From Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan
The Soun of Ogbomoso in Oyo State, Oba Jimoh Oladunni Oyewumi, Ajagungbade III, is dead.
He joined his ancestors at the age of 95. He ascended the throne of his forefathers on October 24, 1973, and on October 24, 2021, he clocked 48 years on the throne.
Though there has not been an official statement from the palace, an impeccable palace source said the monarch breathed his last in his sleep in the early hours of today.
The source stated further that there are traditional rites that must be observed before the death of the monarch would be announced officially.
He was born on May 27, 1926, in Ogbomoso to Oba Bello Afolabi Oyewumi Ajagungbade II and Ayaba Seliat Olatundun Oyewumi, he ascended the throne on October 24, 1973.
He had his elementary education at St. Patrick Primary School, Oke Padre, Ibadan from 1932-1938. In 1938, he attended the Ogbomoso People’s Institute, which was later transformed into Ogbomoso Grammar School.
Oba Oladunni cut his business teeth by trading in woven textiles, which took him on trading trips to Ilesa among other locations.
He formed a limited liability company in 1967 called J.O. Oyewumi and Co Nigeria Ltd, which specialised in wholesale and retail trading. From a modest beginning, the business expanded to include real estate and hospitality. He established the famous Terminus Hotel and El-Duniya Hotel in Jos.
Through hard work, continuous self-improvement (including enrolment in evening educational schools to improve his education), he was appointed as a distributor for the French-owned trading firm CFAO in 1954. Prince Oyewumi, as he was popularly known, made his inaugural business trip abroad in 1958.
The trip took him to Hamburg and Bremen in then West Germany; Paris and Marseille in France and London, United Kingdom. During his stay in Europe, he was able to explore opportunities for expanding his business by meeting businessmen and visiting factories