His Royal Highness Oba (Engr.) Ajede Isiaka Olajide, MNSE, MNIM, is an indigene of Ilodo, Ijebu Imusin. He was born on February 18, 1945, in Abeokuta. He started his primary school education at St. Paul’s Primary School, Igbore, Abeokuta, from 1954 to 1959; and then moved to St. Paul’s Demonstration School, Ibara, Abeokuta from 1961 to 1962. After the mandatory six years of primary education, he acquired his First School Leaving Certificate in 1962. He proceeded to his secondary school education at Abeokuta Grammar School. He was there for four years (1964-1968) and then spent the remaining one year at Muslim College, Ijebu Ode (January-June 1969), where he did only his Lower Sixth Form. He gained admission into the University of Lagos for a one-year Preliminary Concessional Course in Engineering from 1969 to 1970. That same year, he started a degree course in Mechanical Engineering and got his B.Sc. in 1973.
He went on to acquire other professional and educational qualifications such as MNSE (Member, Nigerian Society of Engineers) and MNIM (Member, Nigerian Institute of Management). He has also attended several courses on work-study, project planning and control, and preventive maintenance at the Nigerian Institute of Management.
Upon graduating from the University of Lagos, he participated in the mandatory NYSC in 1973, serving in Maiduguri in the North Eastern State. He later joined Lever Brothers Nig. Ltd. (now Unilever) as Project Engineer (Apapa Factory), and then as Factory Engineer (Aba Factory) from 1974 to 1977. He moved to the Federal Housing Authority where he served as Senior Mechanical Engineer (Projects) in 1978, Principal Engineer (Projects) in 1980, Assistant Chief Engineer (Projects) from 1981 to 1983, Chief Engineer (Research) in 1984, Chief Mechanical Engineer (Projects) in 1985, and Assistant General Manager (Mechanical) in 1988.
He was Farm Secretary of the Ilodo Development Association from 1975 to 1991. He also played a major role in the provision of a number of community services in Ilodo, such as electricity, the Ilodo Town Hall project, and the Ilodo Primary Health Centre.
Oba Ajede Isiaka Olajide is a Patron of the Ijebu Imusin Chamber of Commerce and the African Hungarian Union. He is an honorary member of Ijebu Ode Club, former President of Festac Lions Club, and a life member of Lagos Country Club. He is a revered holder of the ‘Ogirimadagbo of Ilodo’ traditional title.
He is Chairman and Director of EDJA MECENG Nigeria Limited, a firm that has investments in Ilodo across a wide range of industries such as oil palm plantation, palm oil production, and palm kernel oil production. His company undertook the management of Apoje Farms for Ogun State from 2004 to 2010. His firm also entered into a joint venture with XXXX Partners on Renewable Energy (Solar) in Nigeria.
In 2004, Oba Isiaka Olajide was decorated with a special award by the Ogun State government in recognition of his invaluable service to Ogun State in particular, and to humanity in general. In his leisure time, Oba Isiaka Olajide goes out to clubs, and he enjoys driving and listening to good music. He is married to only one wife and their marriage is blessed with three children.
