Kabiyesi Oba Daniel Odetayo Akinbiyi, the 36th Okinawans of Ibadan was born into the Jagun Olukade family of Elekuro, Ibadan on 16th November 1898 during the reign of Fijabi, the First Baale of Ibadan. His father, Akinbiyi, an Ifa priest was Araba Ilu Ibadan, i.e the Head of Ifa priests in the whole of Ibadan. His mother, Adesiyan was a descendant of Atiba, a former Alaafin of Oyo.
In his youth, while still a little over ten, he was taken over by white missionaries living in the Wesley College Elekuro, Ibadan. They gave him the name Daniel while he himself shortened his other name, Odetayo to simply ‘Tayo’, thus he carried the initials D.T Akinbiyi all his life.
He was trained as a teacher at Wesley College and after graduation; he was posted to teach at Abeokuta in 1916. He resigned in 1918 and joined the Nigerian Railway. During his seven year tenure at the Railway, he worked in Oyo, Abeokuta, Jos and Bukuru (near Jos). In 1925, he went into private business in Ibadan.
Oba Akinbiyi was a socialite and political activist in Ibadan all through his life. Among his friends and contemporaries were Chief J.L Ogunsola, Late Otun Balogun of Ibadan, Alhaji Y.S Ishola, Chief Akinpelu Obisesan, founder and first President of the Cooperative Society in Nigeria, Alhaji Mustapha Alli, Chief S.A Oloko, father of late Justice Atinuke Ige, Chief Mustapha Arehingbakumo, a wealthy merchant of Amuunigun; and Chief E.A Sanda of Beyerunka as well as several younger members of Ibadan Progressive Union which they founded in 1930.
The year 1930 saw the ascension of a new Oba in Ile Ife, Adesoji Aderemi as the Ooni of Ife, and also the ascension of Aleshinloye Abasi As the new Baale Ibadan. To Akinbiyi who was a contemporary of Adesoji Aderemi in the Nigerian Railway, the fact that his friend assumed the full Obaship title in Ife, while Ibadan, unquestionably the largest town in Yorubaland had a Baale (meaning District Head) was highly unacceptable. Consequently, he and some other Ibadan elites began the agitation for upgrading the status of Ibadan traditional ruler from Baale to that of Olubadan. Three years later, the colonial authorities granted the request when the same Baale Aleshinloye became Olubadan, though not yet with a crown. However, Oba Akinbiyi was the first Olubadan to wear the crown from the day of his installation and coronation.
Since 1930 until his death in 1982, he was in the frontline of Ibadan affairs. In 1951, he teamed up with much younger elements (the age group of his eldest child) to form Ibadan Progressive Party (IPP) which swept the polls of the parliamentary election in December that year. He was elected into the Western House of Assembly and from there into the Federal House of Representatives. In 1955, he left Parliament and was appointed a Customary Court judge in Ibadan. He resigned in 1958 to return to private business.
Oba Akinbiyi entered the chieftaincy hierarchy of Ibadan in 1955 as Aare Onibon of Ibadan and rose in ranks until 1977 when he succeeded Oba Adebimpe as Olubadan of Ibadan. In 1979, he was conferred with the national honour of Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR). He died on November 15, 1982.
Credits: Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes (CCII)
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