To be born into royal lineage does not confer automatic kingship status on all princes .

Princes are born but king are made through divine intervention.

The Imperial Majesty, 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 is 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 preffered male children because of 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 is intervention an unexpected opportunity opened for the ambitious Prince to travel to Jos .He arrived 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 of 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 is with whom he struck an instant friendship which 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 on his educational background.


This helped him a lot when his mercantile and business acumen were recognized and he was appointed a CFAO Factor in 1954.

He was so successful that he was importing goods and beer from 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 has a successful factor to CFAO led him to founding 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 in Ogbomoso, Oyo State . The company has 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 have
started earlier than 24 th October, 1973, when his Imperial Majesty was installed and crowned as Alayeluwa Oba Oladunni Oyewumi Ajagungbade III, Soun of Ogbomo. He was the first Soun of Ogbomoso to wear the beaded crown.

The battle to wear 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 wearing of 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 which 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 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, 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 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 boost from Oba Oladunni Oyewumi Ajagungbade III, JP, CON. Immediately he was 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 of new secondary schools at Iresadu and areas along Gambari, Igbon and Ajase.
The citing and location of Federal Government College , Ogbomoso was a feather to 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 number is a testimony of much progress in education of Ogbomoso.


We must not loose sight of advanced progress in chieftaincy system. Modern reforms are made in selection and remuneration of chiefs.

Prominent members are recognized and given honorary chieftaincies by Oba Oladunni Oyewumi Ajagungbade III, JP, CON.

There are more areas that 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 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 degrees and doctors of philosophy in many fields and the young universities graduates among them are still climbing the ladder of progress in life.

With such majority support the then Prince Oladunni who became the Soun to the delight and acceptance of his people. Ki ade pe lori, ki bata pe le se.