Adeyemi Oyewumi, son of the late Soun of Ogbomoso Oba Oladunni Oyewumi, has paid tributes to his father, praising his exploits.
Oba Oyewumi, 95, died last Sunday after a brief illness.
Beginning with the words of William Shakespeare, “…Some are born great; some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them,” Adeyemi said in a tribute on Sunday that his father was born into royalty but did not have silver spoon readily available.
He said, “Baba, you were born great as a prince and a direct descendant of valiant Soun’s Ogbomoso has known – Oba Oluwusi Aremu, Oba Gbagungboye Ajagungbade I and Oba Bello Afolabi Oyewumi Ajagungbade II. It is no surprise that you demonstrated greatness through your exploits and successfully redefined the greatness of the traditional institution and family you were born into.
“Baba, you achieved greatness by treading where no one had tread in your lineage and making a damn good success of it. While you were born into royalty, the silver spoon to a good life and luxury wasn’t necessarily available. Your determination to succeed and change the fortune of your lineage, drove you to achieve success and greatness across many facets of life – business, social life, philanthropy and many more. You broke barriers and set new standards for others to aspire to.
“Baba, you had greatness thrust on you because you accepted the call to serve, setting aside personal goals for community benefit as the 20th Soun of Ogbomosoland. This ultimate sacrifice saw you put people and community above yourself. Your vision for Ogbomoso when no one else saw it, and the feat you achieved as we look back to the legacies you have created for Ogbomoso, speaks volumes to how well you took on the burden of our dear Ogbomoso and set us on a path that can only lead to greater heights.
“Baba, you have done us proud and left your indelible marks in the sands of time. Your legacy lives on as we wonder how the shoes you have set aside will be filled.”
Oba Oyewumi, born on May 27, 1926 to the Gbagun ruling house, ascended the throne in 1973 and reigned as Ajagungbade III for 48 years.
