The chieftaincy titles of the Woje Ileri of Ile-Ife and the Lisa of Egbaland belonged to Oloye Sir Adeyemo Alakija. In addition, he was among the most prosperous merchants and attorneys in Nigeria in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Nigerian lawyer, politician, and businessman Alakija was born on May 25, 1884, and died on May 10, 1952. Beginning in 1933, he was a member of the Nigerian Legislative Council for nine years. He became a member of the Governor’s Executive Council in 1942. In 1948, Alakija served as the president of Egbe Omo Oduduwa till his passing in 1952.
The early 20th century cultural nationalism that swept over Nigeria had a profound effect on him. His family changed their assimilated Portuguese name to Alakija, a native name, in 1913 as a result of his boldness. As his life came to a close, he was made the Bariyun of the Ake Lineage of Egbaland and the Woje Ileri of Ile-Ife, elevating him to the aristocracy of his tribe. Like many emancipated slaves living in Lagos, the Oloye Alakija, whose first name was Placido, was of Afro-Brazilian lineage. The Amaros was another name for the groups. For a while, the Alakija family was the most well-known Amaros in Nigeria.
He introduced the usage of masonic symbols, such as the unblinking eye on an inverted V and three vertical forms, within the organization as a member of the fraternity. He was a high-ranking Freemason as well. Alakija was a donor to both Egbe Omo Oduduwa and the Action Group, and he had a significant impact on their growth.
Early in his political career, Alakija gained notoriety through his partnership with Herbert Macaulay and Egerton Shyngle. However, after a falling out with Macaulay and due to his moderate political beliefs, his popularity started to decline until the early 1950s, when he started to gain favor with the public.Alakija became close friends with a number of groups and communities, including the Syrian and Lebanese populations in Nigeria. Following his 1949 visit to Lebanon, he was given a medal of the cedars.
Alakija, the youngest of the seven children in the family, was born into the family of Marculino (also known as Elemeji) and Maxmilliana Assumpcao. His mother was the daughter of Alfa Cyprian Akinosho Tairu of Oyo, while his father was of Egba descent. Maxwell Porphyrio Assumpcao-Alakija, his eldest brother, was a barrister in Bahia, Brazil, and the father-in-law of Sir Olumuyiwa Jibowu. Olayimika Alakija, a former member of the Nigerian Legislative Council, was another brother of his who later became his legal partner. Tejumade Assumpcao, an older sister, married Sir Ladapo Ademola, the Alake of Egbaland, her family’s traditional country, and became Olori Tejumade Alakija Ademola, Lady Ademola. Prior to transferring to CMS Grammar School in Lagos, Alakija attended St. Gregory’s Catholic School.Later, in the early 1930s, he attended Oxford University and developed into a fervent supporter of giving Nigerians access to higher education while they were still under colonial rule.
Alakija began working in the post office in 1900 after completing his secondary schooling, and he spent ten years in the civil service.After completing his legal studies in London and receiving his degree in 1913, he began a legal business in Lagos. His legal practice prospered, but Herbert Macaulay, a previous friend whose political views changed as a result of the Lagos Eleko issue, opposed him when he entered the electoral fray.(We’ll tell the Eleko Crisis narrative at a later date.) Alakija was against Eshugbayi Eleko, the Oba of Lagos, and others who supported the Oba, such as Macaulay and the Jamat Muslims. He ran for the legislature in 1923 but was unsuccessful.
But he was a nominated member of the Legislative Council from 1933 to 1941, serving as the division’s representative for Egba. In addition, he served as the Island Club’s inaugural president. Along with Ernest Ikoli and Richard Barrow, the president of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce, Sir Adeyemo Alakija was a newspaper entrepreneur and co-founder of the Daily Times of Nigeria. Despite its pro-government views, the daily prospered thanks to advertising revenue from foreign businesses. Alakija took over as chairman of the Nigerian Printing and Publishing Company, the paper’s publishing division. In addition, he served as president of the Nigerian Youth Movement and a member of the governor’s executive council.
In 1907, Alakija wed Christina Ayodele George. After George passed away in 1938, he later married Lady Ayodele. Alakija sent the majority of his first wife’s children to study in Britain. Aduke Alakija was one of them, his only daughter. Babatunde, one of his kids, was one of the first Africans to be enrolled in pilot training programs and a champion high jumper for British Public Schools. Oluwole Ayodele Alakija, a different son, was a member of Egbe Omo Oduduwa and the previous president of WASU in London.
In addition to serving as the founding president of the Island Club of Lagos, Chief Alakija also served as the vice president and founding member of the Nigeria Football Association in 1933. Kojo Annan, a businessman from Ghana and the grandson of former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, is his grandson. In the wee hours of May 10, 1952, Alakija passed away. He had been at a banquet hosted by Sir Mobolaji Bank Anthony the previous evening.
