To be born into royal lineage does not confer automatic kingship status on all princes .
Princes are born but kings are made through divine intervention.
The Imperial Majesty, late Alayeluwa Oba Jimoh Oladunni Oyewumi Ajagungbade III JP, CON, Soun of Ogbomoso was born on May 27, 1926- a month after the birth of another monarch, Queen Elizabeth II of England.
His father was His royal highness Oba Bello Oyewumi and his mother was Alhaja Selia Olatundun Adunni Oyewumi. Oba Bello Oyewumi married many wives and had 63 children.
As fate dictated,31 of the children were female, a situation not quite attractive to the monarchy in those days because they would rather have preferred male children because of the succession imperative.
In the case of Oba Bello Oyewumi, his children all lived together in peace and harmony in the royal palace.
Prince Oladunni Oyewumi was the youngest of his mother’s three male children , a development which attracted open rivalry, serious recriminations, and unpretentious jealousy among the other olori(wives) whose children are mainly female.
After the birth of Prince Oladunni, so many troubles began to brew in the palace while Olori Olatundun was abandoned with her fate.
Olatundun left the palace, and then relocate to Ibadan with an uncle domiciled in that city. After about six years in Ibadan, Prince Oladunni started his elementary education at St Patrick School, Oke Padre, Ibadan.
Through God's intervention, an unexpected opportunity opened for the ambitious Prince to travel to Jos. He arrived in Jos on May 17, 1944.
In Jos, Prince Oyewumi pick up a business career and worked as a textile trader for so many years. After saving about 50 pounds, he ventured into buying and selling bicycles from Lagos. It was then a profitable business when you buy direct from the company (UAC).
Prince Oladunni was visiting G.B Ollivant merely for window shopping when he met one Mr. Smith, a Scot and one of the company managers with whom he struck an instant friendship that led to a business.
The intimacy and interaction with Mr. Smith, the G.B ollivant expatriate manager, sharpened Prince Oyewumi’s business acumen and instilled discipline in him.
Rapidly, he expanded his business horizon and got involved in bigger deals with PZ, SCOA, and CFAO, among other conglomerates. To assist the young Prince Mr. Smith introduced him to Mr. Holford, the Manager of Barclays Bank where he opened an account in 1949.
By 1950, Prince Oyewumi had become sufficiently established in his trading business that he decided to get married.
Consequently, he got married to his most senior wife Olori Igbayilola Oyewumi of blessed memory.
By 1958, the wealthy prince had started showing interest in estate development and property acquisition and in that same year the Prince met a European who so much admired his entrepreneurial ability that he offered to take him on a business vacation trip to the continent of Europe .upon which they travel to France, Paris and United kingdom.
He joined one or two evening educational schools to improve his educational background.
This helped him a lot when his mercantile and business acumen was recognized and he has appointed a CFAO Factor in 1954.
He was so successful that he was importing goods and beer from the United Kingdom and made several business trips to London and Duplin. He was even sponsored on business trips to Western Germany to Improve on his import of Becks Beer from Bremen in Western Germany then and Heneiken Beer from Holland. Similar business trips were made to Paris in France and Nice.
His experience as a success factor to CFAO led him to found a company of his own. He founded J.O.Oyewumi and Company (Nigeria) Limited. J.O. Oyewumi and Company is very successful with branches in Jos, Osogbo in Osun State, and Ogbomoso, Oyo State. The company has a very thriving hotels business viz Hotel Terminus in Jos, Plateau State; Royal Crown Hotels Ogbomsos, Oyo State and branch of Terminus Hotel International, Ogbomoso, Osun State.
The royal journey to the throne might haves tarted earlier than 24 th October 1973, when his Imperial Majesty was installed and crowned as Alayeluwa Oba Oladunni Oyewumi Ajagungbade III, Soun of Ogbomoso. He was the first Soun of Ogbomoso to wear the beaded crown.
The battle to wear a beaded crown was fierce and interesting. Some leading Obas out of Jealousy and envy mislead the then Oyo State Government to give initial opposition to the wearing of the beaded crown by Soun but the truth prevailed and Oba Oladunni Oyewumi Ajagungbade III recorded a major first as the first Soun of Ogbomoso to wear a beaded crown in history.
It is not easy to mention all the achievements and improvements brought into Ogbomoso since the ascension of Alayeluwa Oba Oladunni Oyewumi Ajagugbade III to the throne.
He led the Ogbomoso community to build a befitting Palace that was opened in 1978. all donations were made by Ogbomoso sons and daughters with Alayeluwa Oba Oyewumi Ajagungbade III, overseeing the project with necessary financial contributions and advice. A new Hall has been added to the Palace. Oba Oladunni Hall which was solely financed and built by His Royal Majesty, Oba Oladunni Oyewumi Ajagungbade III
JP, CON.
The hall was opened and dedicated by His Excellency Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja FNSE, the Executive Governor of Oyo State on Friday, 17th October 2003.
The creation of the Ogbomoso Judicial Division was done during his regime and Oba Oladunni Oyewumi Ajagugbade III, JP, CON led his people in providing for the initial accommodation and equipment. By now, the foundation stone has been laid for permanent High Court Buildings.
Ogbomoso Township Stadium had tedious and hard development. The land donation was spearheaded by Olayiwola Oba Oladunni Oyewumi Ajagungbade III, JP, CON. The success story of the Oyo –Ogbomoso land boundary was attained during his reign and the attendant story of five local government councils are inter-related.
The development of secondary education has been boosted by Oba Oladunni Oyewumi Ajagungbade III, JP, CON. Immediately after he ascended the throne, he inaugurated an education committee headed by late Chief N. A, Adibi to plan for a fair distribution of secondary education in Ogbomosoland. Chief J.B. Ojo was the secretary while other prominent members were late Lawyer Olatunji Mohammed and Dr. Saka Balogun.
The committee worked and influenced the up-grading of Baptist Secondary Modern School in Ajaawa and the Baptist Secondary Modern School, Oko to full-fledged secondary school. Encouragement was given to founding and citing new secondary schools at Iresadu and areas along Gambari, Igbon, and Ajase.
The citing and location of Federal Government College, Ogbomoso was a feather in the reign of Oba Jimoh Oyewumi.
while the building of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology was a lasting honour to our community. The boom of Private Nursery/Primary and Secondary in large numbers is a testimony of much progress in the education of Ogbomoso.
We must not lose sight of advanced progress in the chieftaincy system. Modern reforms are made in the selection and remuneration of chiefs.
Prominent members are recognized and given honorary chieftaincies by Oba Oladunni Oyewumi Ajagungbade III, JP, CON.
More areas need emphasis. The journey is full of achievements that are many and numerous. The Alayeluwa Oba Oladunni Oyewumi Ajagungbade III, JP, CON has laid and still laying the foundation of many achievements.
Ogbomoso Ultra-Modern Business Centre is already in progress. City and towns have expanded. Roads are built and tarred, while small-scale industries are springing up daily.
The family life of Alayeluwa Oba Oladunni Oyewumi Ajagungbade III, JP, CON is worthy of mention.
He is happily married and blessed with children and many grandchildren who are given and still receiving good and sound education.
Among the children are many lawyers, holders of master's degrees, and doctors of philosophy in many fields and the young university graduates among them are still climbing the ladder of progress in life.
With such majority support the then Prince Oladunni became the Soun to the delight and acceptance of his people.
Soun Jimoh Oyewumi died on December 12, 2021, at 95 after a 48-year reign.
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