I am descended from four major Yoruba royal families.  Through my father, I am descended from Ajase-po royal family on the one part and Offa royal family on the other. Through my mother, from Ila Orangun and Ikirun royal families. Importantly, Ila was the Head of the Igbomina as Offa was the Head of the Ibolo. I have thus been blessed to have descended from four Yoruba dynasties.

Intuitively, I see myself as an avatar of a sort; embodying all the virtues and nuances of these royal bloods. Easily, this story of my life could carry the title: Alade Merin, but my journey through life has been inexplicably tied to several other factors that have overshadowed my royal beginnings. There is a slice of my life that is far more profound, or do I say, that has remained vivid as it flickers in my subconscious. A chance meeting with that great American poet, Robert Frost while doing my Ph.D in the U.K. and even earlier before, my encounter with his most prominent poem The Road Not Taken (as an undergraduate in the U.S.A.), which purportedly ponders on the choices we make, or refuse to make, as we wade through the seas of life, provided a veritable interpretation of my life. In this wise, this memoir is PATH OF DESTINY.

In this compelling and forthcoming account of his life, Professor Oyawoye demonstrates the values and principles - loyalty to his family, friends and community; a strict adherence to professional integrity and excellence - which have made him respected and highly admired among his peers, his immediate community and the nation at large.