Chief Kayode Odunaro, the Baaroyin of Imalaland and Chief of Staff to Senator Solomon Adeola, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, will next weekend be formally installed as the Osorun of Isaga Orile, Abeokuta North Local Government Area of Ogun State.
The announcement was made in a statement signed by Mr. Oseni Isola, Secretary of the Osorun Family, Isale Odofin, Isaga Orile. According to him, the installation will hold under the authority of His Royal Majesty, Oba Joseph Oladele Olusoji Tella, the Onisaga of Isaga Kingdom. The ceremony will also feature the conferment of other traditional chieftaincy titles.
Mr. Isola explained that the Osorun Family across Ogun State and beyond unanimously nominated Chief Odunaro for the title, which has remained vacant since 1988. The Isaga Orile Traditional Council subsequently approved his appointment.
“The forthcoming installation will not only restore the ancient lineage of the Osorun title within the Odunaro family but also reaffirm the heritage of the Isaga people as one of the foundational kingmakers of the town,” Mr. Isola noted.
Chief Odunaro currently holds two other traditional titles: the Baaroyin of Imalaland, conferred on him 19 years ago by Oba (Apostle) Adegboyega Olabode, the Omala of Imalaland, and the Majeobaje of Olu Ilaro, bestowed by Oba (Dr.) Kehinde Olugbenle, the Olu of Ilaro and Paramount Ruler of Yewaland. His new role as Osorun places him among the six kingmakers of Isaga Orile, a position of ancestral and cultural importance.
Highlighting the heritage of the title, Mr. Isola explained that the Osorun stool is hereditary and reserved for members of the Osorun family. The last occupant was Chief Matthew Adisa Olojede Onifade, Chief Odunaro’s uncle, who was installed in 1958 and served until his passing in 1988.
He added that the Osorun title, which traces its roots to the Oyo Empire, symbolizes authority, wisdom, and the continuity of Isaga’s royal tradition.
The statement also recalled that the people of Isaga Orile were dispersed into various settlements across Ogun and Lagos States as well as parts of the Benin Republic following the pre-colonial Dahomean War. “Despite the dispersal, Isaga Orile remains the ancestral home and root of all Isagas worldwide,” the family secretary emphasized.