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PAGE 4—SUNDAY VANGUARD,NOVEMBER 20, 2022
The holy matrimony between former Miss Opeyemi Ibijuwon Onifade
and Prince Olaoye Damilola Abass, held at All Souls' Anglican
Church, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos, yesterday. PHOTOS: Lamidi Bamidele
From left: Mr Adekunle Onifade, bride's father; Mrs Olufunke Oluwole, representing
bride's mother; Prince and Mrs Olaoye Abass, the new couple; Dr (Mrs) Nike Akande and
Chief Adebayo Akande representing groom's parents.
•Chief Ralph Ibiwoye, left, receiving the Award of 'Omo Oro l'Oba' from the National
President, Descendants of Omo Oro l'Oba, Chief J. Abiodun Omoniyi, in Oro, Kwara
State.
‘Omo Oro l’Oba’ celebrates annual
Congress in Kwara, honours former
Vanguard GM, Ibiwoye, others
Mogaji Olutunde Aboderin and his wife, Olufunke
From left: Mrs Laide Alatishe; Mrs Blessing Yesufu and Mrs Tiwa Babarinsa
From left: Mrs Iyabo Ogunshola; Chief Ajibola Ogunshola, Chairman Emeritus, Punch
Newspapers; Lady Maiden Alex-Ibru, Publisher, Guardian Newspapers; Professor Bashir
Akande and his wife, Mojisola Akande, at the Church service.
By Demola Akinyemi,
Ilorin
The Descendants of
‘Omo Oro l’Oba’,
meaning children from
house of wealth, from
Osun, Ondo and Kwara
States converged on Oro in
Irepodun local government
area of Kwara State last
weekend to celebrate their
annual Congress.
The Congress, last year,
took place in Igbajo, Osun
State on November 13,
2021, while that of next year
will take place in Uso near
Owo in Ondo State.
The gathering of Omo Oro
l’Oba recognized the
deaths of their four
distinguished members
whose demise occurred
between last year and now.
They were Pa. Afolayan
(Oba-Oro), Mr Abayomi
Alabede (Oba-Isin), Pa
Rev. Dr Babalola (Oke-Ila
Orangun) and Mr.
Oyebanji (Asiwaju Oreke),
who had contributed
immensely to the growth
and development of the
group.
Oro township, among
other roots, has 10
compounds. Seven are Oba
compounds and apparently
has the largest membership
of the Descendants. They
decided to host the
Congress this year.
The highlights of the
programme, which took
place at St. Andrews
Catholic Event Hall in
Oro, include launching of
Calendar 2023, bursary
awards for selected 20
secondary school
students, and awards for
distinguished members
among whom was a
former General Manager
of Vanguard Newspapers,
Chief Ralph Ibiwoye.
The expansive Hall was
filled with members who
adorned themselves in
uniform Ankara clothings,
throwing banters at each
other to make the annual
event colourful.
The National President
of the group, Chief J.
Abiodun Omoniyi, in his
address, appealed to
members to live in peace
and harmony with one
another and their
neighbours.
Omoniyi recalled that
since the bursary award
scheme for secondary
school students was
started in 2017, it has not
failed despite financial
challenges.
According to him, 20
secondary school students
selected from Oba
settlements would benefit
from this year’s
scholarship of N20,000
each and urged the
beneficiaries to make
judicious use of it.
He also said that there
was a plan to increase the
award sum and also
expressed the hope to
extend the scholarship
scheme to tertiary
institutions as soon as
funds are adequately
available.
An associate professor
of statistics at Federal
University of Technology,
Akure, Dr. Alabi Olatayo
Olusegun, delivered the
annual lecture with the
theme ‘Ancestral Link: An
Instrument for
development, unity and
security’.
The university don
traced
the
multidimensional
genealogy of ‘Omo Oro
l’Oba’ from Ora Igbomina
in Osun State in the 11th
century to the 12th
century by one Prince
Oduyale in Ile-Ife, down
to Kwara State.
According to him, there
are folklores and praise
songs which portray
Oloba as a wealthy man
who had hundreds of
slaves, men and women
that worked for him,
hence all of them are from
the root of richness and
comfort.
He harped on unity of
members in order to
secure the common
heritage of members of
Oro l’Oba, which are
wealth and comfort.
The royal father of the
day, Oba Dr. T. T.
Oyebanji, in his remark,
urged the committee in
charge of education to
have the details amount
that had been spent on
scholarships of students
and their records in view
in order to guide them in
future planning.
The monarch, who
called for the propagation
of their activities in order
to make other members of
Omo Oro l’Oba across the
world to be aware and be
involved in their activities,
urged influential
members of the group to
help the youths to grow in
order to secure their
future.
Other traditional rulers
present include Oba
Adekunle Asamu
Oyewole Tewogbade 1,
Oloba of Oba Ile Kingdom
in Osun State, Oba
Timothy Titilayo
Oyebanji, Olufemiloye 1,
Oloba of Oba Kingdom in
Kwara State, Oba
Abdulkadir Hammed
Dada, Okukondo II, the
Oloreke of Oreke
Kingdom in Kwara State
and Oba Ademola
Adebiyi Oyinbade,
Olanipekun III Oloba of
Uso Kingdom in Ondo
State.
Ibiwoye, in a short
interview after the award,
said that nothing could
give comfort and
satisfaction to one’s life
than having close affinity
with one’s roots.
He made allusion to
great people from Biblical
days that never forgot
their roots, as they pass on
their culture and tradition
which encapsulate their
joy and prosperity from
generation to generation.
“So, maintaining close
affinity with one’s roots is
very important to one’s
survival in life. I belong
to a place called Oba. It’s
my root”, the former
Vanguard GM stated.
“It means a lot to me
because it’s about my
origin. We are more
spread than this. We are
overseas and everywhere.
By next year, more people
would be knowledgeable
about the programme.
That’s where God has
created them and they’re
basking in”.