Sunday Adeniyi Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho (born 10 October 1972) is a

self-determination Self-determination refers to a people's right to form its own political entity, and internal self-determination is the right to representative government with full suffrage. Self-determination is a cardinal principle in modern international la ...

activist, known for his advocacy for an independent Yoruba Nation and also a

philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...

. Nicknamed after his hometown, he rose to fame following his role in the

Modakeke Modakeke is a town near Ile-Ife in Osun State, South West Nigeria, with a population of about 120,000 people. The Modakekes are also known as the "Akoraye" and have a history of valor at war and are prosperous farmers. A sub-hub or community under ...

-Ife communal crisis in 1997, where he played an active part. He is the chairman of Adeson International Business Concept Ltd. His chieftaincy title, Akoni Oodua of Yorubaland, has become famous in recent years. He gained social media attention in January 2021 when he gave an ultimatum to

Fulani herdsmen Fulani herdsmen or Fulani pastoralists are nomadic or semi-nomadic Fulani people whose primary occupation is raising livestock. The Fulani herder, herdsmen are largely located in the Sahel and Semi-arid climate, semi-arid parts of West Africa, but d ...

in Ibarapa to vacate the land after the killing of Dr. Aborode and enforced same. He is currently agitating for the freedom of the South West. In October 2023, Sunday Igboho was released in Benin where he had been arrested after fleeing the police in Nigeria in 2021.

Life and Yoruba Nation advocacy

Sunday was born in

Igboho Oyo-Igboho is a large town in Oyo State, Nigeria. It is the headquarters of the Orelope Local Government Area. It has an estimated population of 400,000. The town has a post office and a radio station. History Igboho was founded by Alaaf ...

, an old Oyo town, of Oke ogun in

Oyo State Oyo is a States of Nigeria, state in South West (Nigeria), southwestern Nigeria. Its capital is Ibadan, the List of Nigerian cities by population, third most populous city in the country and formerly the second most populous city in Africa. Oyo ...

. His father relocated the family to

in Osun state, where he grew up. He started off as a motorcycle repairer and then ventured into automobiles where he sells cars and was able to start his current Adeson business. He gained international attention after the part he played in the Modakeke/Ife war between 1997 and 1998, where he was a defendant of Modakeke people. And thereafter relocated to Ibadan where he met former Oyo state Governor, Lam Adesina through a courageous step while trying to defend the rights of the people at a fuel station. He also went on to work with former Governor, Rasheed Ladoja and became one of his most trusted aides. As the Akoni Oodua of

Yorubaland Yorubaland () is the homeland and cultural region of the Yoruba people in West Africa. It spans the modern-day countries of Nigeria, Togo and Benin, and covers a total land area of . Of this land area, 106,016 km2 (74.6%) lies within Niger ...

, he is known for fighting for the rights of the Yorubas and advocating for the Oduduwa republic. On 12 October 2024, Igboho submitted a petition to UK prime minister

Keir Starmer Sir Keir Rodney Starmer (born 2 September 1962) is a British politician and lawyer who has served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom since 2024 and as Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party since 2020. He previously ...

, urging him to consider the Yoruba Nation's bid for self-determination. The petition was filed on behalf of Yoruba leader Prof. Adebanji Akintoye, and Igboho was accompanied by key figures from the movement. This action aligned with the broader efforts to push for an independent Yoruba states.

Personal life

Igboho is a Christian who is married with two wives and has children, including three professional footballers playing in Germany.

References

1972 births Living people Nigerian activists Yoruba activists {{Improve categories, date=March 2024