Notable Families in Iwo: What Are People of Iwo Land into?
The City primary economic activity is agriculture with the primary crops being cocoa, yam, corn, cassava, and palm oil, however, textiles are an important economic activity as well.
Now let’s look into notable people in Iwoland. Notable people in this town include: Prince Lateef Olasunkanmi Ogundapo, A Journalist and Politician in the Southern Region;
The Lamuye family, Prince Alade Lamuye (OON), Nigeria’s first minister of Agriculture and Natural Resources. He was also a junior minister of Finance and a former chairman of Sterling Bank Plc.
The Salinsile family; The Aremu Family: Chief Adebayo Aremu, a foremost lawyer and the Otunba of Iwoland; Alh. Kazeem Ademola Adio; Olode’s Family of Alh Moshood Adeoti, Olawale Rasheed; Alh. Fatai Akinbade; Adisa Kabiru Adeniyi Kulukulu, a Chartered Accountant, President General of Guildance Community Development Foundation and Consultant; Prince Rasheed Adewale Akanbi, Canadian Achiever & Role Model Award Recipient in Canada (highest black Canadians award) Defence Contractor/Canadian Industrialist (Son Of Late Prince Kola Akanbi). He is the current King of Iwo. Telu as fondly called, raised the status of Iwoland to Greater Iwo Empire.
Alh. Liadi Tella; Barrister Gbadegesin Adedeji, the current Asiwaju of Iwoland; Chief Olumoye Ajao, the Ekerin of Iwoland (between 1979 and 2009) and Adetayo Bamidele Adedeji, a US-based Social Advocate and Political change Evangelist.
The Fajinmi family starting with the father – Honourable Samuel Ogundijo Fajinmi, who rose to the highest political position in Iwo when he went to the house of Representatives.
His first daughter, Mrs. Funmilayo Jabaru was the Secretary to the former Governor of Lagos State – Mobolaji Johnson. She was also the Executive Secretary – Lagos State Scholarship Establishment before moving to the Federal Government where she was made the Executive Secretary of the Federal Housing Authority Board.
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One of his sons, Senator Sunday O. Fajinmi was previously in the Senate. Senator S. O. Fajinmi was trained in the UK – Teesside University.
He started work with Radio Shark in the USA. He came back to serve his NYSC with Nigeria Airways. Also, he worked thereafter with International Computers Limited, from where He established his own Business – Sofaj Group Enterprises with Senil Computers Nigeria Limited and Senil Power Protection Systems Limited were very prominent as the market leaders of their Market Sectors. He also established the first Community Bank in Iwo, which he followed in quick succession with IDESE MICROFINANCE BANK LTD, which is still in existence today.
He went into politics and was elected first as the Chairman of the youth wing of a former prominent Party. In 1998, he was elected a Senator under the UNCP. Moreover, in 1999, he re-contested and was elected again into the Senate and sworn in as a Senator of the Federal Republic Of Nigeria.
He is the National Publicity Secretary of the SENATORS FORUM, a body of all Senators in Nigeria, a Director of Resort Savings & Loans PLC. and Chairman of his companies.
There are also many other notable families in the Iwo Kingdom such as Oloba family, they are one of the greatest families in Iwo kingdom, that is why they own half of the land in the City and their family can be located at the gbidigbo area, along Aipate Baptist church area.
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Olode’s Family: The great hunter which their family house can be located directly opposite the Iwo post office.
Then, Iwo has a reputable journalist, Editor and former National President of Property and Environmental Writers Association of Nigerian (PEWAN), High Chief Kunle Alabi.
Chief Ogunmola, hunter and Warrior was from Ile-Alawe in Feesu community of the central city. It is the Notable families of this indigenous community, especially the Alawes as well as another family – the Jagun-Ode compound, sharing boundaries with Feesu, that donated land to the first Local Authority established secondary school – Iwo Grammar School.