"His Royal Majesty, a towering icon with an impeccable legacy. Rest in power for all eternity. You will be missed Kabiyesi O !!."
As the 40th Owa Obokun of ijesaland Oba Gabriel Adekunle Aromolaran II, officially ascended the throne 15th May 1982 and remained until 11th September 2024 when he joined his accestors. He was on the throne for 42 years , making him the longest serving monarch in Ijesaland's history. His Imperial Majesty, during his reign commanded enormous respect of his people and was a conerstone of admiration and integrity among his peers by every measure and standard. As quaint a leader that he was his royal highness cultivated and maintained a unified community with steady growth both socially and politically. Fuelled with his educational background in economics combined with his experience as a successful businessman he built an effective structure over time by which he governed. The model legacy of work left behind will be a template for solidified government for decades to come. He impressed on his people a sense of great pride, self worth and cultural appreciation. He laid a thorough foundation of educational prowess with economic underpinnings for his people. Ijesaland will remember his royal majesty for his deep convictions for tradition and cultural ettiquette.
Prior to ascending the throne His Royal Majesty was an author and a publisher. He established a solid presence in the educational space by authoring numerous economics and government books which was predominantly used nationwide.
By every measurable standards he helped build a community cultivated by true sense of tradition and the fostering of self authenticity. Serving his people far and wide both at home and in the diaspora, he elevated the aura of societal pride. Through his vision of a brighter future he necessitated progressive policies thereby rendering the essential Ijesa natives of present day a robust and diverse populace of forward thinking indigenes working in concert to effect an uplifted and vibrant society. .
From childhood Oba Aromolaran developed a deep admiration for learning. Having deviced many techniques for self learning, he found his niche in development of educational programs. He later transformed West African educational curriculum to include economics at secondary school level by simplifying its syllabus.
Throughout his life, in addition to being a pioneer educationist he was also a staunch advocate for progressive traditional ideals. He made an immense contribution to world education either through his books or life teachings in myriad of ways.