A dark cloud enveloped the Ijebu nation and Nigeria when on Sunday, July 13, 2025, news broke that the quintessential, nonagenarian, and longest-reigning monarch of Ijebuland, Oba (Dr.) Sikiru Kayode Adetona, GCON, CFR, had joined his ancestors. This devastating news marked the end of a remarkable 65 years, three months, and 11 days' reign of a king who bestrode the traditional institution like a colossus and juggernaut.
Born on May 10, 1934, at Imupa Quarters, Ijebu Ode, the amiable monarch would have turned 92 on May 10, 2026. This is thus his first posthumous birthday, and a fitting moment to recount some of his transformational and intentional contributions to the making of modern Ijebu nation and the country at large.
Coronation and Early Years
His coronation and presentation with the Staff of Office took place at Itoro grounds, Ijebu Ode, before a mammoth crowd of dignitaries from the defunct Western Region, including Sir Samuel Ladoke Akintola (Premier), Chief Jeremiah Obafemi Awolowo (Leader of Opposition in the Federal House of Representatives), Chief Timothy Adeola Odutola (Ogbeni Oja of Ijebu Ode), Mr. Samuel Olatunbosun Sonibare (who later became Asiwaju of Ijebu), and Chief Emmanuel Okunowo (Bobasuwa I of Ijebu). He was just a month and eight days shy of 26 years old when he ascended the throne!
Shortly thereafter, he took his seat in the Western Region House of Chiefs in Ibadan alongside other kings from the region, which then covered Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ekiti, Ondo, Edo, and Delta States, and parts of present-day Lagos State. It is salutary to recall that he was nominated to be Chairman of the House, but the late Ooni of Ife, Oba Adesoji Aderemi, was eventually chosen.
Political Involvement and Challenges
At the tender age of 26, he was appointed a Minister in the Akintola government and served until the lamentable political crisis of the region in 1962. When the Tafawa Balewa government at the centre declared a State of Emergency in the Western Region, he was chosen as a member of Dr. Moses Majekodunmi's Emergency Administration from June to December 1962. Thereafter, he continued to serve his kingdom while also creating a niche for himself. He strove to empower himself, believing that he should not depend on his subjects for sustenance or livelihood.
During the first military incursion into governance (January 1966 to September 1979) and the Civil War (May 1967 to January 1970), Oba Adetona played a key role in ensuring stability and cohesion in the polity. He was one king who was referenced and adored by successive Nigerian leaders.
However, during the Second Republic, he had a rough encounter with the government of Chief Olabisi Onabanjo of Ogun State, which issued an Order to suspend and subsequently moved to depose him as the Ijebu monarch on November 28, 1981. A dogged fighter, Oba Adetona went to court to challenge the legality of his deposition. He won. The Onabanjo government could not pursue the appeal, as the military overthrew the government of Aliyu Shehu Shagari on December 31, 1983, dismantling the Second Republic. Colonel Donaldson Oladipo Diya (later Lt. General), who was appointed Military Governor of Ogun State, decided not to pursue the appeal and accepted the judgment reinstating Oba Sikiru Adetona as the Awujale and Paramount Ruler of Ijebuland.
Development and Influence
This development opened a new opportunity for the Ijebu nation to come together as one indivisible entity to pursue common goals and regeneration. The Ijebu Ode Development Association became a focal point for mobilizing the citizenry. The pervading congenial and clement environment galvanized the people to rally around Oba Adetona in building a magnificent palace at Ijebu Ode.
The profile of Oba Adetona took a quantum leap, and he was sought after by all for advice, counseling, mentoring, and coaching. His knowledge of governance, society, and humanity was unparalleled. He was an encyclopedia on Nigerian and global affairs. Frank, factual, and calling a spade by its very name, he damned every demagogue. His palace became a Mecca for consultation and objective, sagacious deliberations.
The June 12 Crisis and National Role
The June 12, 1993 political imbroglio provided a wonderful opportunity for Oba Adetona to exhibit his uncommon sagacity, wisdom, mastery of conflict resolution, incorruptibility, and patriotism. He hosted many sessions to find solutions to the myriad of issues plaguing the country. He was nicknamed the 'grandfather of NADECO' (National Democratic Coalition), a body formed to actualize the June 12, 1993 presidential mandate of Chief Moshood Kasimawo O. Abiola. When his subject, Lt. General Oladipo Diya, the Chief of Staff to General Sani Abacha, was arrested for an attempted coup, Oba Adetona spoke truth to power.
Oba Adetona hosted Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, Muhammadu Buhari, and Bola Ahmed Tinubu during the tail end of his sojourn in this part of the universe. He equally played host to numerous Nigerians and foreigners. He served the Nigerian government as a special envoy to Southern Africa and as Chancellor of the former Federal University of Technology, Yola, among other roles. He was President of the Nigerian Muslim Council and, on many occasions, Chairman of the Ogun State Council of Obas.
Educational Legacy
During his 80th birthday, he was approached through this writer by Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago Iwoye, to endow a Professorial Chair in Good Governance. He did not hesitate. He went beyond expectation and endowed a multi-billion naira Professorial Chair in the university. Having been involved in governance at the tender age of 25, he conceived a project that has now catapulted the university. He established the multi-billion naira School of Governance at Olabisi Onabanjo University for postgraduate and research studies in every aspect of governance. So captivated was the Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu Federal Government that, at the commissioning in May 2025, the government decided to make the school an annexe of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru-Jos.
Honours and Legacy
The Ijebu deity was honoured with several awards, including the second highest national honour of the Grand Commander of the Order of Niger (GCON), Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR), and honorary doctorate degrees from many universities. The heavens lamented the passage of this uncommon monarch. Indeed, lamentations over the exit of Oba S. K. Adetona would continue to focus on the sudden void in leadership, the fall of a mighty and quintessential monarch, and the transition of an era.
According to Thomas Paine, 'Death is not the monarch for the dead, but of the dying.' Oba Adetona lived a life of love, a life of purpose, a life of service, and a life that the angels continue to sing his praises. His widows mourn him. His children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren mourn his exit. His subjects mourn his passage. Nigeria and Nigerians lament his death. When can we have another monarch like Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona?
