User:HRH

User:HRH is Wikipedian, Dr. Olúfẹ́mi Ọládàpọ̀ Babalọlá, who holds the royal title of "Ọba’lúmọ̀ n'Ìsẹ̀dó" or more commonly "Ọba’lúmọ̀ (of Ìsẹ̀dó or Ìsẹ̀dó-Òkè Realm/Quarter/Ward) in Òkè-Ìlá Ọ̀ràngún, the capital of Ifẹdayọ Local Government Area (equivalent of county) in Ọsun State, Nigeria.

His Royal Highness, Dr. Fẹ́mi Babalọlá is a member of the Traditional Royal Council of the Oke-Ila Kingdom under the paramountcy of His Royal Majesty, The Òràngún. The Ọba’lúmọ̀ royal title has existed in the Òkè-Ìlá Ọ̀ràngún kingdom since that kingdom was founded by Ọ̀ràngún Apakiimo towards the end of the 15th Century. Ọ̀ràngún Apakiimo had invited adjoining city-states and settlements to collaborate with him and consolidate to found a new kingdom.

Cultural Heritage

As heir of the ancient throne of the Royal Dynasty of the legendary Ọba'lúmọ̀, Founder-King of the Ìsẹ̀dó-Olúmọ̀ kingdom, an ancient Igbomina-Yoruba city-state, Dr. Babalọlá is formally addressed as: His Royal Highness, The Ọba’lúmọ̀: Olúfẹ́mi Adégbọlá Ọládàpọ̀mádé Babalọlá-Adékẹ́yè, [Ojúadé Adégbóyèga I]; Ọmọ Ọba’lúmọ̀ n’Ìsẹ̀dó, Ọmọ ọrọ̀ l’ Ọ̀bà, Ọm’Ọba Olúnlákin . (Ojuade means: "Eyes/Face of the Crown" implying “Eyes or Face of Royalty”; and Adegboyega means: " The Crown elevates the title"). A classical translation of the title Ọba’lúmọ̀ is “The King, the Lord of Knowledge” or “King of the Lords of Knowledge” meaning Knowledgeable or Learned King, which suggests that his ancestor, who is reputed in oral history recitations to be a veteran hunter and warrior, was also a highly skilled herbal/natural products pharmacologist and traditional doctor/herbal therapist as well as a Babalawo (a diviner priest of the Ifa oracle). The ancestor Oba'lumo was a prince that emigrated (circa 1200 AD) from the ancient civilization of Oba to found his own kingdom at Isedo (now physically connected to the modern Ila Orangun. The self-financed research and expeditionary tours of His Royal Highness,Dr. Babalọlá (starting from 2004) have revealed an extant Olumo clan in the ancient city of Oba (in Kwara State, Nigeria) which seem to be the same Olumo that generated the name "Isedo Olumo" as well as "Oba'lumo" (Oba Olumo: The King from the Olumo Clan)

Birth & Childhood; Basic Education

His Royal Highness, Dr. Fẹ́mi Babalọlá was born in Dunkwa-on Offin, Denkyira District, in The Gold Coast (which at her independence was renamed Ghana). His parents, Rev. Dr. Solomon Adeniyi Babalola and Rev. Mrs. Victoria Titiloye Babalola are of noble parentage, whose royal ancestries were unbeknown to him until his research into Oral History after reaching matured adulthood revealed the glorious past. His parents returned from Ghana to Nigeria when he was 2 years old, with him and his younger brother, and then lived in Bida and Minna (now in Niger State), and subsequently lived in Oyo and Ogbomoso where his father furthered his secular and theological education respectively.

HRH, Dr. Fẹ́mi Babalọlá started Primary school in his mother's Primary 1 class in 1959 at the Baptist Day School, Ara (now in Osun State, Nigeria) - unaware till "Report Cards Day" at the end of the year that he was not an "officially registered" student. In 1960, after his parents relocated their two sons to Oke-Ila Orangun (now in Osun State, Nigeria), he decided not to "repeat" Primary I, but started in Primary II at the Baptist Day School. In 1962, the whole family relocated to Ibadan, where he attended Primary IV at Oke-Ado Baptist Day School but finished Primary IV and completed the rest of his Primary School at Ijeru Baptist Day School, Ogbomosho (now in Oyo State, Nigeria).

HRH, Dr. Fẹ́mi Babalọlá entered Olivet Baptist High School, Oyo (now in Oyo State, Nigeria) in January 1966 as the first set of mixed gender students in the previously "boys' high school". (Until then, only the HSC - Higher School Certificate classes - had been mixed-gender for a few years).

University & Post-Graduate Education

After graduating from High School, he won admission to the University of Ibadan (for Biology) and the University of Ife (for Geology), but chose the University of Ife (subsequently renamed Obafemi Awolowo University) where he graduated June 1976 with a honors B.Sc. in Applied Geophysics, among Nigeria's first set of 12 baccalaureate Geophysics graduates.

Dr. Babalọlá earned his Master's degree in Geophysics from The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas.

His Royal Highness, Dr. Fẹ́mi Babalọlá holds a PhD degree in Geological Sciences with concentration in Geophysics/Geophysical Engineering from the University of South Carolina, in Columbia; and an MBA with concentration in Computer Information Management Systems from the University of Houston, Texas. He also did post-doctoral studies at the University of Houston, in Petroleum/Reservoir Engineering and in Industrial Engineering/Engineering Management.

His Royal Highness has taken several industry courses in the Geosciences, Management and Computer Applications.

Professional Practice

HRH, Dr. Fẹ́mi Babalọlá is an Independent Consultant with a global practice in the Upstream Petroleum and Information Systems industries, as well and Management/Business Administration disciplines. His Royal Highness's consultancy operates principally from Houston, Texas and Lagos, Nigeria to assist clients in the United States, Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East.

Dr. Fẹ́mi Babalọlá provides high-technology consulting services in petroleum exploration and production, software applications, project management, Business Development, Strategic management, systems analysis/ architecture, IT business continuity & disaster recovery, petroleum risk management, quantitative reservoir interpretation (integrating seismic, geophysical, geosteering/oil-well placement (with real-time reservoir modeling/reservoir characterization), well-log and reservoir engineering data) as well as 3D and 4D reservoir modeling.

HRH, Dr. Fẹ́mi Babalọlá also delivers industry courses, seminars and workshops to clients across the world in the Geosciences, Petroleum Exploration & Development, as well as Petro-technical Software Applications. He also delivers talks and lectures on various social, cultural, historical, civic-political and community development issues.

Wikipedia Activities & Extra-Curricular Interests

As a Wikipedian since the beginning of 2006 , Fẹmi (a common 'nickname' and short form of HRH, The Ọba’lúmọ̀'s first name, Olufemi), likes to write (and edit writings) on African, Nigerian, and Yoruba (cultural and language) topics including Cultural tourism, Heritage tourism and Ecosystems tourism, as well as issues relating to the African diaspora in the Americas. In addition, His Royal Highness likes to write and edit scientific topics in which he has professional expertise, as well as humanities topics (Languages, Literature, Folklore & "Oral Literature", Religion and Philosophy); social science topics (Archaeology, Anthropology, Cultural Studies, Geography, History, as well as Political Science) in which he considers himself a life-student.