Five months after he celebrated his 89th birthday, the head of the three royal families of Odo-Nla kingdom, Otunba David Afolabi Ekiyoyo, who is also the Olootu Omooba Meta, is dead. He was survived by a wife and six children.
Ekiyoyo celebrated his 89th birthday last 5 March with an elaborate ceremony at his David Ekiyoyo Crescent home, Ikorodu, Lagos.
In a statement announcing the transition, the Oba-elect of Odo Nla Kingdom, Prince Olusoga Elias Olowolekomoh described the patriarch as a ‘pillar of the kingdom’, and a man of ‘exceptional grace and wisdom’.
Olowolekomoh further said: “Otunba Ekiyoyo was a man of exceptional grace, wisdom, and unshakable loyalty to our kingdom and heritage. His life was marked by service, humility, and a profound sense of responsibility toward both family and community. As Olotu Omo’ba Meta, he stood as a pillar of unity and royal continuity, representing the values we hold dear. His passing on the evening of Friday, 2 August 2025, has left a void that will be deeply felt by the entire royal family, the people of Odo-Nla, and indeed all who had the privilege of knowing him.
‘We thank the Almighty for the gift of his life and for the legacy of honor, dignity, and royal distinction that he left behind. May his soul find eternal rest in the presence of our Creator’.
In accordance with the royal tradition and customs of Odo Nla people, members of the G6 of Omo’ba Meta Royal Family executive conveyed an emergency meeting and immediately elected Prince Adeseye Adedipe as the new Olotu Omo’ba Meta Royal Family of Odo-Nla.
The information has been convened to the Awujale Ademuyewo Fidipote family in Idewon quarters Ijebu-Ode Ogun State, Oba elect Olowolekomoh said in a separate statement.
Meanwhile, Oloriebi of Fidipote Royal family, Oba Tajudeen Omotayo has sent his condolences on behalf of the Awujale Ademuyewo Fidipote Royal family members worldwide, while both the immediate and extended families of Ekiyoyo are meeting to plan a befitting burial for the icon.
Ekiyoyo served in various capacities, including Bobajiro of Ikorodu Land, Otunba Olasubomi Yiloro of Agbowa Ikosi Land, Asiwaju of Odo-nla, Patriarch of Ekiyoyo Royale, Olootu Omo-Oba Odeyemi Ofiran Ruling House of Odo-Nla, Ikorodu and Lagos State, member of the Eminent Persons of Ikorodu Division.
In his last media interview, Ekiyoyo said that he was not done yet. ‘I am fulfilled, well, not yet, because nobody wants to give up. That is why, as God continues to give me life and strength, I will continue to offer myself to the service of God, my family, Odo-Nla people and Nigerians in general’.
He had one wish unfulfilled in his lifetime: ‘I want the Oba-elect, Prince Olusoga Elias Olowolekomoh to be crowned king in my lifetime and that will happen soon as all the hurdles are being removed one after the other. To anybody still standing against the general wishes of Odo-Nla people to have Olowolekomoh as their king, all I say to them is, let us all work together in harmony to make Odo-Nla kingdom great again’.
