Fuji music legend, Wasiu Ayinde, has declared his intention to be considered for the vacant stool of the Awujale of Ijebuland.
Recently, the Fuji maestro caused a disruption at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja after refusing to surrender a flask believed to contain alcohol,leading to a standoff with airport officials and a delayed flight. He was subsequently banned from flying in Nigeria, and the government reversed the decision and made him a FAAN ambassador instead.
KWAM 1, in a letter dated December 3, 2025, addressed to the Fusengbuwa ruling house of Agunsebi Quarters, stated that his ambition stemmed from his being a bona fide son of the Oba Jadiara lineage.
The musician said, “Otunba Wasiu Ayinde Adewale Olasunkanmi Omogbolahan Anifowoshe, MON, hereby formally notify the Fusengbuwa Ruling House of my intention to be considered for the vacant stool of the Awujale of Ijebuland, subject strictly to the provisions of Ijebu customary law and the Ogun State Chieftaincy Laws.
“I was born on 3rd March 1957, and I am a bona fide son of the Fusengbuwa Ruling House of Agunsebi Quarters, tracing my ancestry to the Oba Jadiara lineage, which qualifies me to present myself for consideration in accordance with established tradition. I have devoted over five decades to the promotion of Ijebu, Yoruba and Nigerian culture through music and cultural enterprise.”
The Fuji musician touted his several personal honours, including his installation as Mayegun of Yorubaland in 2020, his conferment as Olori Omo-Oba and Otunba Afidipotemole of Akile Ijebu in 2023 by the late Awujale, and his national honour as a Member of the Order of the Niger in 2022.
According to the artiste, the process of choosing the next Awujale should be concluded “within a matter of weeks”.
Confirming the receipt of the letter of interest by Mr Ayinde, the chairman of the ruling house, Abdul Lateef Adebayo Owoyemi, in a statement on Friday, said, “I urge all our family members, home and abroad, to remain calm and confident. I have, within two hours of receiving the said letter addressed to me and six others, by the Olori Omo Oba Akile Ijebu, sent him an appropriate response, just like I had quietly done, to similar declarations of interest in the recent past.
“In Sha Allah, we shall all have cause to rejoice and thank the Almighty God, who alone makes any one King, within a matter of weeks. I am convinced, God Willing, that we are all very close to a very peaceful and joyous conclusion of the sacred and historic process!”
