•Oba corrects historical distortion of Kiriji War
Community development occupied the front burner at this year’s Ajodun Ido Oganganmodu, an annual festival that brings together those that are indigenous to Ido-Ekiti. This year’s celebration was grandiose as the cultures and traditions of the community were on display. The event was also a platform to correct the historical distortion of the role of Faboro, a great warrior of the community in the Kiriji War. ODUNAYO OGUNMOLA reports.
The people of Ido-Ekiti, headquarters of Ido/Osi Local Government Area of Ekiti had cause to celebrate 2017 which they believed was a fruitful one. Ido-Ekiti is one of the major towns in Ekiti State.
The town has been expanding continuously due to the presence of a relatively large market, its situation on a major junction that connects it with Ekiti, Osun, Kwara, Kogi and other states of the federation.
It also plays host to the Federal Teaching Hospital, the only Federal Government’s presence in the town, and the famous Ekiti Parapo College, a school named after the war that pitted the Ekitis against Ibadans in the 19th Century.
But the traditional ruler of the town, the Olojudo, Oba Ayorinde Ilori-Faboro, Ajiboyede III, is not relenting in his determination to make his domain a tourists’ delight and an investors’ destination.
Since ascending the throne in 2009, Oba Ilori-Faboro has been galvanising his subjects every year through the Ajodun Ido Oganganmodu to raise funds in order to execute some capital projects.
Through his efforts, some members of the community have come home to invest in their fatherland and contribute their quota to its development.
The week-long event featured environmental sanitation, inter-school debate, free health services, widows’ empowerment, marathon race, football competition, stage play on Kiriji War, homage to the Olojudo, cultural competition and beauty contest, among others.
This year’s Ajodun Ido Festival lived up to its billing as citizens of the town trooped out in large numbers to the sports field of Oganganmodu High School, along Igbole Road to witness the event which they observe one in a year.
In his welcome address, the President, Ido Progressive Forum (IPF), Chief Jomo Olofinlade expressed his satisfaction with the organisation of this year’s edition of the festival.
Social and age groups took turns to pay homage to the Olojudo who, in turn prayed for them and wished them success.
Some of the groups that attended the event were Ido Progressive Union, Ido Movement Club; Golden Social Club of Ido, Ido-Ekiti Empowerment and Industrialisation Committee and Rainbow Club of Ido, among others.
Each of these groups paid homage to the monarch in their characteristic manner and in colourful, cultural style.
Awards were given to some eminent sons and daughters of the town to recognise their excellent contributions to the development of the town. They included Alhaja Suwebat Adebola Suleiman, Chief Idowu Faleye, former state Chairman, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chief Gabriel Fasuyi, Mr. Olorunda Esan, and Pa Jimoh Afolabi Obelawo, among others.
The people were ecstatic when Chairman of the occasion and long-time associate of Oba Faboro, Alhaji Muhammed Awwal Garba donated the sum of N20 million to support their N250 million fundraising for community projects.
The Rainbow Club followed suit with a donation of N5 million while many other sons and daughters and their friends donated generously towards the community’s development project.
A book on the history of Ido written by Ireti Omodola, was also launched by the monarch.
Commenting on the success of the festival, Oba Ilori-Faboro said: “I’m happy at the progress we are making as a people and as a town. My people very much identify with me and I am grateful.
“All the events of the week-long festival were carefully thought out and planned. The football tournament, the marathon race and dance competition all contributed to the success of the festival. On the grand finale, we are raising money for the development of the town.
“We have projects such as Army camp which we are building. There is a small detachment of the Nigerian Army that is staying in my house currently. So, what we want to do is to build a small camp and relocate them there.
“We are also building a town hall. The town hall was inaugurated in 1969. We will also ensure that the hall is completed for the benefit of the people.”
Wishing the monarch and his people well and advising them to keep joining hands to develop the community, Chief Bayo Ogunmodimu, an ex-student of Ekiti Parapo College and first alumni of the school to be appointed its Vice-Principal, Pa Sesan Akinola, a popular legal practitioner based in the town, Chief Babatope Bejide, Chairman of Ido Summit Committee and Mrs Olabisi Fakorede, President, Golden Social Club of Ido, all said they were impressed with the turnout of people at this year’s edition of Ajodun Ido Oganganmodu Festival.
Explaining the novel idea of presenting a free historical play to the people of the community, Oba Faboro said it was to correct an erroneous impression, allegedly created over the time, by earlier historians who relegated the role played by the town in the popular Kiriji War.
One of the great warriors of Kiriji War, Faboro, was the great grandfather of the present monarch.
Oba Ilori-Faboro said: “Painfully, when people talk about the Kiriji War, they relegate the role that Ido played in the prosecution of that war.
“It is true the war began as a result of Fabunmi action at Okemesi but Fabunmi was very young at that time. It is true he was rascally, and also true that Fabunmi beheaded the Ajele, who was the Ibadan envoy to Ekiti, which resulted in the war.
“But being a young man, after beheading the Ajele, he panicked and ran away from Okemesi to his mother’s town Ogotun to hide. Ibadan people at that time were powerful and they were going to sack the whole of Okemesi, which was just a village then.
“Fabunmi’s mother’s people took him to the Ologotun of that time and explained what he had done to Okemesi, and sought advice. Ologotun also panicked, saying Fabunmi’s act would ruin his town, and so he brought Fabunmi to the palace of Olojudo here.
“Oba Olayisade, the first Olojudo was equally a young man then. This was around the 1870s. He also sensed that he would be in trouble if the Ibadan people found out that Fabunmi was hiding in Ido. He took Fabunmi and his mother’s people to an elderly monarch, the Oore of Otun-Ekiti, who he thought may know the right step to take on the matter.
“Now, the Oore of Otun was vast in Ifa divinity at that time when the Olojudo, Ologotun and Fabunmi’s people went to see him.
“It was at the Oore’s palace that the people invited a team of Ifa priests to inquire from the gods the right step to take to avert tragedy for Ekiti communities.
“Ifa oracle then told them that all Ekiti people had to come together to fight the war so that they won’t lose and become slaves to Ibadan people. That was why they invited all the monarchs who were very few at that time in Ekiti land.
“We had the Oore of Otun, Olojudo of Ido, Ajero of Ijero, Alara of Aramoko, Alayemore of Efon Alaaye and Elekole of Ikole. Ewi of Ado, was a traveller from Benin who settled in Ado-Ekiti later.
“These Obas organised their warriors and went to Okemesi, a border town between Ekiti and Osun, the place where the war was fought. Ido wasn’t prominent then. The Eleyinmi was head of warriors but he was very old then. Ido Kingdom at that time consisted of Aaye, Igbole, Ora, Ifaki, Esinsin, Usi and Ulogbo.
“They all contributed men to fight, but those who did not have brave and strongmen to fight were pushed to the war front by other strong soldiers and they easily got killed. And so Ido was losing men initially at the war front.
“The Ibadan warriors were gaining the upper hand, even after our forces got Ogendengbe who had experience in warring, still Ibadan was winning and our people began to panic at home.
“It was at this point that all Ekiti Obas began to look for marcenaries to fight for them. In the course of this, they remembered my great grandfather, Faboro who had earlier left the town for Ilorin. History has it that Faboro was a very restless youngman before he left Ido and became a very powerful warrior in Ilorin.
“The Kabiyesi here then was reminded that his brother, Faboro who was chased out of town for being restless had become a prominent warrior in Ilorin and he should look for him.
“The Olayisade 1 then sent delegates to Faboro to come and fight for Ekiti. He was invited three times and he turned down first two invitations. But when they told him that his father’s home and legacy would be wiped off by the Ibadan warriors he agreed and returned with the warriors who were his colleagues at that time. He joined forces with others and went for the war. Olayisade, Oore and Ajero joined Faboro to the war front and that was the beginning of the stalemate of the war.
“It was then the Ibadan warriors began to realise that Ekiti was becoming stronger and were asking who was fighting for them. The discovery that Faboro from Ido was the one who changed the tide made Ido’s popularity to spread across board.
“Olojudo then and Faboro with other kabiyiesi spent nine years at the war front with their wives before they returned and when they did, the Olojudo then did many things for Faboro to compensate and immortalise him. That was when the then Olojudo officially named my great grandfather Faboro Ido to confirm what many had started calling the town, Ido Faboro (Faboro’s Ido) during the war.
“The Olojudo then gave Faboro land and married wives for him. I am the first Faboro’s son to sit on the throne as monarch in Ido, “ Oba Faboro concluded.
