Soun of Ogbomosoland, Oba Oladunni Oyewumi Ajagungbade III,is dead after spending 48 years on the throne.
It was reported that the monarch died Saturday night at the age of 95.
His death was confirmed at the early hour of Sunday by major stakeholders of the land.
It was learnt that his death report would be made official by his eldest son, Aremo.
It was gathered that Oba Oyewuni Ajagungbade ascended the throne on October 24, 1973.
Born on May 27, 1926 in Ogbomoso to Oba Bello Afolabi Oyewumi Ajagungbade II and Ayaba Seliat Olatundun Oyewumi, the Soun 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.
Unable to complete his formal education due to lack of sponsorship, the young 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.
