ODUDUWA UNIVERSITY TO HOLD 4TH OBA OKUNADE SIJUWADE MEMORIAL LECTURE

Late Oba Okunade Sijuade (50th Ooni of Ife)

The governing council of Oduduwa University, Ipetumodu, Ile-Ife, Osun State will on Sunday 28th July 2019 hold its 4th memorial lecture in memory of late Oba Okunade Sijuwade (the 50th Ooni of Ife).

The annual event is scheduled to hold at the University’s Utility Hall with the theme-“Traditional Institutions in Conflict Management” and will commence by 12 noon.

The memorial lecture for this year which will be delivered by Dr. Nurudeen Arogundade is expected to be attended by dignitaries from all works of life.

It will be recalled that the late monarch Oba Okunade Sijuwade, was the Chancellor of Oduduwa University before he passed away.

A great lover of education and great supporter of Dr Adedoyin, Oba Sijuwade donated hectares of land for the take-off of the institution which is now being used as the permanent site of The Polytechnic, Ile-Ife.

As a way of immortalizing the memory of the late Oba Sijuwade, the management of Oduduwa University christened the College of Environmental Design and Management after the late monarch as the college is now known as the Oba Okunade Sijuwade College of Environmental Design and Management.

Alayeluwa Oba Okunade Sijuwade, (1 January 1930 – 28 July 2015) was the 50th Ooni of Ife from 1980 to his death in 2015, taking the regnal name Olubuse II. He was crowned on 6 December 1980 in a ceremony attended by the Emir of Kano, Oba of Benin, Amayanabo of Opobo and Olu of Warri, as well as representatives of the Queen of England.

Sijuwade was born on 1 January 1930 in Ile-Ife to the Ogboru ruling house, grandson of the Ooni Sijuwade Adelekan Olubuse I. He studied at Abeokuta Grammar School and Oduduwa College in Ile-Ife. He worked for three years in his father's business, then for two years with the Nigerian Tribune, before attending Northampton College in the United Kingdom to study business management.

By the age of 30 he was a manager in Leventis, a Greek-Nigerian conglomerate. In 1963 he became Sales Director of the state-owned National Motors in Lagos.

After spotting a business opportunity during a 1964 visit to the Soviet Union, he formed a company to distribute Soviet-built vehicles and equipment in Nigeria, which became the nucleus of a widespread business empire.

He also invested in real estate in his home town of Ile Ife. By the time Sijuwade was crowned Ooni in 1980 he had become a wealthy man.

Sijuwade was a devout Christian. In November 2009 he attended the annual general meeting of the Foursquare Gospel Church in Nigeria accompanied by 17 other traditional rulers. He declared that he was a full member of the church, and said all the monarchs who accompanied him would now become members.

At his birthday celebration two months later, the Primate of the Anglican Communion described Sijuwade as "a humble monarch, who has the fear of God at heart".

Awards and honors
• Commander of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (CFR)
• Keeper of the Seal of Yorubaland
• Hon. Chancellor, Bayero University, Kano, Nigeria
• Hon. Chancellor, Osun state University, Osogbo, Osun State, Nigeria
• Former Hon. Chancellor, University of Technology, Uyo, Akwa-Ibom State, Nigeria
• Doctor of Civil Laws (Honoris Causa), Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria
• Doctor of Literature (Honoris Causa), University of Uyo, Akwa-Ibom State, Nigeria
• Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa), University of Lagos, Lagos State, Nigeria
• Member of the British Institute of Management
• Highest National Honour, Republic of Poland
• Royal Belgian Distinction of Commander in the Order of the Crown
• Grand Commodore, Ohio State, USA
• Carrier of the Key to the City of Columbia, USA
• Carrier of the Key to the City of Philadelphia, USA
• Carrier of the Key to the City of Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago
• Carrier of the Key to the City of Havana, Cuba

He was a great mentor and supporter of Dr Abdulrahman Adegoke Atobatele Adedoyin on whom he bestowed the prestigious Chieftaincy title of the Maye of Ife. Indeed he used to address Dr Adedoyin as my dearest son when he was alive. He was always in attendance at all Oduduwa University ceremonies.

Few days before his death, he called all the Ile-Ife Left Chiefs and the Right Chiefs, and said " Gbogbo ife Lope si ibi yi loni oooooo, eniti o maa reru ife niyi oooo" pointing at His Royal Eminence Dr R A Adedoyin. He called an old friend of his, Chief Mosadoluwa Omisore, an old man of over 90 years to pray and then asked everybody to leave. He died few days later on the 28th July, 2015.

Also in a text to Dr. R A Adedoyin, few hours before his death,  he sent a text " take care of the good people of ile ife, as u continue to do it, the  Almighty God will continue to bless you,  beyond your imagination "