Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo III
Encyclopedia
Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo III (b. 14 September 1943) was elected the Alake of Egbaland, based in Abeokuta
, Nigeria
on 2 August 2005.
He scored 15 out of 23 votes in an election conducted by the Egba kingmaker
s, defeating eight competitors including his younger brother, Adeleke.
Gbadebo was born on 14 September 1943, and is from the Laarun Ruling House.
He is a grandson of the sixth Alake of Egbaland, Oba Gbadebo, who ruled from 1898 to 1920, and is a nephew of Oba Gbadebo II.
He attended the Baptist Boys’ High School in Abeokuta, then went on the University of Ibadan
in 1965, obtaining a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1969.
He joined the army in 1969, and attended the Command and Staff College, Jaji from September 1978 to August 1979.
Gbadebo eventually became a Principal Staff Officer to Major-General Tunde Idiagbon
, the Chief of Staff at the Supreme Headquarters, Dodan Barracks
, from January 1984 to September 1985.
He retired from the army as a Colonel.
Gbadebo's election as Alake in August 2005 ended a six-month period of uncertainty about who would succeed the former Alake, Oba Oyebade Lipede, who died on 3 February 2005.
In April 2010 a dispute between Gbadebo and the Olu of Igbein, Oba Festus Oluwole Makinde, was taken to the supreme court of Abeokuta. The Olu of Igbein was contesting an attempt by the Alake to change his title from Olu of Igbein to Olu of Mowe, a change which would affect his rights to use certain traditional symbols including the Igbein stool.
Abeokuta
Abeokuta is the largest city and capital of Ogun State in southwest Nigeria and is situated at , on the Ogun River; 64 miles north of Lagos by railway, or 81 miles by water. As of 2005, Abeokuta and the surrounding area had a population of 593,140....
, Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
on 2 August 2005.
He scored 15 out of 23 votes in an election conducted by the Egba kingmaker
Kingmaker
Kingmaker is a term originally applied to the activities of Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick — "Warwick the Kingmaker" — during the Wars of the Roses in England. The term has come to be applied more generally to a person or group that has great influence in a royal or political succession,...
s, defeating eight competitors including his younger brother, Adeleke.
Gbadebo was born on 14 September 1943, and is from the Laarun Ruling House.
He is a grandson of the sixth Alake of Egbaland, Oba Gbadebo, who ruled from 1898 to 1920, and is a nephew of Oba Gbadebo II.
He attended the Baptist Boys’ High School in Abeokuta, then went on the University of Ibadan
University of Ibadan
The University of Ibadan is the oldest Nigerian university, and is located five miles from the centre of the major city of Ibadan in Western Nigeria...
in 1965, obtaining a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1969.
He joined the army in 1969, and attended the Command and Staff College, Jaji from September 1978 to August 1979.
Gbadebo eventually became a Principal Staff Officer to Major-General Tunde Idiagbon
Tunde Idiagbon
Babatunde "Tunde" Idiagbon was a Nigerian soldier and a one-time member of the Nigerian military juntas of 1966–1979 and 1983-1998 Nigerian military junta which ruled that country. He served as a military administrator of Borno State in the 1970s in the military administration of Olusegun Obasanjo...
, the Chief of Staff at the Supreme Headquarters, Dodan Barracks
Dodan Barracks
Dodan Barracks is a military barracks occupying a large area located off Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Lagos, Nigeria. Dodan Barracks was the residence of the heads of state of various Military Governments in Nigeria, and also the Supreme Military Headquarters from 1966 until the move to Abuja in 1991.The...
, from January 1984 to September 1985.
He retired from the army as a Colonel.
Gbadebo's election as Alake in August 2005 ended a six-month period of uncertainty about who would succeed the former Alake, Oba Oyebade Lipede, who died on 3 February 2005.
In April 2010 a dispute between Gbadebo and the Olu of Igbein, Oba Festus Oluwole Makinde, was taken to the supreme court of Abeokuta. The Olu of Igbein was contesting an attempt by the Alake to change his title from Olu of Igbein to Olu of Mowe, a change which would affect his rights to use certain traditional symbols including the Igbein stool.