Akure Kingdom
| Akure Kingdom | |
|---|---|
| Traditional state | |
 Akure Kingdom
|
|
| Coordinates: 7°15′0″N 5°11′42″E / 7.25000°N 5.19500°E | |
| State | Ondo State |
| Government | |
| • Deji | Odundun II |
The Akure Kingdom is a traditional state with headquarters in Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria. It is the successor to an ancient Yoruba city state of the same name. The ruler bears the title "Deji of Akure". Adesida Afunbiowo II was chosen as the traditional ruler of the Akure Kingdom in 2010. He was the latest in a line of Adesida monarchs that was composed of the following: Adesida I, commonly called the Great, June 1897 - 1957, Ademuwagun Adesida, 1957-1973, Adelegan Adesida, 1975-1990, Adebobajo Adesida, 1990 - 1999, Adebiyi Adesida, 2010-2013.
Akure is located in southwestern Nigeria. The climate is hot and humid, influenced by rain-bearing southwest monsoon winds from the ocean and dry northwest winds from the Sahara Desert. The rainy season lasts from April to October, with rainfall of about 1524mm per year. Temperatures vary from 28oC to 31oC with mean annual relative humidity of about 80%.
The area has long been populated. Skeletons of homo sapiens dating to the tenth millennium BC have been found in a burial site at Iwo Eleru near to Akure. Rock engravings dating back to the Mesolithic period, have been discovered on the outskirts of Akure at Igbara-Oke, declared a national monument on 13 March 1963.
Oral tradition states that Akure was founded by a prince named Omoremi, son of Ekun and grandson of Oduduwa Omoluabi, the royal progenitor of the Yoruba tribe. The Prince left Ile-Ife, his grandfather's kingdom, in search of a place to settle after passing a strict test administered by Oduduwa himself. This test wherein he was kept in solitude for about nine (9) days is still annually commemorated in Akure today by the reigning king of the town during a ceremony known as 'Oba wo ilesunta'. At the point where the prince and his party arrived at the exact location of the modern city, the string holding the heavy royal beads on his neck is said to have snapped, thus causing the people to exclaim "Àkún rę" (or The beads have snapped), this later becoming the name of the settlement they established on the site. Over time, the phrase was whittled down through its constant use to become Akure.
Omoremi is said to have hunted with his entourage while on his way from Ile Ife. He arrived in Akure and was proclaimed the Person who hunted and arrived with royalty, i.e., Asodeboyede. Originally, the kings of Akure that were born of him were referred to as Ajapada. The title Deji of Akure started with Oba Arakale, whose father took the daughter of Oba Atakumosa, the Owa of Ijeshaland as one of his wives while the latter was on his way to Benin. By the time Oba Atakumosa was returning to Ilesha from the pilgrimage, his daughter (Owawejokun) had given birth to a son. While other dignitaries gave the little baby common gifts, Oba Atakumosa was said to have presented his grandson with a small diadem. Owafadeji i.e., Owa gave him a diadem or royal crown became the nickname of the young boy, and by the time he reached his adulthood it had become his de facto name. When Owafa'Deji became Oba, the appellation assumed a titular importance and because of his prominence as an Oba, subsequent Obas or kings assumed the title while the advent of the modern era has formally made Deji the official title of the Obas of Akure. However, the original title of Ajapada has remained a significant part of the Deji's ceremonial style till the present day.
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