Ondo Monarch passes on after 43 years reign

The traditional ruler of Isikan town in Akure South Local Government Area of Ondo State, Oba Joseph Olu-Ojo, has joined his ancestors.

Confirming this to newsmen on Wednesday in Akure, one of the sons of the late monarch, Prince Dapo Ojo, said his father passed on in the early hours of Wednesday.

Prince Dapo said: “Yes, Baba is gone.

“It happened early this morning.

“We thank God for his life which was well spent.”

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the late king ascended the throne on July 3, 1978 as the 37th Iralepo of Isikan.

His immediate predecessor, Oba Aladetoyinbo, died in 1976.

The late Oba Olu-Ojo, who trained as a dispensary attendant in the General Hospital, Akure, was one of the pioneering employees of the health facility, which was established in 1953.

Apart from serving as a dispensary attendant, the late monarch rose to the position of Chief Store Officer of the hospital after a training in storekeeping in a school in Lagos.

Oba Olu-Ojo retired from the hospital service in 1978 when he was selected as the traditional ruler of Isikan and reigned for 43 years as one of the longest reigning Iralepos.