Oba Gbadebo I, the Alake of Egba, was the first Nigerian monarch to travel to England in May of 1904. King Edward VII had invited the State to make the visit. He had been there by sea for twenty days. During his visit, he prayed at Westminster Abbey and stayed at Buckingham Palace.
A massive Holy Bible that is currently housed in the Palace of the Alake of Egbaland was a gift from the King to him. His parents are Yoruba, and he was born in Freetown. He began his career as a printer before moving into the importing and trading of goods, eventually rising to become one of the richest men in West Africa. He has also published newspapers at different points in time.
Gold Coast Colony Advertiser, The Lagos Times, and The Lagos Weekly Times were among his publications. Charlotte Obasa, a well-known philanthropist and advocate for women’s rights, had a father named Blaze. In addition, Obasa owned Lagos’s first private motor transport business.
Photo Info: Standing in the middle, the Alake of Abeokuta (as it was called then) in his state/royal robles and crown, beside him on the right is Sir William MacGregor (Colonial Governor of Lagos from 1899-1904), beside the Governor is the nephew of the Alake, Prince Ladapo Ademola, who would later become the Alake of Egbaland from 1920-1962, and beside him is Lagos Merchant Richard Beale Blaze.