Egbe Bobakeye Okunrin Akile Ijebu Clarifies Queen Elizabeth II’s 1956 Visit Details, Debunks Social Media Rumors

The Egbe Bobakeye Okunrin Akile Ijebu, a respected age grade in Ijebu land, has taken a firm stance against misinformation spreading on social media about the late Queen Elizabeth II’s 1956 visit to Nigeria.

During a press conference in Ijebu Ode on Saturday, Abiodun Onanuga, the Giwa of the group, dismissed claims that the Queen spent the night at the residence of the late Ogbeni Oja and industrialist Chief Timothy Adeola Odutola as “completely untrue.”

He detailed that the Queen was received by the late Awujale, Oba Daniel Adesanya, at Itoro and subsequently moved to the Government Reserved Area residence of the colonial head of Ijebu Province, now the Egbe Bobakeye headquarters, where she had lunch before departing for Lagos.

The age grade had earlier commissioned two of its members, Kayode Adesanya and Lekan Odufunlade, to conduct extensive research at the British National Archives. Their findings confirmed the Queen’s itinerary and lunch location, providing “incontrovertible documentary evidence” from British government archives.

Onanuga emphasized, “Our Ule Egbe was the venue where Her Majesty had her lunch. She did not spend the night in Ijebu.”

Odufunlade stressed the need for government action to preserve Nigeria’s historical documents for future generations.