The earliest recorded history of the Ajayi Jegede Family dates back to the mid 18th century at the time of the reign of Atewogbuwa the 43rd Awujale Of jebu. The family name over the years has changed with succeeding generations. Many of these names are yet to be fully searched but it is well known that Adesanya was the father of Adeduja who had three sons: Onokanren Bello Ajayi and Olufowobi. Ajayi was nick-named Jegede and by prolonged usage the name had become compounded to Ajayi-Jegede.

Ajayi Jegede like his contemporaries in those days was a trader with wide business interest which included a custom union which insulated the British on the coast in Lagos from the hinterland of Southern Nigeria. Though based in lta ‘Ntebo, he established a forward base in Sagamu where he was to extend his family link to the Delo-Dosunmu Family of Remo through Efunleye. He had eight other wives based in ljebu-Ode most of whom came from outside ljebu in
Kingdom. For example, Gbotifa and Oja came from Ado-Ekiti, Barikisi from llorin, Adetoun from Ofa, Morinatu a tapa.

Ajayi Jegede was a successful businessman and abundantly blessed with great wealth. His trade missions to Lagos convinced him of the importance of education and he was determined to educate all his male children even if it meant conceeding a change in their religious upbringing. Of the 14 foundation students of ljebu-Ode Grammar School in 1913, he had four sons enrolled, namely, Yedun (Father of Jide Ajayi), E.T.K. (Father of Femi and Funsho Ajay), E.S. Ajayi and J.L. Ajayi.

Needless to say, not less than 10 of his sons, at one time or another, attended ljebu-Ode Grammar School. By the time of his demise on the 12th April, 1912, he had become so wealthy and was one of the few who first were so privileged, to bring into Sagamu and spend the first British coins, hence the nick-name “Ajayi-Jegede, Olowo Sile” He left behind a formidable family group who, though originally born Moslems, subsequently converted to Christianity with the exception of three children. They were however all brought up as if they were born of one mother and nurtured in the spirit of togetherness. They ate always from the same pot, they sometime had group baths and it as a sin for a wife to selectively pamper her own child to the exclusion of other children. No child ever was to call his elder by name-no matter how close by birth nor blessed with wealth, position or power. To this day, the tradition persists. But the greatest heritage of the Ajayi-Jegede Family is the fostering of a sense of oneness.