In 2026, it will be around 296 years that Lisabi died by what appeared like suicide after he was disappointed that the people he served selflessly rose against him because they fear that he has become so powerful and may rise as king over them.
What is wrong in such a man becoming the king after liberating the Egba People from the hands of Oyo Empire?
As Lawyers, we were taught to write in numbered paragraphs to ease reading and so, I have opted to write 18 numbered paragraphs first, to lay the foundation before going to the the 7 lessons from the life of Lisabi.
1. The Legendary warrior , Lisabi Agbongbo-Akala died in 1730 at the forest of Lisabi which is on the way to Oba after the current location of Moshood Abiola Polytechnic.
2. In Egbaland, the celebration of his role began during the reign of HRM Oba Oyebade Lipede in 1987.
3. It is exactly 39 years ago in 2026.
4. It is important to ask a very important question that has no immediate answer and that is to ask, why he was not celebrated annually since 1730 and that was for a period of 257 years which is more than two century and half. 1730 to 1987?
5. I therefore give kudos to those team that worked with Oba Oyebade Lipede then to make the Lisabi Celerbation a reality in 1987.
6. During the first celebration, we were told in the Christian bodies that it was the worship of an idol of a kind but over the years the celebration has come to stay as the celebration of a warrior who liberated Egba People from the Oyo Empire whose soldier and tax collectors oppressed Egba people and their wives in a terrible way that made Lisabi so angry that he planned for years the strategy to overcome that oppression.
7. Yesterday, we had a Governing Council meeting of Egba Economic Summit which I presided over as President and I will be serving till December 2027 having taken the mantle of leadership on 19th December, 2025 at the AGM.
8. After the meeting, I had a one hour private discussion with Captain Temilola Okesanjo who retired as Deputy M.D of NLNG some years ago. Though he is far away in US but technology made our discussions smooth.
9. We discussed the danger around the misconception about Lisabi.
10. Both of us were worried that as Egba people, we may derail from the essence of the life of Lisabi over time if we don’t quickly set the record straight.
11. We deliberated that, by now, we should be having men like Obama, Prof. Lumuba, Sec. General of United Nations and high power delegations from around the world coming to speak on the Lessons from the life of Lisabi right here in Abeokuta. The current funfair and vibes is also not bad as it enhances the economic activities of Egbaland and Ogun State.
12. We should be pushing out and celebrating examples of men that are like Lisabi from among us every year after careful selection and honour them publicly for the world to see.
13. Rather than do this, we observed that people who behave like the set of people that ganged up against Lisabi are still many among those who move around claiming to be celebrating Lisabi.
14. I couldn’t sleep overnight as my Conscience will not leave me until I have written down the 7 lessons we are gradually missing from the life of Lisabi.
15. Permit me to say that by virtue of natural endowment, I was born as a gifted writer and public speaker and have seen this in my life from age 4. So be patient to read my article.
16. I have a duty to also write because my parents are both from Egbaland and I was born in Abeokuta at Erunwon in Egba Ake.
17. Captain Okesanjo who is worried like me was born at Itoko also in Egbaland and so we both share some values and desire some redirection and a kind of intellectual discussions yearly around Lisabi henceforth.
18. We desire that small books be written and distributed to all primary and secondary schools to read at a glance and understand Lisabi.
Let me now go to the Seven Lessons from life of Lisabi that we may be missing and we must return to those lessons as we celebrate him annually.
1. HARD WORK
Lisabi was a farmer and very hardworking. It was in the course of farming that he developed the concept of AARO which can be described in English as Rotational Group Farm Labour.
I had my primary Education at Anglican Central School at Ajebo in Obafemi Owode Local Government and my Secondary School at Ajebo Community High School.
I started going to farm early and we were encouraged to have small farms as young boys and girls.
I was the senior boy in my primary school and Labour Prefect in my High School and also have reasonable cassava, maize and pepper farm as a teenager. So, I understand this perfectly. Even now in Law practice, if you have cases in a state far away, a Lawyer colleague can appear for you while you do same for him or her in your location.
What we do to scare the farm work is to go in groups to work on the farm that belongs to individuals on Rotational basis.
For example 10 of us can go to someone’s farm today and to another the next day.
That concept was passed down to us over the years from Lisabi and his team.
Where 10 energetic boys worked, the whole farm will see the impact and what 10 boys will do in a day, the owner of the farm cannot do it in 20 days. That will lead me to the second lesson.
2. UNITY AND COOPERATION
The Aaro method which I described as Rotational Group Farm Labour is something that points to Unity and cooperation.
That is like the first cooperative society in Egbaland where skill and energy usage was distributed by groups to individual farms.
It allow individual owners to plant quickly and at the same time and it also helps to get rid of weeds on the farm almost at the same time, thereby enhancing crop yield.
I was involved in this as a young boy and so I remain grateful to my parent especially my father because after I was born at Erunwon in Egba Ake, if I didn’t live in the village at all, I may not understand what Aaro is.
Today, we see people from the same parents fighting, we see family fights over properties, we see people fight over political position, we see people even fight over chieftancy titles. Some even fight over superiority of their titles.
Some fight over I am Ake, you are Oke Ona, Gbagura or Owu. This should stop if we truly believe in the lessons from Lisabi.
At this point, I want to thank Alake and Paramount Ruler of Egbaland for achieving unity among us all.
Someone like me from Egba Ake, I am closer to some prominent Owu family than I am to some families in Ake.
I am close to the Soleyes as well as Baba Obasanjo.
My encounter with Olowu when we visited him at the Palace and his approach and simplicity also made me to get closer to him.
I have admired Kabiyesi, Oba Tejuoso from the days my office used to Consult for Teju Foam. Iyalode Tejuoso was a model of business and industry that any young folks will look up to. Oba Tejuoso carriage is also unique.
Perhaps because my mother is Gbagura, I have been close to Oba Laloko for years and when Oba Bakre came on board it was easy for us to be close because of Justice Bakre.
For me, Unity is a very important lesson to learn from Lisabi.
3. SELFLESS SERVICE
One thing critical about Aaro is that when it is the turn of the next farm owner, we must all go to work in his farm. You dare not say you are sick or travel anywhere to miss that.
Every farm owner look forward to his turn to enjoy the group work. That is integrity also.
To the surprise of others, Lisabi was not expecting them to work for him but rather for the liberation of Egbaland. They kept asking him, when is your turn, he didn’t accept any return Group Labour on his farm until he was ready with enough weapons to fight Oyo Empire that were oppressing Egbaland.
Today, we see many people going into politics or taking appointments for selfish reasons. I, Me , Myself is their language. Self glory, self enrichment without any impact on their family and community. This must stop forthwith if we truly claim to be celebrating Lisabi.
We must have testimonies of selfless service in Egbaland. Some people are happy as they see more poor people in their compound so they can be the only successful one.
The family houses of some billionaires still remain terrible today. Yet they dress in the best attire while their origin and source remains in ruins.
4. HUMILITY
Lisabi knew the task ahead is enormous and did not claim he could do it all alone.
He was raising an army without telling them he was raising them.
He sought the help of others.
We must teach the next generation about humility.
Let no one claim the glory of the land. It is a collective glory.
For us to enjoy the glory together, we must work together and we must be humble.
Lisabi demonstrated humility by his strategy of raising people to work with him.
Many business died, many ideas died, many visions remained unfulfilled because we refuse to humble ourselves and seek help from family and friends.
The last two weeks have been tough for me in one of our companies where I needed to look for money to clear 3 containers of items from China.
I spoke to a very close friend who was able to release about 7% of what i needed to clear the goods and that 7% was so useful.
We must be humble to seek help.
Lisabi was not an arrogant person. He was a humble man despite being a warrior.
He didn’t do it alone. Some people when you have meetings with them, they will be the one speaking all through.
This is a sign of Arrogance. Lisabi was a great man and a humble man.
We say in Yoruba that Enikan kii je awade…it means one person cannot be referred to as WE.
5. INTELIGENCE
While there may not be formal education at that time for Lisabi, he showed the skill of a highly intelligent man.
While Oyo Empire was oppressing the Egbas, he didn’t go to war suddenly. He planned very well.
After the Rotational Group Farm work, he will return to make instrument of war.
So he was a farmer in the morning and a blacksmith in the evening.
Working day and night. How was he able to learn all of these? He was intelligent.
We must tell our youths to be smart like Lisabi.
6.LEADERSHIP BY INTEGRITY AND EXAMPLE
One important thing about leadership is leading by example.
He never missed any Rotational Group Farm Labour. That is integrity. Some people, if they borrow, they don’t pay back. Some people if they greet you good morning, you better open the window and check.
I have seen people who will give you appointment and they will disappoint you.
Some are obtaining loans with intention not to pay back.
Lisabi coordinated his troop and commanded properly. He was obeyed because of his integrity.
He was a great leader.
We must produce more leaders from Egbaland.
Leaders that will also become President of Nigeria, ministers, Governors, Nobel laureate, business leaders, senators, speakers of assemblies. Not crooks looking for wealth without work who could be referred to as social sinners by Ghandi.
Though, we have produced men like Obasanjo, Wole Soyinka, Tayo Aderinokun, Fola Adeola, M.K.O Abiola, Adetokunbo Ademola, Alaba Lawson, Iyalode Tejuoso, MKO Abiola, Chief Osoba, Dr.Onaolapo Soleye, Justice Craig, Oba Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo, Prof Matemilola, Prof. Biobaku, Lateef Adegbite Ebenezer Obe, Fela Kuti, Prof. Adeoye Lambo, Pastor Tunde Bakare, Football Mathematician Segun Odegbami even in movie, Tunde Kilani, Chief Olusegun Osunkeye and so on.
Too many names that I cannot list but even you as a reader of this article can become a leader in your own area of calling.
Lisabi represents leadership by example and integrity in all ramifications. Not those seeking a position to steal.
May we have more leaders from Egbaland in Jesus name. Amen!
In the words of Prof. Matemilola one day we met at Owu Palace, he said and I quote in Yoruba..Ki se pe ko si Olori, sugbon Olori buruku lo poju ninu awon to pera won ni Olori…It means though we have people who claim to be leaders in many sectors around the country and even around the world but the unfortunate thing is that most of the people who claim to be leaders are not worthy to lead. He simoly said their head is not correct as we use to say in primary school.
Or else how do you explain the high level of corruption in government? Abandoned roads and schools and hospitals are not equipped. Teachers are poorly paid, electricity remains a problem for years. Refinery in terrible state yet money allocated over the years to fix it.
Thank God for someone like Tinubu who is there now trying to reform the system. Look at CBN over the years. Thank God for the new CBN Governor who changed the system. So many staff in Abuja yet working in Lagos for more than half of the year and claiming huge allowances and flight money. Resign or move to Lagos was the clear memo. God bless the CBN Governor.
Dollar being released to people who were doing arbitrage. Buy at 450 and sell at 750 same day. Rent seekers, no value added to the economy.
We must begin to deliberately build leadership capacity in our youths.
We must tell them to become leaders by example and with integrity like Lisabi.
7. LOVE AND CARE
Lisabi really loves the people. He cares for the oppressed. He saw women raped and people killed on their land and was moved inside of him.
He loves the people and cares about them. All his preparations was motivated by love and care for the people
As Egbas, we must use Lisabi as example of love and we must raise people that will care and love the people.
If political leaders love the people, Hospitals, roads
and schools will not be abandoned,
I read with joy thousand of students that would have been out of Universities in Nigeria but the student loan bailed them out.
God bless those who work with Tinubu to bring that to reality. If we truly love our people, we would invest in anything that will give them comfort and security.
We would think about how to transform the country and eliminate unemployment.
When Lisabi saw the hypocrisy of his people, he decided to take his own life by going under the ground to proof to them that he only rose to deliver the people from Oyo empire and not to impose himself as a king.
If we truly care and love our people we must end all forms of ganging up against our people and backbiting which we describe in Yoruba as Ote.
Ote can manifest in various ways such as speaking evil behind someone and yet when you see him, you laugh and shake hands.
We have seen this ote even among young folks and partners.
We must end all forms of hypocrisy if we truly understand Lisabi’s role in the land and must not allow a repeat of the treatment that Lisabi got after his effort.
Conclusion.
As we celebrate Lisabi Festival, today 28th March, 2026 being the Grand Finale, I want to plead with us to imbibe and teach the 7 lessons from the life of Lisabi which are
1. HARD WORK
2. UNITY AND COOPERATION
3. SELFLESS SERVICE
4. HUMILITY
5. INTELLIGENCE
6. LEADERSHIP BY EXAMPLE AND INTEGRITY
7. LOVE AND CARE
As we remember Lisabi today, as yourself, what would you be remembered for after exit from this earth?
The author Dr.Gbenga Adeoye is a Lawyer, Chartered Accountant and businessman. He is the current President of Egba Economic Summit Group.
He believes the quality of leaders will determine development in any nation.
He can be reached via email through dga@gbengaadeoye.com
