Dear Brothers and Sisters,sons and daughters, nice and cousins, uncles and aunties of Oshodi.
Upon the almost conclusion of our historical back of the Oshodi Tapa (The heir Apperent of the last Nupe King, 1782 - 1868), who was sold to slavery, and bought at Owo, brought through the Igbokoda axis, is reckoned facts, hidden in nature of the truth on the undiluted history of our ancestor(s).
Nowadays, many a people bear the name Oshodi, a trace file on these individuals have their historical hegemony from the Edo speaking people, The Itsekiris and perhaps the Yoruba speaking people (or should I say, the Nupe turned Yoruba people). It is imperative that my research was centred not onlyour own Obinjas, but the sum total of the Oshodi name...where they came from, how they hailed, and of the very family they share their identity.
Although it was a tiresome research supported by Mrs. Bukky Oshodi-Shomide, yet it has in it the very quotient of a people with great history and of royal household. Our Genetic make up date back in time is Princely and Princessly, of kingship and queenship. Alas, let us in this forum share the undiluted ideas about our history, and let's be proud on who we are as a people.
Please any questions about the Oshodi Tapa Ancestry, do not wait to ask, for we are in right direction to guide all of us towards the redirection crusade to our past,roots and history as a people. Do not forget, we are from the lineage of Royalty.. This was the sole reasons and many more, Kosoko Father freed Tapa in the first place, for his oversight and counter oversight on the actual identity of the Young Nupe Warrior-Prince, and heir apparent to the Nupeland/Kingdom.
Many Authors have argued this fact, and has criticised it on the ground of insuffiency of research materials. Based on our Hegemony, the History of our ancestory was at a time orally trans-ported from sons to sons, and fathers to daughters. The wonders of it was that, Oshodi even though he was a slave owner, yet he made all in his quarter free men and women, with the all bearing his name, and thus the voluminous numbers of children. He made a paramout edifics and proclamation on his return from Epe saying thus :
"This day, I have fought in alliance with my Brother(s). Kosoko is not a mere man, he is a King! Because has he is a king in a land i was reborn, so He is a Brother to me in the land where i came from; where i m a King.... Forced to leave my Kingdom, men used their life to secure my future, some have reincarnated, some are now with me. Kosoko is with me like a brother,those that fell when my father was overthrowned and assassinated by the rabels from the far North through the caravans with their religion. I still remember, while i was only a young boy, innocent and tender. My life was bought by uncles, and the deal was never to return. Yes i will not return for i have found a new abode, I knew a man who knew my father's galantry, who took me like his son, and his son took me like his brother...I will not depart from him until my very corpse is march, and my grave defiled, his life is my life, our royalty abound into eternity. My children are his children. I have no slave in my compound, they are all my children, brothers and sisters. If there be slave, this very moment, they are free, and my name their name. We saw the games and hallows of Epe, it is a rough edge. The whiteman has some to defile the Eko we once knew, and never again will kosoko bow to Oba Akin, for a King never bows to his subject. Tinubu's blood shall not stain my family, Olumegbon trickery shall not prevail, selling his lord out is a duel, beware......"
These were the words of Tapa himself, elaborating on the historical background of the Eko, and the journey so far.
Here he was simplying saying that we all bound by one heritage, needless to say that Balogun Asari Oshodi-Tapa has only a Son, which historians has failed to identify by virtue of their lack of oversight into the eulogy of the galantry Tapa.
Please Log-on to the facebook, and read an excerpt of the Origin of Oshodi-Tapa, a Sugar flavour, just read and read, its starting...contributions and counter contributions is necessary.
In addition to Carl's write up, the history of Oshodis predates our Ancestor, Balogun Oshodi Tapa in the same way the history of Yorubas predates Oduduwa.
Let us recall that Ile Ife was already a town or a big village with it's own tradition and culture before the emergence of Oduduwa. Also, Oranmiyan left old Oyo(a place of co-habitation of two kingdoms, Nupe and Oyo) with a troop of warriors, mostly of Nupe origin to Ile Ife where many of them became Warrior-Chiefs.
Some of these Warriors went out on expeditions and settled in other places. It is logical to imagine some of these Warriors were sent to Benin Kingdom to further protect the young king, Oranmiyan's son, Eweka who was on the throne at that point in time. This informs the Chiefdom of Oshodi in Benin Kingdom and till date Oshodi is a high ranking Chief in the Palace of Oba of Benin and in Benin in general.
Now, the next question is which Chiefdom predates the other between the Oshodi Chiefdom of Lagos and Oshodi Chiefdom of Benin? Furthermore, the Obas of Lagos are descendants of Obas Ologunkutere and Akinsemoyin, the children of a Benin warrior who conquered Lagos area named Isokpan(Ashipa in Yoruba). Note, the warrior came with other people from Benin to whom such Lagos families as Dawodus and Ashogbons( the Head of warrior chiefs in Lagos) trace their origins. It is worthy to note that until 1938 Yoruba was the official language in the palace of the Oba of Benin and till date Bini can be heard in the Palace of Oba of Lagos.
Many names have been lost over the centuries, from Nupe to Ife, Benin, Dahomey, Lagos etc but OSHODI has refused to go down with history, rather it has continued to gain ascendancy, standing firm like Khufu's pyramid of Giza.
There is no doubt concerning the Nupe origin of our progenitor, but the route to Lagos is another thing entirely. We should be proud we know our history this much, a lot of people out there are not exactly what they think they are
Thank you for your research. It answers some questions for me, but leaves a lot more unanswered. My father was born between 1916 and 1919, he passed away in 1974.
I believe that we need to continue the research into the family tree and coordinate our efforts in creating a cohesive unit that will allow us to present a united front.
While I find the story plausible, there are a couple of points that bother me. Warriors, regardless of their achievements, are not referred as Prince unless they have proven royal pedigree. It is possible that the Warrior Prince migrated south with his saviour and benefactor to Lagos, while his uncles stayed in Ife and joined with the warriors that invade Benin.
What bothers me about this supposition, is that the Benin invasion, if memory serves me right seem to have taken place a lot earlier thab the mid-1800's.
I look forward to hearing from you. I am interested in working with you to find out exactly what happened. My geneology supports both the Royal and the Warrior theory, however, there has to be detail backed up by facts. Thanks for your effort!!!
We are bond with the same question, but the answer is still not clear as most of our elders are not really ready to hit the main point. from my own point of view, the Nupe and the Yoruba have cordial relationship as neighbor and there is no Yoruba kingdom that u will go without they identifying with the Nupe. Apart from being neighbor there must be some certain relationship with them if really race to origin and migration issue before the present site called Nigeria. To crown it all, I believe that they must be from the same lineage.
I am very proud of your Knowledge about your historical analysis and I also proud of my people. and i believe that they are the hidden treasure that is everywhere in the biggest black nation.
This is a topic i have held dear to my heart as my grand father was Alhaji Bakr Disu oshodi, son to this great warrior and he told us a bit about his father whose tomb stone sits close to the family house at Oshodi in Lagos Island,
My great grandfather was Ogege Oshodi and grandfather was Ubini Oshodi, my father is Augustin A Oshodi, tell me more. I'm proud to be here,and I believe our older ones still have lots to do pertaining to our history, the children are asking. And what does this powerful name "Oshodi" means? Best regards!
A well researched biography of Chief Ladunji Balogun Oshodi Tapa was put together to commemorate the inauguration of the Oshodi Descendant Family in Diaspora held in Chicago in 2007 (See www.oshodi.org) . The last family reunion was held in Delaware in July 2012.
The group holds monthly meeting via conference call on the First Saturday of the month starting at 1 PM EST. The toll free Hotline : 401-694-1602; access code: 121552. You are welcome to call in and be part of the upcoming family reunion participants.
It's good to know that our roots are traceable. That Oshodi Tapa left a legacy to follow sooth. Without Oshodi Tapa in Lagos state there would'nt have been peace in Lagos. I just visited www.oshodi.org and I was impressed at the look and feel of the website. I learnt from my father the grand son of Akinyemi Disu Oshodi, son of K.D Oshodi that Oshodi is a corruption of the Yoruba word Ashoodi meaning one who mans the border.
I must first thank the creator of this forum but I must first correct the impression that our great father has once been a slave. Never with evidence available! Also he did not come through any where to Lagos but through the direction of Abeokuta situated in today's Ogun-state.
The meaning of OSHODI - The name is not a proper noun but given to War Heads by the King of Benin in those days. OSHODI is same as BALOGUN
My brother, you are a proper Lagosian and you should be proud to claim the state hence Oshodi Tapa, our great ancestor was a first class migrant of the land recorgnised by the British Government hitherto!
I thank the creator of this forum but I must first correct the impression that our great father has once been a slave. Never with evidence available! Also he did not come through any where to Lagos but through the direction of Abeokuta situated in today's Ogun-state.
The meaning of OSHODI - The name is not a proper noun but given to War Heads by the King of Benin in those days. OSHODI is same as BALOGUN
My brother, you are a proper Lagosian and you should be proud to claim the state hence Oshodi Tapa, our great ancestor was a first class migrant of the land recorgnised by the British Government hitherto!
If you would like information about your origin and claim to be an Oshodi, you will need to contact the secretary for the family in Lagos Island our ancestary home with details of your line- which of Oshodi's son you descendend from. If you do not have this detail you may which to also discuss with the secretary who will provide you with information to help you find your line. For example, me and my siblings and our children/descendants are from Ali-Igunu line.