Dr Ige Ogunleye-
Aladejana was the best Gynecologist you will ever know. He was in addition a very fashionable man but very easy to get along with and he was a great patriot with a heart of gold.
He was happily married and survived by many children . Among his few wives as a Prince was his first wife a beautiful Indian Blond who died in Nigeria Other wives included the famous Mama Ibeta from Ekiti and Olori Labake Modupe Ogunleye- Aladejana to whom we all owe a debt of gratitude for taking care of him to the very end.
Aspiring to become the Deji was one of his youthful ambition and could possibly have been, if the break- up of the only Asodeboyede Ruling House into two had occurred sooner than 1991 or 2005 when the first candidate from Osupa/ Odundun was first picked in 2005 when the deposed Deji Osupa Adesina Adepoju was first picked.
The man had lost the throne in 2010 for beating up his wife in the Market Place thereby allowing the Ojijigogun/ Adesida, Arosoye and Adegoroye combined lineage to pick his successor in Deji Afunbiowo the Second in Deji Adebiyi Adegboye Adesida who reigned for only 3 years becoming the first rotational Chairman of the Ondo State Council of Obas and achieving a goal so many goals that his predecessors could never achieve in 3 years.
I won’t rule it out if a new Deji is picked from one of Dr. Ogunleye’s children in the foreseeable future
Based on the track record of their father as a Prince Charming in Akure.
I would not end this eulogy without recalling his oriki and cognomen in Akure.
“Ige Adubi Oluseye Akun
Omo a beri Omo s’ Agongon t’Oke Eda r’Odo Omo Oluda firi bi Ojiji Omo Oba to nfase mutin, Omo Agbogbomoja’ O gbo moniburuku Ori. O tori Ileke d’Oluku Oyo, Ogiso O t’Olu Apaara, O ko Eyin Ori Ogun seje. Odio Omo Ounini Aso Omi nini Eiye mu Dansaki Olowo r’omo. Saaki Ekun O darinako O d’Oju Ala, Ekun tan ni keremu. Alukunrin Eiye Umojo. Mi karijo ko da? O d’ege murin Ma j’Okun ma J’Ekolo. Ohun ti won ba nje l’Ajule Orun ni ko bawon je . Omo Orisa jimi la ki mi ri bi Olule,sugbon ku o ri ni Olule yo ku e l’adin be si kon? Omo opiye Omo Opiba. Omo Oluroko s’ole d’emi . Omo Eyin m’oran ariwe. Omowa Olomowa Aji j”Eran Esin Omo Odio Obarisa Saaaaki. Ooooodio”
Om’Oba Dr.
Wumi Akintide.
