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Why The FIDIPOTE Family Is Popular In IJEBU-ODE – Family Elder, Alhaji TUNJI YUSUF Explains

The Fidipote ruling house is a very popular family in Ijebu-Ode. As a matter of fact, you can’t mention some of the biggest families in Ijebu-Ode and not mention Fidipote. There are four ruling houses in Ijebu-Ode; they are the Gbelegbuwa Ruling House, the Anikinaiya Ruling House, where Oba Adetona comes from, the Fusengbuwa Ruling House and The Fidipote Ruling House.

Rubakoye, the third female Awujale to have reigned in Ijebu-Ode was the mother of Awujale Moyegeso, who before he became Awujale of Ijebu-Ode had lived in Itele, as Otunba. He gave birth to five children after he ascended the throne as Awujale. The names of these children are Adeoto (male) Angba (female), Ademuyewo (male), Adematan (female) and Osuntimehin (female), whose siblings occupied the area called Isagola and Gobi, at Idewon. When it was again the turn of Moyegeso ruling house to provide an Awujale, Adeoto and Angba had died and the chance automatically fell on Ademuyewo Fidipote who reigned for many years and his name became the official name for the ruling house.

There are many families in Ijebu-Ode that make up the Fidipote family and one of such families is the popular Yusuf Family.

Last week, City People’s Brands Editor, DAMILARE SALAMI 08155134152 was in Ijebu-Ode where he had an interview with one of the elders of the Yusuf family, a clan of the larger Fidipote ruling house.

In the interview, Alhaji Olatunji Yusuf, the father of Prince Seun Igbagbo, a popular real estate developer and serial entrepreneur revealed some interesting facts; including how the Fidipote family produced the first Muslim Oba in Ijebuland.

Below are excerpts from the interview, enjoy.

How do you feel seeing your son turning 40?

You can only be grateful seeing your child growing up from a toddler to this mature age. And not just growing up, very successful too; so I just want to thank God.

The Yusuf are very popular in Ijebu, can you tell us a few things about them and who they really are?

Well, Yusuf is our family name and we hail from the Fidipote ruling house of Ijebu-Ode. My own father became absolutely religious such that he was not interested in the culture of the land and so he moved us out of the line. But when he was 90, we decided to celebrate him and then we had to go back to our roots and the Awujale had to be invited. My father and the Awujale were very close but they had not been seeing each other for a long time. The Awujale attended the birthday party with about 40 Ijebu Obas because he believed that my father was a good mentor who mediates whenever there is a crisis in the Ijebu kingdom, among clans and families or the entire royal family.

Is that to say that the Yusufs are also part of the royal families in Ijebu?

No, not the Yusuf… We belong to the Fidipote ruling house. The Fidipote is one of the recognized ruling houses in Ijebu-Ode. Most Obas are usually Christians but the one from our own lineage was popularly known as Oba Onirungbon because he was an Alfa and he still took the throne. That is the story of the Fidipote family, particularly our own lineage. That happened in 18 something but I can’t remember when exactly now.





What do you wish your son at 40?

I wish him the best of everything in the world, I wish him well, he’s doing great and I’m happy, he refers to me most of the time, he sees me as his encyclopedia and I’m so glad to have mentored him to become the man that he is today.

Finally sir, what do you do?

Laughs… Well as you can see, I am an old man in my 70s but as a businessman, I do not retire. I’m a serial entrepreneur, a businessman, I’m into farming, I’m a business consultant and many more.

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