Ifedayo Abegunde: The Asiwaju Crown and a Life Woven in Service

On the eve of his 70th birthday, while the rest of the world sent flowers and praise, the ancient kingdom of Akure did something far more timeless. It offered a crown.

In a ceremony drenched in culture and symbolism, His Royal Majesty, Oba Aladetoyinbo Aladelusi, conferred the venerable title of Asiwaju of Akure on Honourable Ifedayo Abegunde and his wife, Olajumoke. It was not merely a gift of beads and blessings, but a proclamation: this son of the soil now stands among the highest stewards of tradition.

To Akure’s people, Abegunde is no stranger to honour. From the corridors of the United States Patent Office to Nigeria’s National Assembly, and now as Executive Director of Corporate Services at the Niger Delta Development Commission, his journey has been stitched with quiet resolve and enduring grace.

They call him Abena or For the People—a moniker that has stuck not for its poetry but its precision. His record bears it out: community empowerment, legislative diligence, and administrative discipline. He has chaired committees, reimagined infrastructure, and cultivated partnerships that bridge the grassroots and the elite.

Born in 1955 and schooled in Florida and Baltimore, Abegunde’s foundation in engineering and architecture shaped more than his career. It infused his politics with form and function. Vision with utility. His work in governance is rarely loud but always layered. A blueprint builder, even in matters of public trust.

Now, as Asiwaju, he steps into a role shaped not by appointment but by ancestry, not by election but by esteem. It is, in many ways, the natural arc of a life given to duty.