Afonbierin Hosts Omoolokun in Moba

One day, a person perceived to be a strange man emerged out of water when he was apparently about to cross from Moba beach to Eleke. All those who saw him on the beach got scared of the fiery man and fled to Afonbierin for safety. Afonbierin immediately blew his trumpet from which outgoing sound denoted different situations and went to the beach to accost the frightful man. He saw him dressed in a white gown, with a mounted Ifa plate bag on his shoulder He carried a calabash of kolanut in one hand and held a walking stick with the other. Afonbierin helped him up from the water to land and led the strange man to his family at the Awori hut.

Division Into Two Clans

Omoolokun was fair­ complexioned and very handsome. Adeyooyin who also came from Ile-Ife with Afonbierin loved Omoolokun fondly. She would bathe him and put him on her lap to feed. After feeding, she would wash and towel his hands. She was very motherly and influential to both Afonbierin and Omoolokun. While Omoolokun would always be at home enjoying the care of women, Afonbierin was always away from home on hunting expeditions. Eventually, Omoolokun married Afonbierin’s sisters and they bore two male children, Sakara Ita and Owafonran. They also had a number of female children together.

Shortly the old man who was the head of the tent died and a polarity in the choice of a successor arose. Some supported Afonbierin while others, especially women, preferred Omoolokun whom they loved. The youths then created a hut-like palace for Afonbierin as the head of a clan and at a considerable distance away, another place for Omoolokun as head of a different clan.

Omoolokun had a high regard for Afonbierin and Adeyooyin because ifa had cautioned him to be patient with Afonbierin and be seeking counsel from Adeyooyin. Any time Adeyooyin paid a visit to Gugumole (Omoolokun), she was always given a royal reception as if Omoolokun’s mother had arrived. She would carry along large quantity of salt as a gift to the wives of Omoolokun. In the same spirit, when Adeyooyin would be returning home, slaves of Omoolokun would carry a good number of yam tubers along while escorting her back to her house.

The Crown

On an occasion, Afonbierin took Omoolokun all­ round the coastal area and visited one Asindemade who was very hospitable. Asindemade had a prepared crown which he offered as a gift to Omoolokun. But he declined, claiming he had his own crown brought from heaven. He then gave it to Afonbierin. The craftman asked them to come back in another three months to collect the other crown he was preparing. They both returned to Awori village with the one crown gift.

As part of the new yam festival celebrations, Afonbierin would wear the crown. Omoolokun would slaughter a ram and send its arm, heart, liver and gut to Afonbierin, who would receive the gift with joy and gratitude. Similarly during Atapo celebration, Afonbierin would release the crown to Omoolokun to wear. He would also send the arm of the ram with the liver and gut as gifts. The tradition continued for a very long time.

Idi Ishin

Before the three months appointment to meet with Asindemade, the Ifa oracle had instructed them to leave Awori village because of an imminent war. They moved to Idi Ishin, present day Mushin in Lagos State, on a boat of brass (opon ide). Omoolokun unfortunately died at Idi Ishin.

Sakara Ita, who resembled  Omoolokun  his  father, and Owafonran who resembled her mother,  lived together at Idi Ishin and worshipped Atapo, their idol that was brought from Awori village. Afonbierin was the high priest of the shrine until Ifa asked Afonbierin to release the shrine priesthood to Sakara Ita and so he did. This caused a misunderstanding between his nephews, Sakara Ita and Owafonran. Owafonran got annoyed and decided to go and settle at Idi Oro. Afonbierin however advised him to always return to Idi Ishin whenever they had the Atapo festival. He heeded this instruction.

Later on, the Ifa oracle advised them again to leave Idi Ishin for a wilderness where they would be in the middle of hills. All of them left Idi Ishin and Idi Oro in search of the new place. As they moved from place to place, passing through various settlements, seniority rifts arosebetween Sakara Ita and his brother but Afonbierin, their uncle, always settled them.

Remedy for Obaluaye’s Visual Challenge

Eventually, Afonbierin got back to Ile-Ife with them and met Obaluaiye (Oodua), also known as Olofin Ajiki. Obaluaiye at the time was visually challenged and needed ocean water to make concoction that would enable him to regain his sight. Stinging attacks of mysterious bees on the way had scuttled the earlier mission to reach the ocean. It took Afonbierin, who was quite familiar with associated hazards of the journey, to fortify the emissaries with special garments of fresh palm fronds treated with traditional potions, to ward off any obstacles that could arise from getting to the ocean water.

The last born of Olofin Ajiki, Ajiboogun (now Owa Obokun), led the emissaries to the beach. When they successfully got to the ocean water, Sakara Ita got certain leaves from the backyard and made the concoction out of the combination to scrub Obaluaiye’s face. He did this for seven days and Obaluaiye’s sight was restored. Happy at the outcome, Obaluaiye renamed Sakara Ita, Oloore.

Afonbierin Resumes His Search for a Settlement

Afonbierin left Ile-Ife again with Oloore and the progenitors of Ekan. He arrived in Akure where he met a man called Ajapada who was a hunter and leader of the settlement in Akure. After introducing themselves, Ajapada begged them to assist in organizing his settlement. As they were doing this, a message came that Olofin Ajiki (Obaluaiye) had died and that Oloore (formerly Sakara Ita) had been asked to come back to Ife to rule in place of the departed Olofin Ajiki.

Afonbierin advised Oloore to consult with the Ifa oracle before taking the decision to go back to Ife. On consulting with the oracle, he was told not to go back to Ife but to relocate to where Ifa had earlier advised him to go. His mother was not happy about this because she wanted her child to be a leader. This again caused a rift which Afonbierin settled. They then resolved to move forward together.

Final Settlement in Igogo Ekiti

Earlier, Ifa had told Afonbierin that wherever the precious life object he had been nursing dropped and entered the ground would be the place to settle. On reaching Imeregun in present day Igogo, he experienced the oracular sign of a thunder storm and movement of the earth.  The object dropped and entered the ground. Afonbierin therefore decided to stay permanently, knowing fully well that the conditions were favourable. He settled at the present Oke­ Owa, with his abode at Imeregun where the coronation of all traditional chiefs still take place up till today. The exact date Afonbierin reached Igogo is a subject of further research.

The settlers who are now indigenes of Igogo, Otun and Ekan Meje lived together for several years in Igogo before Oloore  (Oore) and others decided to move forward in search of their own settlements.

Oloore in particular from Igogo first embarked on an exploration that took him to Ita Olodun near Iloro Ekiti. When he reached Epere, he blew a trumpet, ‘Oye Ide’ to alert Afonbierin of his destination. This was how Otun indigenes got the panegyrics as ‘Omo ad’Epere fon’ye ide’. But Oloore did not find the place favorable and returned to Igogo.

Later Oloore embarked on another exploration that took him to the present day Ajase-Ipo in Kwara State where he stayed for about three years. Similarly he did no find the place favorable also and had to return to Igogo.

Afonbierin then advised that they should consult the Ifa oracle. The oracle prompted that Oloore must settle on laterite, yangi, ground just as Meregun in Igogo. Eventually he set out on a third exploration from Igogo and reached Imoro where he finally settled to found the present day Otun.

Turning Point

At a point in time, Oloore came back to inform Afonbierin about the agrarian values of his settlement. He wanted to transplant his young growing kolanut from Igogo to the new settlement. Afonbierin however advised him not to do so as the plant might not survive transplantation. Instead, Afonbierin offered to be helping in harvesting the fruits when ripe and be sending them to Oloore in his domain. Ekoorun group of Igogo used to deliver the kolanuts during festivals on behalf of Onigogo. This liberal arrangement at the beginning was subsequently assumed to be mandatory for the descendants of Afonbierin. It took the forceful intervention of HRM Oba Matthew Bamiteko, Orimogunje II, a World War II veteran, to abrogate the indulgence when he ascended the throne.