A successful healthcare administrator based in the United States, proud Ijesha prince, historian per excellence, Dr. Oriyomi Adewunmi Akerele was born on August 10th 1974, to a the BILARO ruling house of Ijesaland.
He attended University of Ilorin where he bagged a B.A degree in history and eventually proceeded to the prestigious University of Arlington Texas where he obtained both is Masters and PhD in History. He also holds an MBA healthcare management from Dallas Baptist University.
A successful Prince of the soil, Dr. Akerele presently runs a top healthcare company in the US with a portfolio of over 7 billion USD, and still counting.
According to him, he is ready to take the position of the leadership of his home town where he has a lot of passion and drive to take to the next level considering his exposure in the international environment.
“I am passionate about the development of Ijesaland, I want to take our historical town and its people to a higher level of development through purposeful leadership through cooperation of all Ijesa sons and daughters both at home and abroad.
Adding that his intentions are pure and for the benefit of the sons and daughters of the ijesha land. “I intend to focus on the areas where the Ijesa’s have the comparative cost advantage over other towns in Yorubaland.
He has so far got the backings of the ijesa indigenes in diaspora to give him all the support in whatever way he might be needing them;
“ I have the support and assurance of Ijesa sons and daughters in the diaspora and they are ready to lend their hands and resources for the development of our ancestral land”
“I am ready to leave my comfort zone and answer the call of leadership to the throne of my forefathers, I have the pedigree, exposure, love and compassion to lead Ijeshaland and rewrite the history, culturally, economically and socially” he concluded.
It will be recalled that Ijeshas are a sub-ethnicity of the Yorubas of West Africa. Ilesha is the largest town and historic cultural capital of the Ijesha people, and is home to a kingdom of the same name, ruled by an Oba locally styled as the Owa Obokun Adimula. The last reigning Owa Obokun was Oba Gabriel Adekunle Aromolaran II, who joined his ancestors around September, 2023.
According to prince Oriyomi, “As Ijeshas, we need to connect our roots and stems to our present.
We (Ijeshas) are battle strong; we are smart business people; pace setters in everything we do. Our excellence should be studied.
What we need is a synergy of our strengths and a strong purpose of our collectivity’
He stressed further that if opportune to ascend the throne of his ancestors, he will work with everyone to make Ijeshaland a prosperous land that would beam with pride, success while creating a generation of immaculate community.
”From our major towns of Iperindo, Ijebu-Ijesha, Osu, Esa Oke, Ikeji Arakeji, Owena, Imesi Ile, Ifewara and other several villages, we will have a land that we would bemoans opportunities and bliss” He added.
Dr. Oriyomi is married to princess Oluwaseun Akerele nee Bakre of the Gbagura clan of Egbaland.
