The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III was the longest-reigning ruler of the kingdom since his great-grandfather, Oba Atiba Atobatele founded New Oyo in the 1830s.
A direct descendant of Oranyan (founder of the Old Oyo Empire), Adeyemi III was also a boxer before ascending the throne of his fathers after the Nigerian Civil War.
Crowned on November 18, 1970, while succeeding Oba Gbadegesin Ladigbolu I, Iku Baba Yeye, as he was known popularly, would rule for 51 years and 5 months. The longest reign since Alaafin Oluaso in the 1400s.
Adeyemi III joined his ancestors on Friday, April 22, 2022, at the Afe Babalola University Teaching Hospital, Ado Ekiti, the capital of Ekiti State in South-West Nigeria. He was 83. #HistoryVille
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