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In Honour Of Otunba Barrister W.O. OSINUSI
On Sunday 8th October, 2023, the ancient city of Ijebu-Ode came alive when the Osinusi family of Ijebu-Ode hosted a grand 8th Day Fidau in honour of Otunba Barrister Osinusi, the patriach of the illustrious family.
The celebration took place at the Adeola Odutola Hall where all the children and family members of the deceased hosted their friends to a big party that started with the Muslim prayers at 11am and was followed by a party which went on till the late hours of the evening.
In his lifetime, he was a great and illustrious son of Ijebuland. And a distinguished Nigerian. He was the Otunba Fidipote of Ijebuland, Chairman, Fidipote Ruling House, Chairman, Council of Otunba of Ijebuland, and Chairman Ojude Oba Organising Committee. He was also the Head of Royal family of Osinusi of Ijebu-Ode.
The event was well attended by traditional rulers, Islamic clerics, Otunbas and Chiefs of Ijebuland. The prayer session was led by the Chief Imam Akile Ijebu, Alhaji (Sheikh) Muftaudin Gbadegesin Ayanbadejo. He led about 30 Imams and Islamic Clerics drawn from across Ijebu. In his lifetime, he contributed his quota to the growth & development of the Muslim community in Ijebu-Ode. He was a man of many parts. It was a roll call of Ijebu Kings, Awujale’s Otunbas, Awujale’s Council of Chiefs, members of the various regberegbes (age grade groups) and prominent celebrities. Seasoned anchorman, Otunba Adewole Bello, popularly called Ajisebioyo, anchored the event and he did a good job of it.
The Osinusi family members were led to the event by Prince Kamal Osinusi, popularly called Sir. K. He is a Textile Merchant who breezed into the venue in a flowing robe, looking like an Arabian Muslim cleric. That is the way he usually dresses to event. He is the only surviving brother of the trio popularly called Osinusi brothers who are popular in Ijebu. Before the others passed on to greater glory, there were 3 of them, namely: Otunba Barrister Osinusi (who owned WACUS Hotel, in Ijebu Ode), late Chief Bode Osinusi (a prominent socialite) and Prince Kamal Osinusi (popularly called Sir K). The 3 of them were the most popular of all the Osinusi Brothers. So popular were they that Chief Commander, Ebenezer Obey, KSA and late Alhaji Ayinde Barrister composed songs for them. They were all socialites.
Alhaja Afusat Osinusi, the lovely widow of Chief Bode Osinusi came with her friends from Lagos. They are Chief (Mrs.) Iyabo Martins-Kuye, Mrs. Dele Williams, Mrs. Adeleye, Margaret Dongo, Mrs. Shade Kilasho, Mr. Tunde Kilasho, Otunba Adeshi and Mrs. Kemi Adeshina. Chief Mrs. Duro Osinusi, the pretty wife of Sir K, also came with her friends. HRH Onilere was also there.
Let us tell you what you don’t know about Otunba Wahab Olaniran Osinusi who was born 90 years ago to the Royal family of Osinusi of Ijebu-Ode, a family he now heads. The Osinusi Royal Family is an off-shoot of Fidipote Ruling House of the Awujale Dynasty of Ijebuland.
His late, father, Alhaji Oladipupo Osinusi, was a big Textile Merchant based at Abeokuta while his mother Alhaja Adue Osinusi was a Textile Dealer. For his Nursery & Primary education, he attended Mrs. Funmilayo Ransome Kuti’s Nursery and Primary School at Abeokuta, then known as Mrs. Kuti’s Classes from the year 1939-1944 in 1945, Otunba Osinusi graduated from Mrs. Kuti’s Classes to the Abeokuta Grammar School where he was admitted into Standard IV and where he completed his Secondary education in December 1951.
He immediately thereafter moved to Lagos to start his working life. He was employed as 3rd Class Clerk at the Establishment Office of the Nigerian Railway Corporation, Yaba, in 1952 and rose to the grade of a 2nd Class Clerk before he resigned his appointment early in 1958. he wasted no time after leaving the Railways to proceed to london where he enrolled for his General Certificate of Education (GCE) studies at the North Western Polytechnic in Kentish Town, London Nw5.
Otunba Osinusi had always, as a young man, had the ambition to become a lawyer, a profession he was so much in love with. Immediately after successfully completing his GCE papers. Otunba Osinusi applied to and got admitted into the Honourable Society of Lincoln’s Inn, London, in October 1959 to read Law. He finished there and having passed his Bar Final Examination he was called to the Bar on the 27th day of November, 1962. He was a member of Education London, in the Trinity and Michealmas Terms in 1962.
Otunba Osinusi returned to Nigeria in December, 1962 and got enrolled at the Supreme Court of Nigeria as a Barrister & Solicitor on the 2nd day of January, 1963. He immediately thereafter proceeded to Ibadan where he started his legal practice as a Junior Counsel in the Chambers of late Chief Ezekiel Akinola Cole, a great legal luminary in his time.
Otunba Osinusi had always wished to contribute his own quota to the develop ment of his home town, Ijebu-Ode. He therefore after having worked in Chief Cole’s Chambers at Mokola, Ibadan for sometime, moved to Ijebu-Ode to continue with his legal practice and he has remained Ijebu-Ode ever since.
On the social side, he was a member of the pioneer social club in Ijebu-Ode i.e. The Ijebu-Ode Club, where he was the Social Secretary and Secretary from the mid-sixties to the early seventies. By virtue of his royal blood and his contibutions to Ijebuland, Otunba Osinusi was in 1985 conferred with the distinguished title of Otunba Fidipote of Ijebu by His Royal Majesty, Alaiyeluwa Oba (Dr.) Sikiru Kayode Adetona, CFR, Ogbagba II. The Awujale and Paramount Ruler of Ijebuland and the Supreme Head of all Ijebus.
Otunba Osinusi is the Chairman of Fidipote Ruling House, which is one of the four Awujale Ruling Houses in Ijebu-Ode. He was the Secretary of the Council of Otunbas of Ijebuland, an office which ably held for over two decades. He is the current Chairman of the Council, an office he has ably held for about six years.
He is also the Chairman of the Ojude Oba Organising Committee and the Ag. Chairman of the Awujale Central Mosque Building Committee. Otunba Osinusi is a devout Muslim.
In recognition of his adherence to the tenets of the Islamic Religion and his contribution to the growth of the religion, he was turbaned as the Balogun Muslim Oke-Imale of Ita-Ogbin Mosque, Ijebu-Ode, in 1987. Otunba Osinusi is happily married and blessed with good children and grand children and his always full of thanks to almighty Allah for all the good things the Great Allah has done for him in his life. Otunba Osinusi feels fulfilled in life and is very contented. His hobbies include reading and listening to soft music.
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