Omo Lowa Ibu Ogunsola of Batoro, Sagamu

 

My interest in history and philosophy is perhaps driven by my quest for knowing.  The fact that Yoruba history was not written makes it more interesting and the path to identifing oneself is more completed.  I have been somewhat lucky in this regards, although a lot still needs to be researched but I can at least state that i am first great grand son of Lowa Ibu Ogunsola of Batoro, Sagamu Remo.  Below, i present a history of Batoro


Present Day Batoro


The Batoro Community of Sagamu is one of the thirty-three Remo traditional towns. Batoro is one of the thirteen federated towns that made up the Sagamu township well over a century ago. You can conveniently approach Batoro through two different entrances. The first approach is through the Akarigbo Street Sagamu. Take your bearing from the Akarigbo Palace location, our popular Sagamu Ita Oba, you face the Akarigbo Street facing Sabo Sagamu location. You will move through Itun Nla, Itun Maro, Itun Losi on Akarigbo Street. From the Akarigbo Street from your left you try to locate the first street, this leads you to Ado township. You continue your movement forward through Itun Maro and Itun Losi. The next street on your left leads you to Batoro township of Sagamu. This road on your left is Batoro street, Sagamu.

You can also approach Batoro township through the Hospital Road Sagamu. Take your bearing from the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital Sagamu. You move down the slope to “Adie wo coat”, which is Ado Junction to your right, you continue your movement on the level ground which leads you to the hill, on your right at the beginning of the hill is Ipoji junction. Just about a few metres upwards there is a crossroad. The road to your right is Batoro Street. This leads you to the Batoro township of Sagamu. This leads you to the street that leads you from the Akarigbo Street to Batoro township of Sagamu. Batoro township has common boundaries with Ipoji township and also with Ijoku township. Batoro township has common boundary with Itun Losi one of the popular Ofin quarters.


Sons and daughters of Batoro have left their original settlement which is the Batoro township described above to build their residential houses. This is because of lack of land space. The Sagamu Communities on arrival settled very close to one another because of togetherness. As the years rolled by, the population started increasing, the little available land areas were developed, hence, those indigenous to Batoro continue to opt out of the Batoro township to build their residential houses outside their original township. However, they do not forget to where they belong. They claim their rights back home.


Ile Ife Link


Batoro left Ile Ife with the Akarigbo and migrated with him in looking for a new settlement. Though Batoro left Ile Ife with the Akarigbo, yet Batoro had its own leader. This leader was one of the sons of Lowa Ijaruwa of Ile Ife. There was also the determination to keep the identity of Lowa, hence, Batoro stood firm and retained its position and the Lowa title. History confirmed that Lowa and his people parted with the Akarigbo during migration. Each one of them took different routes. Lowa and his own people moved faster than the Akarigbo people, hence, Lowa came to Remoland and settled down before the Akarigbo.


As at the time of migration, the leader of Batoro was with the title “LOWA”. He left Ile Ife with important office regalia such as Hand-let (Ipawo), the Oro and the Eluku. Hand-let is used to receive visitors. Batoro hand-let is quite distinct and varies very considerably from others in use by other Kings in Remo. History does not confirm when Lowa and the Akarigbo parted in their migratory treks, but they did. The routes of migration, time and other facts were not stated in oral history. There is the fact that Lowa group trekked through various jungles and reached Ijebu Ode, Okun Owa and later moved on to Ayepe (where my late mother came from) where they settled for a period of time. Batoro left Ile Ife under the leadership of one of the sons of Lowa Ijaruwa. The names of the Lowa’s that led the Batoro Community during migration is not recorded, I am hoping that access to my grandfather’s records might shed some light on this.  However, by the time the Batoro Community got to Ayepe, they were under the leadership of Lowa Onadugba.


Lowa Onadugbe


Lowa Onadugba married a lady named Ajiwun in Ayepe who was the daughter of Liseri. Lowa Onadugba led the Batoro community out of Ayepe to another settlement where they found a big Abata kolanut tree and a small stream. They settled down in this place.  This was in the present rubber plantation. Here Lowa asked his Ifa Priest to divine whether they can settle permanently here. This was divined and the Ifa Oracle prognosticated good omen and peaceful settlement. The priest even claimed that the Abata kolanut tree will provide wealth for the community. Thus, the community was named “Batoro” meaning “Abata Oro” (Tree of wealth). It must be clearly understood that this was the time the community took a permanent name (BATORO) since they left Ile Ife. At this settlement, the small stream that provided them with water was named Ubu and the title of their leader was called LOWA IBU.


The Batoro community had since retained the name of their community and the title of their King. The Batoro last settlement was in the present rubber plantation. The settlement is not far from the present Ayepe where they left. The settlement is equally very close to the Ofen last settlement. The Oko and the Ipoji communities were also close neighbours to the Batoro community at their first permanent settlement before the Sagamu settlement. That settlement is now known and called Batoro Homestead.


As mentioned previously,  the Akarigbo and Lowa did not continue their trek together though they were said to have taken off together from Ile Ife. Ofen had permanent settlement at Okun Owa for quite a long time. Batoro as history says passed through and this was before the arrival of Ofen. The Lowa group came to Remo Division and settled before the arrival of the Ofen people. History says that when the Ofen people came to where they called Ofen homestead today, they observed smoke somewhere south-east not very far from where they pitched. The Akarigbo sent one of his men to go towards the sign of the smoke and bring fire for their own use. The person sent went accordingly and got to the Batoro settlement. The Batoro people were on merry making, roasting the dog they slaughtered for their Oro ritual. The messenger was given the burning charcoal he wanted for his master and King in a potsherd with the strict instruction that the potsherd must be returned. He was also given the arm part of the dog to hand over to his master and King as a present. The gift of the arm of a dog or ram has, ever since, continued as a good relationship between the two communities. The potsherd was returned accordingly and it has since been kept as a relic in the Igboti Oro of Batoro community at their homestead.


Ajiwun the wife of Lowa Ibu gave birth to a son who was named Oredele Alarala. When Lowa Ibu Onadugba died. Oredele Alarala became the next Lowa Ibu. This showed how long the Batoro people were at their Orile. Oredele Alarala had three wives - Sodunjo, Oladigba and one other.


The Royal Homes of Batoro


Sodunjo begot Ojudun, Awoate and Deku. Oladigba begot Onamuwa and Igbosoro, Igbosoro was a female daughter of Oredele Alarala. She married at Ikorodu and begot Dosumu. At the death of Oredele Alarala, Dosumu the son of Igbosoro (female) was called from Ikorodu and installed as Lowa Ibu at Batoro.


It was Lowa Ibu Dosumu who was reigning when the Southern communities of Remo confederated in Sagamu. Dosumu led the Batoro community to Sagamu.
Batoro has three ruling houses:


  1. 1. Sodunjo

  2. 2. Onamuwa

  3. 3. Dosumu Igbosoro


There are seven Kingmakers in Batoro, they are:

The  Onimale of Batoro
The  Olisa
The  Apena
The  Alaha
The  Owusi
Chief  Gusenmade
The  Olotu  Omoba


The Lowa Ibu’s


History confirmed that Dosumu spent seventy years on the throne as Lowa Ibu. For one unpalatable incident he voluntarily abdicated the Batoro stool in 1930 and left for Ikorodu his father's home town. Lowa Ibu Ogunsola grandson of Sodunjo and son of Ojudun, reigned from 1930 to 1950. Lowa Ibu Oyedele Akinyele reigned from 1950 to 1988 before he joined his ancestors. Lowa Ibu Evans Adekoya great grandson of Oladugba and grandson of Onamuwa came to the throne. The incumbent Lowa Ubu is Sulaiman Odeyemi, great grandson of Igbosoro and grandson of Dosumu.


It has been once highlighted in one of the paragraphs above that history does not mention the leaders of Batoro by names not until the settlement at the Batoro homestead. These are spelt out above but you can see them at a glance hereunder

  1. 1.          Onadugba           The first Lowa Ibu at Orile

  2. 2.          Oredele Alarala   The second Lowa Ibu at Orile

  3. 3.          Dosumu                The third Lowa Ubu at Orile who is also the first Lowa Ibu in Sagamu

  4. 4.          Ogunsola             The second Lowa Ibu in Sagamu 1930-1950

  5. 5.          Oyedele Akinyele       The third Lowa Ibu in Sagamu  1950 - 1988

  6. 6.          Evans Adekoya          The fourth Lowa Ibu in Sagamu

  7. 7.          Sulaiman Odeyemi   The fifth Lowa Ubu in Sagamu

There  was a period of interregnum between the third Lowa Ubu and the fourth Lowa Ubu in Sagamu.


Religion


The Batoro community left Ile Ife with Oro and Pakoko traditional heads. These were Onimale, the head of the Oro conclave, the Alagha, the Owusi and the Gusenmade. The Chiefs in Batoro traditionally were Oro chiefs. The Onimale was next in rank to Lowa. After the Sagamu settlement, the Batoro Community imitated the other Sagamu settlers by creating chieftaincy titles such as the Olisa, the Aro, etc. Iworu in Ilisan and Batoro in Sagamu are close traditionally.
The Batoro community is very famous with its Oro and Pakoko. The Oro and Pakoko of Batoro stand above any others in the length and breadth of Remoland. The Onimale Oro of Batoro is the Chief Onimale Oro here in Sagamu and Remo generally. Traditional festival in Batoro community is the Oro festival and it supercedes all other festivals anywhere in Remoland. There are various annual festivals such as masquerades, Balufon, Jabajaba, Eluku, Agemo etc. in other Remo towns including Sagamu, but for Batoro such annual festivals do not exist. The most wonderful aspect of these is that none should be performed, practised or entertained in the Batoro community of Sagamu.


Another peculiar custom of Batoro is that they do not have the ILEDI, and the Osugbo cult does not exist with them. The existence of the Ogbonis and the Erelus do not exist in Batoro. All other Remo traditional towns have. It must also be highlighted that the Batoro King makers are those who are holding Oro titles, Onimale, Alaha, Ajana, Owusi, Gusenmade etc.


Batoro initially consists three main sub-quarters, Sodunjo consisting of Ojudun and Awoata compounds, Onimale and Madojutimi, Onamuwa and Jebisade. There are family compounds named after some Batoro past elders. There are new areas owing to expansion and extension of the township such as Ayepe road, Fowoseje, Lomirin, Odede and Sawuyi. There is the Araba side of the community which once was the property of Akarigbo Owarodo an inheritance of Sodunjo descendants from their mother (Oludero) one of the daughters of Owarodo and this is mainly inhabited by Batoro sons and daughters of Sodunjo.


The Batoro Community customs and traditions are at variance with the other Sagamu and Remo Communities. They are real traditionalists.


Ojudu Royal Home


Ojudu had two sons - Ogunsola and Akinsanya.  Akinsanya was the eldest