I’ll open Ijebuland to global opportunities, says female Awujale nominee
Lawyer and nominee for the Awujale of Ijebuland stool, Dr. Oluwakemi Onanuga, has said history, tradition, and law support the emergence of a woman as Awujale. She insisted that Ijebuland
Lawyer and nominee for the Awujale of Ijebuland stool, Dr. Oluwakemi Onanuga, has said history, tradition, and law support the emergence of a woman as Awujale.
She insisted that Ijebuland stands to gain from a more open and globally connected monarchy.
Speaking on The Morayo Show, monitored by our reporter, Dr. Onanuga dismissed the notion that the revered throne has always been exclusively male.
She noted that at least three women had occupied the stool in the past.
Dr. Onanuga listed Oba Ore Gadegun in 1644, Oba Ore Jeje in 1749, and Oba Sapennuwa Ruba Koye in 1750, adding that she would become the fourth female Awujale “by the grace of God.”
According to her, resistance to the idea of a woman on the throne is largely driven by unfamiliarity rather than tradition.
She said the reception to the idea of another modern-day female Awujale had been positive.
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She said: “What we are experiencing outside with people is great excitement. History is about to be made right before our very eyes.”
Dr. Onanuga said doubts about her emergence were due to society simply growing used to male monarchs in recent times.
Responding to criticisms that she is “too foreign” because of her education and international exposure, she said her global background should be seen as an asset rather than a liability.
She stressed that she is fluent in the Ijebu dialect, having grown up in a home where it was frequently spoken, and she remains deeply connected to the culture.
“I am foreign, yes, but I am also traditional. I am a full Nigerian, as both my parents are Ijebu,” she said, while speaking in fluent Ijebu dialect on the show.
Dr. Onanuga argued that modern traditional rulers must be able to function as bridges between the local community and the global space, noting that media and technology have turned the world into a global village.
She said: “You cannot have an Oba today who only understands the Nigerian tradition. You must be understood internationally if you want to bring development.”
Dr. Onanuga painted a picture of an Ijebuland in need of renewal, citing poor road networks, erratic power supply, and limited economic expansion.
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She said her vision is to attract trade, agriculture, infrastructure, and foreign investment while leveraging recent developments such as the proposed Seaport in Eba, the recently completed Airport in Remo, and cultural assets like the Ojude Oba festival, which is attended from all over the world.
According to her, a female Awujale would also attract global curiosity and position Ijebuland and Nigeria more prominently in the diaspora.
Encouraging women to aspire to leadership roles, she said progress often begins with visible examples.
Drawing from her own journey to becoming a lawyer in her late 40s, she urged women not to be constrained by age or societal expectations.
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She encouraged being proactive, saying: “What you see is what you become. Don’t say you’re too old or be embarrassed. Try something new, try it.”
On the legal basis of her candidacy, Dr. Onanuga said nothing in the 1957 Chieftaincy Declaration disqualifies a woman from contesting and ascending the throne.
She identified herself as a direct descendant of the Tunwase branch of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House and a qualified aspirant by tradition and law, adding that women have historically stayed away from such opportunities out of fear.
Dr. Onanuga, a Partner at Olisa Agbakoba Legal, is the only female contender in the succession process following the death of Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona.
She was nominated by the Fusengbuwa Ruling House as one of the qualified contenders before the process was halted.
A globally trained Lawyer, Technologist, and UN Lifetime Goodwill Ambassador, she says her aspiration is rooted in heritage, duty, and service, with a strategically planned human and capital development agenda anchored on unity, cultural pride, education, economic empowerment, and the welfare of the youth and the elderly.
