Recent discussions about the ancestral identity and indigenous roots of Distinguished Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, popularly known as YAYI, have made it necessary to place certain historical facts on record.
As traditional rulers and custodians of our people’s history, we have a responsibility to preserve the accounts of our ancestors and ensure that the history of their migration, settlement and genealogy is not distorted by contemporary political disagreements.
THE ISAGA ANCESTRAL HISTORY
The history of the Isaga people is one of migration, settlement and continuity. According to the ancestral history preserved within the Isaga traditional institution, our forefathers migrated from Isaga-Orile, in the area of present-day Abeokuta North Local Government Area of Ogun State, and established settlements in different parts of what is now Ogun State, Lagos State and other parts of the Southwest.
Our own forefathers followed this migration and established themselves at Ishaga Abosule, around Agbado, in the present-day Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State.
Other branches of the broader Isaga migration established settlements including Iju-Ishaga in Lagos, Ishaga in Surulere, Iju-Atan in Ado-Odo/Ota, Ago-Isaga and Pahayi in Ilaro, among others.
Although these communities are today located within different administrative boundaries, such boundaries do not erase ancestral identity. Our forefathers carried their family names, customs, traditions and ancestral memories with them wherever they settled.
THE ANCESTRAL CONNECTION OF YAYI
It is within this broader history that the ancestral identity of Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola should be understood.
The historical account linking YAYI’s ancestry to Isaga, Ago-Isaga and Pahayi in Ilaro, Yewa South, should not be dismissed simply because he was born and raised in Lagos.
There is a clear distinction between place of birth, place of upbringing and ancestral origin. A person may be born in one place, raised somewhere else and still retain the ancestral identity passed down through his family lineage.
This is not peculiar to Isaga. Throughout Yoruba history, families and communities migrated from their original settlements and established new homes in different parts of the Southwest. Their descendants remained connected to their ancestral roots while also becoming part of the communities where their forefathers settled.
*MIGRATION DOES NOT ERASE LINEAGE*
The history of Isaga-Orile is therefore not simply the history of one town. It is the history of a people whose descendants are now found in several communities.
The different Isaga settlements across Ogun, Lagos and other parts of the Southwest are reminders of this historical movement. Our forefathers migrated, established communities and preserved their identity for generations.
Migration may change where people live, but it does not, by itself, erase their lineage.
THE NEED TO PRESERVE THE RECORD
The discussion surrounding Senator YAYI’s ancestry should therefore be approached through genealogy, family records, traditional history, oral accounts and the testimony of elders.
The genealogies of the various Isaga families should be properly documented. The history of Isaga-Orile and the migration routes of our ancestors should be preserved, while the relationship among the various Isaga settlements should be properly studied and recorded for future generations.
HISTORY SHOULD NOT BE DETERMINED BY POLITICS
Political differences should not determine or rewrite ancestral history.
Where genealogical evidence exists, it should be examined. Where family records are available, they should be consulted. Where elders possess oral histories, they should be heard. And where traditional institutions preserve historical records, those records should be respected and properly documented.
In the case of Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, the ancestral connection attributed to the Isaga/Ago-Isaga/Pahayi lineage should be considered within the wider history of Isaga migration and settlement.
His formative and political life may have been largely associated with Lagos, but that does not, by itself, determine the ancestral identity inherited from his forefathers.
OUR MESSAGE TO THE PUBLIC
As the Olu of Ishaga Abosule, whose own traditional history is connected to the migration of our forefathers from Isaga-Orile, I consider it important that this history be placed on record.
Our forefathers migrated.
They established new settlements.
They built communities.
They preserved their traditions.
And their descendants remain connected to their ancestral roots.
The history of the Isaga people should therefore be told in its entirety, not selectively.
*36 other Communities where Isaga Settlements Can Be Found*
Ago Isaga-Pahayl, Ilaro
Ago Isaga, Ilaro
Owode-Yewa
Ago Isaga Ado-Odo
Isaga Abata
Isaga Onlado
Ilo Village-Ipaja
Isale Isaga, Abeokuta
Ago-Isaga-Mushin
Isagatado, Isolo
Iju Isaga, Lagos
Isaga, Adie-Owe
Ajuwon Village
Ago Ilaro, Oke-Odan
Isaga, Owode Yewa
Adesola Village
Ago-Isaga, Ota
Isaga Meiran, Lagos
Ago-Isaga, Ilobi
Isaga-Iseri
Isaga Araromi
Atapa Isaga
Ago Isaga, Iwoye
Kogo
Sangote
Isaga, Surulere
Agbonrin Village
Isale Isaga, Ajilete
Abosule
Isaga Community, Godomey, Republic of Benin
Isaga Community, Cotonou, Republic of Benin
Agbonjedo, Republic of Benin
Isaga Agbado, Ayanbiyi
Isaga Agbogunleri
Isaga Igborosun
Isaga Idanyin.
Let historians investigate it. Let elders explain it. Let traditional institutions document it. Let family genealogies speak. Above all, let the records be preserved for generations yet unborn.
Our ancestry is our history.
Our history is our identity.
And our identity should not be rewritten by contemporary political disagreements.
Signed:
HRM OBA BILIAMINU ATANDA MUDASIRU
The Olu of Ishaga Abosule
Ifo Local Government Area, Ogun State
19 September 2026
Posts
