Oba Adele or Adele Ajosun (died 1837) reigned twice as

Oba of Lagos The Oba of Lagos, also known as the Eleko of Eko, is the Nigerian traditional rulers, traditional ruler (Oba (ruler), Oba) of Lagos. The Oba is a ceremonial Yoruba people, Yoruba sovereign with no political power, but is sought as a counsel ...

; first, from c1811 to 1821, and a second time from 1835 to 1837. His father was Oba Ologun Kutere and his siblings were Obas

Osinlokun Oba Osinlokun or Eshinlokun (died 1829) reigned as Oba of Lagos from 1821 to 1829. His father was Oba Ologun Kutere and his siblings were Obas Adele and Akitoye, making the Ologun Kutere Obaship line the dominant one in Lagos. Among Osinlokun ...

and Akitoye, thus the Ologun Kutere line has remained the dominant line in the Obaship of Lagos.

Ascendancy

Adele ascended the Obaship of Lagos after the approximate 5 year interregnum following the death of his father Ologun Kutere. Some written and oral sources note that Ologun Kutere desired that Adele become Oba because of Adele's faithful service to Ologun Kutere. Historian John. B. Losi wrote about Adele's care of Ologun Kutere's property while the Lander brothers (

Richard Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language">Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'st ...

and John Lander) note Adele's mechanical aptitude. During Adele's reign the Islamic faith spread in Lagos and his popularity is reported to have decreased among Lagosians because his children introduced the Egun masquerade, which at the time was seen as unbecoming.

Osinlokun's coup and Adele's exile to Badagry

Around 1820 or 1821, and as was the tradition before 1852 when Lagos exercised more independence from the

Benin Empire The Kingdom of Benin, also known as Great Benin, is a traditional kingdom in southern Nigeria. It has no historical relation to the modern republic of Benin, which was known as Dahomey from the 17th century until 1975. The Kingdom of Benin's c ...

, Adele attempted to accompany Ologun Kutere's remains to Benin for burial, however,

and his supporters forcibly prevented Adele from doing so and in the process usurped the Obaship from Adele. Adele was now exiled to

Badagry Badagry, also spelled Badagri, (Gun language, Gun: Gbagli) is a coastal town and Local Government Areas of Nigeria, Local Government Area (LGA) in Lagos State, Nigeria. It is quite close to the city of Lagos, and located on the north bank of Po ...

where he assumed headship of the town. In 1825, while in Badagry, Adele attempted to violently retake the Lagos throne with the help of the British Navy but his efforts were futile. He reportedly sank into depression when a gunpowder explosion destroyed his home, property, and followers.

Second term following Idewu Ojulari's ritual suicide

Osinlokun died in 1829 and was succeeded by his son Idewu Ojulari. After Oba Idewu Ojulari was compelled by the

Oba of Benin The Oba of Benin is the traditional ruler and the custodian of the culture of the Edo people and all Edoid people. The then Kingdom of Benin (not to be confused with the modern-day and unrelated Republic of Benin, which was then known as Daho ...

(around 1834/5) to commit ritual suicide, Idewu's brother prince

Kosoko Kosoko (died 1872) was a member of the Ologun Kutere Lagos Royal Family who reigned as Oba of Lagos from 1845 to 1851. His father was Oba Osinlokun and his siblings were Idewu Ojulari (who was Oba from 1829 to 1834/35), Olufunmi, Odunsi, Lad ...

should have been made king but because of Kosoko's impetuous nature resulting in taking a woman betrothed to

Eletu Odibo The Eletu Odibo of Lagos is the traditional nobleman that has historically served as the principal kingmaker of the Oba of Lagos. As head of the ''Akarigbere'' class of chiefs, the Eletu Odibo also serves as the prime minister of the Oba. History T ...

, an ensuing feud prevented Eletu Odibo from installing Kosoko king. As a result, Adele (uncle to Kosoko and Idewu) was invited from Badagry to become Oba.

Marriage to Madam Tinubu

While visiting Abeokuta as an exiled Oba in 1833, Adele was charmed by

Madam Tinubu Efunroye Tinubu ( 1810 – 1887), born Ẹfúnpọ̀róyè Ọ̀ṣuntinúbú, was a powerful Yoruba people, Yoruba female aristocrat, merchant, and slave trader in pre-colonial and colonial Nigeria. She was a politically and economically influ ...

and married her. They moved to Badagry which was traditionally the place of refuge for Lagos monarchs and was where Tinubu exploited Adele's connections to build a formidable business trading in tobacco, salt, and slaves.

Death

Adele died in 1837 and was succeeded as Oba by his son, Oluwole.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ajosun, Adele 1837 deaths 19th-century Nigerian businesspeople Obas of Lagos Year of birth unknown History of Lagos 19th century in Lagos Yoruba monarchs 19th-century monarchs in Africa African slave owners African slave traders 19th-century slave traders Ologun-Kutere family