Daniel Akomolafe Anirare Aladesanmi II

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

CFR (1902 – 7 January 1983) was a Yoruba Oba who reigned as Ewi of

Ado Ekiti Ado Ekiti is the capital city of Ekiti State, Nigeria. It is the Headquarters, headquarter of the Ekiti central senatorial district, Points of the compass, southwest, Nigeria. History Ado Ekiti is an ancient city, founded by Ewi Awamaro the ...

in Nigeria from 1937 until 1983.

Early life

Aladesanmi was born in 1902 to Olori Ifalete and Oba Ajimudaoro Aladesanmi I, who had reigned as Ewi of Ado Ekiti between 1892 and 1910. He was an Ekiti, a subgroup of the

Yoruba people The Yoruba people ( ; , , ) are a West African ethnic group who inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo, which are collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba constitute more than 50 million people in Africa, are over a million outsid ...

. He attended Saint Andrews College in Oyo from 1924 until 1928. While at Saint Andrews he was school prefect and president of the Ekiti Parapo Society. He worked as a higher grade officer for the railway in 1933.

Reign

Aladesanmi ascended the throne, becoming Ewi of Ado Ekiti, on 18 June 1937. Ado Ekiti is an ancient city in Southwestern Nigeria and the seat of the

Ekiti State Ekiti () is a state in southwestern Nigeria, bordered to the North by Kwara State for 61 km, to the Northeast by Kogi State for 92 km, to the South and Southeast by Ondo State, and to the West by Osun State for 84 km. Named for the Ekiti ...

. In 1940 residents of Ado Ekiti protested Aladesanmi's reign, but the colonial government refused to remove him. The following year he set up an advisory board to supervise developmental projects in Ado Ekiti regarding construction, transportation, and city planning. He was appointed as President of Pelupelu in 1938. In January 1950 he established a weaving center in Ado Ekiti for children "to use their hands and brains". He was involved in the Constitutional Independence Conferences of 1948 and 1959 in London and was a member of the Yoruba Council of Obas. Aladesanmi was appointed Deputy President of the Western House of Chiefs on September 28, 1960 and was a member of the

Commonwealth Parliamentary Association The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), previously known as the Empire Parliamentary Association, is an organisation which works to support good governance, democracy and human rights. In 1989 the patron of the CPA was the Head ...

. He was also a Bencher of the Western House of Chiefs in the 1960s. In 1977 he published his memoir titled ''My Early Life: An Autobiography''. During his reign Aladesanmi traced the history of migrant settlers in the Ekiti kingdom since the twelfth century and their connection to the Ilesun people. He was appointed as an Officer of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

at the

1962 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1962 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to Orders and decorations of the Commonwealth realms, various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countrie ...

. In 1978 he was the first to be decorated with the national honour of

Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic The Order of the Federal Republic (OFR) is one of two orders of merit, established by the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 1963. It is senior to the Order of the Niger. The highest honours are the Grand Commander in the Order of the Federal Rep ...

Olusegun Obasanjo Chief Olusegun Matthew Okikiola Ogunboye Aremu Obasanjo (; ; born 5 March 1937) is a Nigerian former army general, politician and statesman who served as Nigeria's head of state from 1976 to 1979 and later as its president from 1999 to 200 ...

. He was also appointed Chancellor of the

University of Maiduguri The University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID) is a Federal higher institution located in Maiduguri, the capital city of Borno State in Northeast Nigeria. The university was created by the federal government of Nigeria in 1975, with the intention of its ...

in December 1979, holding the office until his death.

Death

Aladesanmi died on January 7, 1983. He reigned as Ewi of Ado Ekiti until his death.

Citations

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Aladesanmi II, Daniel 1902 births 1983 deaths Daniel II Nigerian autobiographers Nigerian traditional rulers Yoruba monarchs Commanders of the Order of the Federal Republic Officers of the Order of the British Empire People from Ekiti State Academic staff of the University of Maiduguri