Today, my spirit strolls into the palace of Ooni Ajagun Ademiluyi Ademakin who ruled the ancient city of Ile-Ife between 1910 and 1930 as I seek a descendant of this notable family, Prince Adedokun Ayoade James Ademiluyi who is 50 this morning.
Perhaps I should begin with a hunter’s chant, “Ijala Ode” to usher in Dokun to the fifth floor or I should create a poesy to lure the spirit of this gentle man to the elder’s table and remind him that his progenitor was not just a king but a brave hunter and warrior, my eulogy will not be sufficient still.
The fact only remains that Prince Dokun is a scion of the royal family of the blood of “Ajagun Ademiluyi Lawarikan agbeja nla bofa, the 48th Ooni of Ife.
Today Dokun is royal at 50 but would not carry the status on his head, he allows the royalty to carry him. His words, “Egbon, buoda, baami”, resonate whenever he calls or write on our group platform.
I honour you “Omo Oba” not because of your birth but because of your values, best of which are humility, leadership and perseverance.
Not until Prince Dokun stood to make his points at our first meeting more than 30 years ago, he posed a simple look. His humility absorbed his royalty.
And when he opened his mouth at that meeting to make his speech, I knew instantly that I had just met a prince. It was at the meeting of the Laudable Ife Boys Reforming Association, LIBRA in the early 90s. He was seventeen, younger than a few of us, yet he was mature.
At the meeting, Dokun rose with rhetorical words that were laced with secondary level of intellectuality even when he was yet to obtain any of his academic degrees. He reminded us of his inner deity that perhaps would one day sit on the foremost stool in Yoruba land.
Oba Ajagun Ademiluyi succeeded Ooni Adekola and was succeeded by Ooni Adesoji Aderemi but despite the fact that Ooni Ajagun was a four generation monarch before the current Ooni Adeyeye Ogunwusi, his children are making things new for this great royal family. In Ife, Ademiluyi still sounds so new to our hearing.
One of the scions, Prince Adedokun Ayoade James Ademiluyi was born on the 7th of April 1973 to Alhaja Fausat Abebi and late Prince Folorunso Aderinoye (Adigun Daadohun) of the Ademiluyi royal family of Otutu compound of Lafogido ruling house.
He attended Ansar ud Deen Primary School and Seventh Day Adventist Grammar School, Ile Ife. Earlier I had passed through SDA Grammar School without knowing that a prince was following me until we met at LIBRA.
Prince Dokun is a polymath with a strong passion for education. He holds academic degrees in different disciplines ranging from Real Estate to Computer Science, Bsc Science(General), Honours in IT, Honours in Business Informatics, Post Graduate Certificate in Education, BTech in Project Management and Masters of Engineering to mention a few.
He has worked in many capacities as a Real Estate Professional, university lecturer, programmer and currently as a Senior Database Developer in the CRO (Pharmaceutical) Industry in South Africa.
He moved to South Africa over 20 years ago where he now resides permanently in Bloemfontein, Free State till date.
He is married to Nthabiseng Yolanda Temilade Ademiluyi (Nee Wolff) and they are blessed with three children.
Prince Ademiluyi is an astute leader, a people’s person who has been involved in community leadership since the age of 17 when he was instrumental to the formation of Laudable Ife Boys Reforming Association LIBRA (an Organisation which exists till date).
He is an avid promoter of Yoruba language and culture. He established the Bloemfontein chapter of the National Association of Yoruba Descendants in South Africa and was the chairman of the body till 2022. Prince Dokun Ademiluyi helped to establish few other chapters.
He is currently the Secretary General of Yoruba One Voice (YOV), a coalition of several Yoruba organisations across the world founded to promote Yoruba core values, unity and collaborative efforts towards a prosperous and technologically advanced Yorubaland.
He is a friendly, easy-going, loving and charismatic person who believes in the upliftment of others. Today I celebrate my brother, the prince of the source and a committed LIBRA as he climbs the fifth step with his golden royal apparel.
Happy birthday to you Prince Dokun Ademiluyi
By Kunle Awosiyan
