The profile of the new Eleruwa Oba Adebayo Adegbola

By Adejayan Gbenga, Eruwa –

His Royal Majesty, Oba Samuel Adebayo Adegbola, the newly installed Eleruwa of Eruwa, was born on January 15, 1952, into the royal family of Pa Bello Ayinla Adegbola and Mama Olalonpe Abeni Adegbola of Olorin Compound, Oke-Oba Quarters, Eruwa, in Ibarapa East Local Government Area of Oyo State.

Oba Adegbola began his educational journey at Islamic Primary School, Sango, Eruwa, from 1961 to 1966. He later attended both Oke Ogun Baptist Secondary Commercial Modern School and Obaseku High School between 1967 and 1974 for his secondary education. He graduated with the best West African School Certificate (WASC) result in his set.

He proceeded to Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, where he earned an Ordinary National Diploma (OND) in Business Administration and Management in 1984.

Between his secondary and post-secondary education, Oba Adegbola worked as a teacher at his alma mater, Oke Ogun Baptist Secondary Commercial Modern School, from 1975 to 1976. He then joined the Nigerian Customs and Excise Department in late 1976 and retired honorably in 1998 as a Superintendent of Customs.

During his career, he served in several key Customs formations, including Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Apapa Seaport, Tin Can Island Port, Borno State Command, Ogun State Command, and the Federal Operations Unit Zone F.

In his first reign, Oba Adegbola was installed as the Eleruwa of Eruwa from the Olaribikusi Ruling House on July 16, 1998, and ruled until 2019. During that period, he also served as the Deputy Chairman of the Oyo State Council of Obas and Chiefs.

Following the recommencement of the kingship selection process by the Oyo State Government in 2024, Oba Adegbola, from the Olurin Ruling Family of the Akalako Royal House, was unanimously selected by the Eruwa kingmakers from among 18 candidates. He was officially appointed as the new Eleruwa of Eruwa by the Oyo State Government on March 6, 2025.

Oba Adegbola’s paternal lineage traces back to Pa Bello Adegbola Ayinla Agan, a grandson of Prince Kitoyi Ajobo Ajasa Agan. Prince Kitoyi was the first son of his mother, one of the wives of Oba Olurin Iyanda Agan, the sixth Eleruwa of Eruwa. Another of Oba Olurin’s sons, Prince Bankola, also became an Eleruwa from the Olurin line.

Oba Olurin Iyanda Agan holds a significant place in Eruwa’s history for uniting various neighboring settlements, including Aborerin, Anko, and Isaba, into the central valley that constitutes present-day Eruwa.

His reign is remembered for fostering unity, peace, and communal living among the people. This foundational role earned him the title of the monarch who brought his neighbors together, effectively shaping the configuration of Eruwa.

Oba Adegbola descends directly from this illustrious lineage through an unbroken male line: Oba Olurin Iyanda Agan → Prince Kitoyi Ajobo Ajasa Agan → Prince Oyebade Alao Agan → Pa Bello Adegbola Ayinla Agan → Oba Samuel Adebayo Adegbola Akanbi Agan.

On his maternal side, Oba Adegbola’s mother, Mama Olalonpe Abeni, was a princess from the Ajao Royal Family of the Olaribikusi Ruling House. She was the daughter of Princess Adeyinka, who herself was the daughter of Prince Akindele—the elder brother of Oba Ajao. This maternal royal connection partly facilitated Oba Adegbola’s first ascendancy to the Eleruwa throne through the Olaribikusi Ruling House.