How a nineteenth-century military camp grew into the largest indigenous city in tropical Africa, and how the Olúbàdàn rotational ladder works, which is the most unusual succession system in Yorubaland.
The Yorùbá wey dem quote, the proverbs, oríkì, ẹsẹ Ifá, word list headwords, Odù names and citations dey exactly as the corpus record dem, for every language.
Ìbàdàn na di biggest city wey Yoruba pipo build for modern era, and na di only major Yoruba town wey start as military camp wey never get ruling house wey dem dey inherit. Di way dem dey take choose king for there dey really special: any freeborn Ìbàdàn man wey become head of him family compound fit, for principle, climb one fixed ladder of chieftaincy titles reach di throne, step by step, as di men wey dey him front dey die. Nobody dey born into am, nobody dey buy am, and nobody dey jump step. No other Yoruba town dey where crown dey work like dis.
Di name come from Ẹ̀bá-Ọ̀dàn, wey mean edge of meadow or edge of savanna, wey dey describe where di town dey for boundary between forest and savanna . Dat position for boundary no be by mistake. E put Ìbàdàn for middle between di northern grassland wey Ọ̀yọ́ come from and di southern forest where trade with coast dey pass, and na why di town fit feed itself, buy weapons for itself, and control di roads.
Pipo settle for Ìbàdàn and run leave am pass once, and history show say na different phases e take happen, no be say na one single time dem found am.
Dem say na Lágẹlú start di earliest settlement, person wey tradition talk say live for sixteenth century, wey come from Ilé-Ifẹ̀, and wey dem dey remember with di title Orò Àpáta Májà . Dem talk say dat first town spoil and di pipo scatter. Archaeology never prove whether town really dey for dat time, and make readers treat di Lágẹlú mata as oral tradition. E dey help Ìbàdàn history show say di town get old story before di war camp and connection with Ifẹ̀ wey di real nineteenth-century founding no give am.
Di Ìbàdàn wey matter for history na di one wey di allied army wey win war for Ọ̀wu come settle around 1829, army wey get soldiers from Ẹ̀gbá, Ìjẹ̀bú, Ifẹ̀ and Ọ̀yọ́ . Máyẹ Òkúnadé of Ifẹ̀ become Baálẹ̀, with Lábọ̀ṣindé as Bàbá Ìsàlẹ̀ and Lákànlé as leader of di Ọ̀yọ́ group . Dis na di main point about Ìbàdàn: no be one family lineage or dynasty found am, na coalition of armed men from four different Yoruba states wey win war together and no get anywhere to go back to.
Di coalition no last. Di Ẹ̀gbá pull out for 1830 under Ṣódẹkẹ́ come go found Abẹ́òkúta . Di political power wey Ifẹ̀ get scatter between 1830 and 1833 for di fight wey dem know as Gbánámú war between di Ifẹ̀ and di Ọ̀yọ́ groups, after which di Ọ̀yọ́ group take over di town . Therefore, Ìbàdàn come be Ọ̀yọ́-dominated city from early 1830s, and di language, chieftaincy words, and religious traditions of di town show clearly say na Ọ̀yọ́, even though di town itself no be dat.
Ọlúyọ̀lé come out as di main leader for di next phase and dem make am Bàṣọ̀run, title wey make am military head of Ìbàdàn and prime minister of Ọ̀yọ́ automatically . Pipo still dey call di town Ìlú Olúyọ̀lé, wey mean Ọlúyọ̀lé's town, and one of di local government areas for Ọ̀yọ́ State carry him name .
Di kind government wey Ìbàdàn build between roughly 1838 and 1893 na wetin dem dey usually call di Ìbàdàn Republic, and di name make sense: e no get king wey wear crown wey dey stay there, and any freeborn man fit get leadership position based on wetin him fit do, no be by family .
Di main outside event wey establish am na di Battle of Òsogbo for 1838, where Ìbàdàn defeat di army of Ìlọrin emirate . Di victory do two things at di same time. E stop di Sokoto jihad from moving go south reach di forest edge, wey be di reason why Yoruba history dey remember Ìbàdàn as defender of Yorubaland, and e make Ìbàdàn take over as di military power wey succeed di Ọ̀yọ́ empire wey collapse.
Three things help Ìbàdàn grow: promotion system for military based on merit wey attract ambitious men from everywhere, location for middle wey allow am control trade routes for inside land, and later relationship with British pipo for Lagos where dem dey take palm oil trade buy firearms . About seventy blacksmith workshops for di town dey make and repair weapons . Di population reach sixty thousand to one hundred thousand by 1851 and later pass two hundred thousand , wey make am one of di biggest cities for Africa south of Sahara.
Ìbàdàn dey control di towns wey e conquer through agents wey dey stay there wey dem dey call ajẹ̀lẹ̀, wey dem post go there to collect tribute and make sure say dem obey. Di system dey exploit pipo, pipo hate di agents well well, and di anger wey e cause for Èkìtì, Ìjẹ̀ṣà and Ìgbómìnà na wetin directly cause di Èkìtìparapọ̀ revolt and di Kiriji war .
Di war open one big weakness. Di eastern allies, wey Ìjẹ̀ṣà diaspora dey supply from Lagos with modern breech-loading rifles, fit match and even shoot pass Ìbàdàn soldiers . Di fight go on for sixteen years without clear winner, tire Ìbàdàn, and open door make British pipo enter through di treaties of 1886 and 1893 wey end Ìbàdàn independence and bring am enter colonial Nigeria .
Di deeper problem na wetin clear to see. Any society where na only military command be di way to move up no get way to stop war. Peace dey close di promotion ladder. Ìbàdàn dey fight continuously no be just because say dem dey aggressive, but because dem system need war to run.
Na dis part make sense to understand well, because pipo dey often explain am roughly and na di small small details make am interesting.
Dem dey call di rulers of Ìbàdàn Baálẹ̀, wey be title for town head wey no dey wear crown, until 1936 wey dem take di title Olúbàdàn . Di change show how big di town dey and him position under colonial administration, plus say dem no want make crowned ọba from smaller towns rank pass dem for protocol. Di word mean lord or owner of Ìbàdàn, from olú and Ìbàdàn.
Succession dey run on two parallel ladder wey dey alternate :
Di military line dey show say di town start as war camp, and di civil line dey show di administration and diplomacy side . Di number of step wey dem write down dey vary for inside report, but dem normally talk say na twenty-two stage dey for di civil line and twenty-three for di military line . Make una take di exact number as estimate wey chieftaincy declaration wey dey work dat time fit change, because government review wey follow each other don change di count; na di structure be di part wey dey last.
Di civil line, from di top go down, dey go like dis: Otún Olúbàdàn, Òsì Olúbàdàn, Àṣípa Olúbàdàn, Ẹ̀kẹrin Olúbàdàn, Ẹ̀kàrún Olúbàdàn, Àbẹ̀ṣẹ̀ Olúbàdàn, Máyẹ Olúbàdàn, Ẹ̀kẹfà Olúbàdàn, Agbáàkin Olúbàdàn, Aàrẹ-Àláṣà Olúbàdàn, Ìkọlaba Olúbàdàn, Àṣáájú Olúbàdàn, Ayíngun Olúbàdàn, Aàrẹ-Àgọ́ Olúbàdàn, Lágúnà Olúbàdàn, Ọ̀ọ̀ta Olúbàdàn, Arẹ́gbẹ-Ọmọ Olúbàdàn, Gbọ́nkà Olúbàdàn, Aàrẹ-Onìbọn Olúbàdàn, Bàdá Olúbàdàn, Àjíá Olúbàdàn, and for di bottom na Jagun Olúbàdàn .
Di military line resemble am title for title, only say Balógun dey replace Olúbàdàn: Balógun for di head, den Otún Balógun, Òsì Balógun, Àṣípa Balógun, Ẹ̀kẹrin Balógun, Ẹ̀kàrún Balógun, Àbẹ̀ṣẹ̀ Balógun, Máyẹ Balógun, Ẹ̀kẹfà Balógun, Agbáàkin Balógun, Aàrẹ-Àláṣà Balógun, Ìkọlaba Balógun and e go down like dat, with Àjíá Balógun near di foot and Jagun Balógun for di bottom .
Plenty of dis title dey easy to understand. Otún na right hand, òsì na left hand, ẹ̀kẹrin na fourth, ẹ̀kàrún na fifth, ẹ̀kẹfà na sixth, so dem just number di middle of each line like dat. Other ones carry dia old military meaning: Aàrẹ-Onìbọn na chief of di people wey dey shoot gun, Gbọ́nkà na war title before, Jagun na warrior title wey dey everywhere for Yorubaland.
Person dey enter from di bottom, through di Mọ̀gàjí. Any man wey be indigene of Ìbàdàn wey dem appoint as Mọ̀gàjí, di head of im family compound, fit enter one of di line and start to climb . Na di compound dey choose dia own Mọ̀gàjí. Na so di whole entry be. Di man money, im political connection and how im family popular fit affect whether im compound go make am Mọ̀gàjí and how quick space go open, but di formal way no close against anybody wey dem born for di town.
Once chief don enter line, e dey move up one step when di person on top am die, and no other way dey . No promotion by merit, person no fit buy am, nobody fit jump pass another person, and dem no dey remove person unless serious matter dey. Di line na queue and na only death dey make am move.
Two thing dey follow am, and person fit see di two for di politics of di town.
Di first one be say Olúbàdàn dey old. Man wey enter as Mọ̀gàjí for middle age and climb about twenty-something step as di people on top am dey die, if e reach di top at all, go reach am when e dey im eighties or nineties, and di time wey dem dey spend for throne dey short like dat. Di throne dey change hand well-well. Ìbàdàn don get four Olúbàdàn between 2022 and 2025.
Di second one be say person fit know di result before time. As di queue open and e no dey change, everybody for Ìbàdàn know who go be di next Olúbàdàn, and di next one after dat one, and di next one after dat one. Dis one almost comot all di chieftaincy drag wey dey destroy other Yoruba town, where family wey dey contest dey go court for years. E come replace am with different and smaller argument, wey be whether dem fit change di ladder itself.
Another parallel structure for women dey wey di Ìyálóde dey head, wey dem describe as im own ladder of ranked position wey dey look after women matter, especially for market . Women no dey enter di two men line and dem no fit become Olúbàdàn. Di Ìyálóde na proper position wey get real power over market arrangement and women affair, e no be just title for show, but e no be road wey dey lead go throne.
Dem don dey drag di Ìbàdàn ladder for court continuously since 2017 and di dispute never settle, so e still dey live.
For August 2017, di Ọ̀yọ́ State government under Governor Abíọ́lá Ajímọ̀bí, after dem review di 1957 Olúbàdàn chieftaincy declaration, give king status to plenty Ìbàdàn chief, wey dem report say dem reach thirty-three in total, wey include members of Olúbàdàn-in-Council and some baálẹ̀ . Dem crown twenty-one for one single ceremony. Olúbàdàn Ṣàlíù Adétúnjí and High Chief Rashidi Ladoja boycott am .
Di argument no be about person, na about di structure. To crown di men wey dey di ladder as ọba on dia own dey turn one single queue wey get one crown for top to group of separate ruler wey wear crown, and as e dey do so, e dey scatter di mechanism wey make di Ìbàdàn system wetin e be. Court case follow am, consent judgment cancel di review, and di chiefs wey dem crown come return to dia former status . Di matter come up again under Governor Ṣeyi Makinde with another review, and Ladoja go court again, dis time against di governor, di Olúbàdàn and members of Olúbàdàn-in-Council . Ladoja himself later become Olúbàdàn for 2025 .
Di main matter na whether state government fit use law restructure traditional institution. Wetin state government dey talk na say chieftaincy declaration na instrument of state law and dem fit review am. Wetin people wey dey oppose talk na say di ladder na di institution itself, and review wey go make crown plenty dey destroy am. None of di two side dey unreasonable, and court never give final judgment on di matter.
Ìbàdàn no grow follow the classical Yoruba plan where palace dey centre and wards dey spread go outside. E grow as clusters of compounds wey followers and clients of individual war chiefs, the bàbá ogun, settle put, with each compound being group of buildings behind single gate entrance round big courtyard, and districts get name from the chiefs or early residents wey start dem . E no get systematic administrative quarter structure like the type wey Ifẹ̀, Ọ̀yọ́ or Ìjẹ̀bú-Òde get . The map of Ìbàdàn na map of nineteenth-century military patronage.
Parts of the town defensive wall still survive . Ìbàdàn wall na one of the big nineteenth-century Yoruba circuits, wey dem build and rebuild as the town expand, and dem treat am together with the other wall systems for the file on town walls.
The Ọjà'ba market beside the Olúbàdàn palace na the historic central market. Bọ̀dìjà, Dugbe, Ògùnpa and Ọjẹ́ dey among the other major markets, and Ìbàdàn role as the interior biggest trading centre continue without break from the nineteenth century.
Ìbàdàn na the capital of Ọ̀yọ́ State and the largest city for the state, wey spread across five urban and six semi-urban local government areas. E be the administrative centre of the Western Region from early for colonial rule and e still keep plenty institutions wey no common outside Lagos: the University of Ìbàdàn, Nigeria oldest university, wey dem establish for 1948; the Institute of African Studies with im long record of publication on Yoruba oral literature; the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture; Cocoa House for Dugbe, wey dem complete for 1965 and wey be the tallest building for tropical Africa for one period; and the National Archives wey hold the Ìbàdàn deposit, wey be the main documentary archive for southwestern Nigeria.
The claim say na the largest city for West Africa by land area na wetin dem dey repeat often and e depend on how dem draw the metropolitan boundary; Lagos dey contest am on population by any measure.
Guide to the gazetteer, what each file covers, the argument that runs through the section, and how to read it in order or by interest.
The imperial capital in both its forms, the archaeology of the ruined city at Ọ̀yọ́-Ilé, the palace and wall systems, the Aláàfin institution and the constitutional check the Ọ̀yọ́ Mèsì exercised over it.
The refugee city under Olúmọ rock, its four townships each with its own ọba, the Aláké, and the Ẹ̀gbá United Government, which was the only Yoruba state Britain recognised as sovereign.
The hill kingdom Ọ̀yọ́ never took, the seawater story behind its ruler's title, its subjection to Ìbàdàn, and Ògèdèngbé, who commanded the alliance that ended Ìbàdàn's expansion.
What a Yoruba town is made of, the palace at the centre, the market before it, the wards and compounds around it, and the wall and ditch that closed it in.
The fall of Ọ̀yọ́, the Ilọrin and Sokoto dimension, the Ọ̀wu war, the rise of Ìbàdàn, the Sixteen Years War at Kiriji, and the political map they left behind.