Documents & government records
Library & Archives
There is a surprisingly useful documentary trail. The strongest material sits in colonial government reports, archives, and academic papers that reproduce National Archives references — alongside digitised historical records.
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The collection
Ten documents that record the reign
Showing all 10 documents
Deposed Rulers under the Colonial Regime in Nigeria
Tunde Oduwobi — probably the single most valuable document for research into Ademolu.
It discusses the 1916 deposition of Ademolu, the installation of Adekoya, the intervention of the Ijebu chiefs, Ademolu's reinstatement in January 1917, the government's conditions concerning his successor, and Ademolu's death in October 1925.
Most importantly, it gives actual National Archives references — which can lead to the original colonial correspondence rather than secondary accounts. See the archive table below.
Source: OpenEdition Journals · University of Lagos
Colonial Report for Nigeria, 1925
Another very strong primary source — the official British government record for the year of Oba Ademolu's death.
- Ademolu, the Awujale of Ijebu-Ode, died on 15 October 1925.
- That he had served the government loyally.
- That Adenuga of the Tuwashe/Tunwase House was appointed as his successor.
This is particularly useful because it is an official contemporaneous British record, not a modern website repeating the story. Search within the PDF for “Ademolu” to find the section dealing with his death and succession.
Source: University of Illinois Library Digital Collections
Cahiers d'études africaines — the journal version
Effectively the journal version of the Oduwobi research, and useful because the footnotes expose the underlying archival material. For serious historical work, the footnotes are almost as valuable as the article itself — they tell you which archival files to pursue.
- Ademolu's reinstatement in January 1917
- The government's decision concerning his successor
- Ademolu's death in October 1925
- The National Archives file references
- The 1924 District Officer assessment of Ademolu
Source: OpenEdition Journals
ResearchGate copy of the same scholarly work
Useful as a second accessible copy of the academic paper. The text specifically describes how the British official P. V. Young went to the palace, removed Ademolu and announced Adekoya as his replacement — after which the chiefs intervened and Ademolu was restored.
Source: ResearchGate
University of Lagos institutional repository
Worth keeping in the archive because it is an institutional repository rather than a random historical website. This is particularly valuable when building a properly referenced historical dossier.
Source: University of Lagos institutional repository (direct PDF)
1925 British Colonial Report — what to look for
The 1925 report is worth searching beyond the Ademolu paragraph. Open the full PDF and search within it for “Ademolu”; you should find the section dealing with his death and succession.
The significance is that this establishes a contemporaneous official record of the end of Ademolu's reign. The neighbouring years — 1924 and 1926 — are also digitised and worth reading for context.
Source: University of Illinois Library Digital Collections
Historical list identifying Ademolu as the 47th Awujale
Several secondary sources reproduce the succession list. This one identifies “47. Fesogbade (Ademolu) — 1916” and records that he was subsequently reinstalled in January 1917.
This source also gives the preceding and succeeding Awujales, which is useful when reconstructing the dynastic context around Ademolu. Note that numbering differs between sources — our own list places him as the 49th.
Source: Odogbolu Descendants Union — historical Ijebu / Odogbolu material
Historical Awujale succession list
This gives the sequence:
- Fusigboye / Adeona — 1906
- Ademolu — 1916
- Adekoya — 1916
- Ademolu — 1917
- Adenuga — 1925
- Ogunnaike — 1929
- Adesanya — 1933
It also notes that Ademolu's reign is generally dated 1916–1925, while the intervening Adekoya episode occurred in 1916.
Source: Wikipedia — Awujale
Awujale Adenuga Folagbade — the short reign that shook colonial Ijebu
Not as authoritative as the colonial records, but it provides a readable reconstruction of the 1916 crisis and the circumstances surrounding Ademolu's reinstatement — a good orientation before reading the archival material.
Source: Historical Nigeria
Awujale — Autobiography of Oba Sikiru Adetona (Ọgbagba II)
Published by Mosuro Publishers in 2010 to commemorate his 50 years on the throne. A powerful account is given on pages 3–4 of Ademolu's accession to the throne.
Oba Adetona belonged to the same ruling house as Oba Ademolu — Anikinaiya — which gives his account particular weight within the family record. The passage sets out the disqualification of the two Tuwase candidates by the Odi's, the eight-month interruption of the reign, and the reinstatement that followed.
Print publication · Mosuro Publishers, Ibadan, 2010
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The really important part
The National Archives files
This is where the research becomes much more interesting. The academic paper has essentially handed us a roadmap into the Nigerian National Archives — it explicitly cites the records below.
| Archive reference | What it appears to concern |
|---|---|
NAI, IjeProf. 3, File 134/1916 | Meeting involving Adekoya / Ijebu authorities and the District Officer |
NAI, IjeProf. 3, File C.18/1915 | Commissioner → District Officer correspondence, 8 November 1915 |
NAI, IjeProf. 3, File C.20/1924 | District Officer → Resident, 19 September 1924; assessment of Ademolu |
Colonial Report 1925 | Official record of Ademolu's death and succession |
Why this matters
The files C.18/1915 and C.20/1924 are particularly interesting because
they potentially bracket Ademolu's reign. That gives an opportunity to
reconstruct the reign from contemporaneous government correspondence, rather
than relying on oral tradition or websites.
Research roadmap
Where to search next
Collections and repositories
- National Archives Ibadan — Ijebu Province files
- British Colonial Office files
- 1920–1925 Colonial Reports
- Nigeria Gazette / Government Gazette
- Hansard references to Ijebu / Ademolu
- British Parliamentary Papers
- University of Ibadan digitised material
- University of Lagos repositories
- Internet Archive / HathiTrust / Google Books
- African Studies journals
- Missionary / Bishop James Johnson correspondence
Specific record categories to pursue
- Records concerning the 1916 deposition
- Records concerning the January 1917 reinstatement
- Records concerning Ademolu's death in October 1925
- Records concerning the selection of Adenuga after Ademolu
- Any document mentioning the Odi's role in Ademolu's selection or removal
The surviving archival references suggest that the 1916–17 episode was not merely a palace succession dispute. It involved the Odi, the chiefs, the colonial administration, the Tunwase family, and the question of who had legitimate authority to select or remove the Awujale.
Contribute
Do you hold a document we don't?
Letters, photographs, court papers, gazette cuttings, funeral programmes — anything that touches the reign of Oba Ademolu Fesogbade or the Anikinaiya house belongs in this archive. You can upload files directly through our contact form.