Royal beginnings
Gabriel Adekunle Aromolaran was born on 13 October 1937 into the Aromolaran royal house. He was a son of Oba Iluyomade Aromolaran I, who ruled Ijesaland from 1920 to 1942, and Princess Tinuola Aromolaran of Esa-Oke. Although born into royalty, he built his public identity through study, professional service and enterprise before ascending the throne.
Accounts of his early schooling record primary education in Ilesa and at Agbeni Methodist School in Ibadan, followed by teacher training at Wesley College. His route to university reflected an unusually broad intellectual preparation, including study of the sciences before he committed himself to economics.
Education and public service
He studied Economics at University College Ibadan, graduating in 1964. In 1965 he completed postgraduate study in Public Administration at the University of Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University. He later studied at the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, earning a master’s degree in Mathematical Economics, and completed a PhD in Economics at the University of Ibadan under Professor Samson Olayide.
After university, he entered the civil service of the old Western Region and rose to Deputy Permanent Secretary before resigning voluntarily in 1971. His academic preparation and administrative experience established the combination that would later define his reign: respect for inherited institutions paired with a strong belief in modern education.
Author, educator and publisher
His influence was already spreading across West African classrooms before he became king. He wrote educational texts in economics and government, including Economics of West Africa, Modern Economic Analysis for West African Students and Modern Textbook of Government for West African Students. Former students in Nigeria and Ghana have recalled learning from his books during their secondary and advanced-level education.
On 1 December 1971, he established Aromolaran Publishing Company Limited in Ibadan. Contemporary accounts describe branches in Ghana, Sierra Leone, London and New York, and credit the wider enterprise with more than one hundred educational titles for primary, secondary and tertiary learners. He also served as a WAEC Advanced Level Economics examiner across Nigeria, Ghana and Sierra Leone. Publishing was not merely a business achievement: it was the practical expression of his conviction that knowledge changes lives.
His educational work also included lecturing in Office Administration, Research Methodology and Business Economics at institutions reported to include the Lagos State Continuing Education Centre, Federal Polytechnic Ilaro and Yaba College of Technology.
Owa Obokun Adimula
Following the passing of Oba Peter Adeniran Olatunji Agunlejika II, he was selected to become the Owa Obokun of Ijesaland. He ascended the throne in 1982 as the 40th holder of the ancient title.
His reign spanned forty-two years and major changes in Nigerian political and social life. He became chairman of the Osun State Council of Traditional Rulers and was widely regarded as a prominent first-class monarch. Public tributes following his death emphasized his courage, discipline, fairness and commitment to keeping the palace open to people across political divides.
National and academic service
Oba Aromolaran served as Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Yola—now Modibbo Adama University—from 2002 to 2012. The university also conferred on him the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws. He was appointed Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR), one of Nigeria’s national honours.
Within traditional governance, he chaired the Osun State Council of Traditional Rulers and led the Ijesa Traditional Council. National tributes remembered a palace that remained above partisan division and a monarch willing to advocate for justice, unity and the protection of vulnerable people.
An enduring legacy
He joined his ancestors on 11 September 2024; his passing was publicly announced the following day. His legacy rests not only on the unusual length of his reign, but on the breadth of his service—as a father, monarch, scholar, educator, author, publisher and national figure. He demonstrated that tradition and intellectual ambition need not stand apart. In his life, the royal stool and the scholar’s desk strengthened one another.