Ayankola Ayanwuyi

We are in the Vanguard Newspapers for A Road from Ogbomoso to Jos. Thank you all.
We are interested to screen the film for Ogbomoso communities in Lagos and Abuja if we find Ogbomoso groups willing to host it in those locations. We would also be glad to have it shown during the Ogbomoso Cradles Carnival in December. We are open to such linkages and collaborations.

Until then, I am off to the next project.

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2 days ago | [YT] | 6

Ayankola Ayanwuyi

Moments from the morning premiere of A Road from Ogbomoso to Jos in Ogbomoso.

The documentary preserves the story of Ogbomoso’s migration to Jos and the communities they built on the Plateau. The Ogbomoso people are many in Jos that people see every Yoruba in the north as Ogbomoso people. A Road from Ogbomoso to Jos help people understand the history behind massive Yoruba presence on the Plateau. These are stories worth remembering.

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6 days ago | [YT] | 6

Ayankola Ayanwuyi

Yesterday, September 10, we premiered A Road from Ogbomoso to Jos simultaneously in Ogbomoso and Jos. It was a moment to rewind the story of Ogbomoso migration to Jos and to reflect on how generations of Ogbomoso people left home, travelled north, built communities, established businesses and made a life for themselves on the Plateau.

The date for the beginning of Ogbomoso migration to Jos varies in accounts, particularly because the earliest records are limited. The documentary therefore relies largely on oral histories, including accounts from people who were born in Jos in the early 1900s and witnessed or inherited these stories firsthand.

In Jos, Johnson Okunade received members of the Ogbomoso community and indigenous people of Plateau who came to watch the film. I learnt that Ogbomoso Parapo came with two full buses, while the Chairman of Jos North L.G. and his wife; Chief Jide Olagbemiro, the current Oba Yoruba in Jos; and many others were also in attendance. Let's look forward to the official release from Jos.

In Ogbomoso, I had the privilege of receiving young and old, guests and dignitaries who came to see and learn about the journeys of those who came before us and how Ogbomoso people built lives and communities far from home. It was an honour to welcome representatives from Ogbomoso Parapo; the Departments of Linguistics and Nigerian Languages, LAUTECH; Department of History, LAUTECH; Kabiyesi Gbolagunte Oyeniran Olaosebikan, Onifedegbo of Fedegbo; Emeritus Professor Omotoye Olorode; Professor Akin Oyetade; Mr Benjamin Onigbinde (of Sigvent Ltd); TAMPAN Ogbomoso North, South, Ogoluwa, Surulere, and Oriire; Sweet Home Arrival Society, made up of Jos returnees in Ogbomoso; Badero Soun Group; and other groups who joined us. We are grateful to Oluseun Onigbinde Resource Centre for hosting the Ogbomoso screening.

May Ogbomoso continue to prosper wherever her people find themselves under the heavens.

—
Ayankola Ayanwuyi
Ile Onisemo-Onilu
Oke-Isoko, Ogbomoso.

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1 week ago | [YT] | 5

Ayankola Ayanwuyi

A Road from Ogbomoso to Jos
It's over two years I started working on “A Road from Ogbomoso to Jos” documentary with my friend, Johnson Okunade. The project was inspired by Sharon Ajibade who did her Master's degree thesis around Ogbomoso to Jos Migration in 1970s at the Institute of African and Diaspora Studies, UNILAG. During her convocation in January 2024, she was awarded as the Best Graduating Student with 4.68 CGPA.

Now, we have worked on the Ogbomoso to Jos migration story into a documentary to highlight the socio-economic impact of Ogbomoso people in Jos and the cultural exchange over the years. Ogbomoso people have been living in Jos since 1800s. As it is till date, almost eight out of every 10 Yoruba you find on the Plateau are from Ogbomoso. Ogbomoso people are well travelled, and there is a popular saying that any town or city around the world where you do not find an Ogbomoso, don't stay there.

According to “Home Away from Home” by Olayinka Oyegbile, Ogbomoso had reached Jos in the latter part of 1880s. A Gbogwam of Jos said the first batch came around 1896.

This documentary film is to be screened concurrently in Ogbomoso and Jos next week, September 10. I am very optimistic about the impact this film would make on our people, especially the young ones. It is for them to understand that their ancestors were great people. They travelled through highs and lows, rivers and lands to make impact and build empires while they uphold the ethos of Ìwàpẹ̀lẹ́ and Ọmọlúwàbí. We simply can not choose to be lesser than them if we know their history.

—
Ayankola Ayanwuyi
Onisemo Onilu Compound,
Oke-Isoko, Ogbomoso
01-09-2026

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 7

Ayankola Ayanwuyi

A Road from Ogbomoso to Jos

For over two years, I and my friend has been working on a project to tell the story of the Ogbomoso people in Jos.

A Road from Ogbomoso to Jos tells the migration story of how generations of Ogbomoso people moved out to establish one of the most influential communities and made the most impact on the Plateau.

Today, I present to you the documentary poster of A Road from Ogbomoso to Jos.

2 months ago | [YT] | 8

Ayankola Ayanwuyi

Egungun is Not Masquerade

We are in Egungun Festival season. Many are fond of saying Egúngún means masquerade. It doesn't. Egúngún is Egúngún. It is a concept too layered to be confined to a single English word.

The word Egúngún comes from the root word 'gún' — which means to balance, to fit, to be accurate, to straighten. So Egúngún, at its most basic linguistic level, is that which straightens, that which balances, that which fits things back into their proper order.

Egúngún season is a time when we are filled with the presence of our ancestors. A season of remembrance for those who have gone ahead of us. It is a reaffirmation that in the Yorùbá worldview, the dead never leave the living. They remain part of our community.

Egúngún naturally pulls crowd more than any other festival across Yorùbáland. It tells you one thing among the Yoruba —The return of the dead is the desire of the living.

Egúngún is a force of balance. It connects our past, present, and future. Egúngún is full of memory, continuity, and communal message for our collective responsibility. Through Egúngún, the Yorùbá system recognises and honours those who came before us, those who are here now, and those yet to be born.

This is why Egúngún remains central to the wellbeing of our land and to our communal harmony. When Egúngún parades a town in its cloth, it is a symbolic and spiritual act of cleansing, carrying away evil and misfortune. It also reaffirms the moral order of the community.

Yes, some Egúngún perform for entertainment. But no Egúngún is without spiritual connotation. Igba aṣọ ní ń bẹ lára Egúngún.

Egúngún Festival is the season when the dead bless the living. Our ancestors return to protect, to guide, and to remind us that a people who forget their dead also forget themselves.

Now tell me, how do you want to confine all of this into the word 'masquerade'?

—Àyánkọ́lá Àyánwuyì
Ilé Onísẹmọ-Onílù,
Òkè-Ìṣoko, Ògbómọ̀ṣọ́.
June 28, 2026.

2 months ago | [YT] | 14

Ayankola Ayanwuyi

Last Saturday, culture advocates, historians and lovers of Yoruba history gathered at the private viewing of The Throne of Alaafin Oyo.

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5 months ago | [YT] | 6

Ayankola Ayanwuyi

The Throne of Alaafin Oyo premiered in Lagos yesterday at the J. Randle Centre for Yoruba Culture and History. It was a beautiful moment to see people gathered to learn about the most storied throne of Oranmiyan, which belongs to the Yoruba people.

We had Princess Folasade Adeyemi, the first daughter of the late Alaafin Adeyemi III, who also represented the Oba Adeyemi royal dynasty. Olori Olamiji Pearse from Oyotunji, the Yoruba kingdom in South Carolina, USA, was also present with the Crown Prince, Omololu. Prince Adebimpe Ladigbolu represented the Ladigbolu royal family, and Prince Adebayo Onisile represented one of the royal families from the old Oyo Empire.

As Prof Akin Alao proposed, the Yoruba need to build a rally point to define what exactly Yoruba culture is in Africa and how we want to protect it. I seconded him, saying it is time for the Yoruba to hold another Alabaja Conference to declare a unified Yoruba identity, with practical steps to protect our interests in Africa.

Ibadan is next to watch The Throne of Alaafin Oyo on Thursday, April 16 at the Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan. If you have ever wanted to understand what it means to have a Yoruba identity, this is the room to be in.

— Ayankola Ayanwuyi

5 months ago | [YT] | 13

Ayankola Ayanwuyi

The Throne of Alaafin Oyo by Ayankola Ayanwuyi was premiered in Lagos today.

5 months ago | [YT] | 7

Ayankola Ayanwuyi

The Throne of Alaafin Oyo documentary film premieres in Lagos — Nigeria Current News

nigeriancurrent.com/2026/04/08/the-throne-of-alaaf…

5 months ago | [YT] | 7