The Minor Works of T. O. Avoseh*

I do not profess to have produced the best or [an] exhaustive history … but I hope that these feeble efforts of mine shall be a stepping stone for others to follow.This is the first part of a study of the works of Chief Theophilus Olabode Avoseh, the Gbesiewuof Badagry, a man of culture and self–education who represents two related but distinct peoples, the Egun and the Yoruba–Awori, and who, above all, is a prolific researcher and distinguished local historian. In this first part, I will provide the biodata on Avoseh, and then introduce his minor works with translations and comments designed to bring out their significance. My primary aims are to draw attention to these obscure works and make them accessible to other researchers.In the second part, I will examine Avoseh's major works, that is, his two studies of Badagry and Epe: A Short History of Badagrypublished in 1938, recently revised and awaiting publication, and A Short History of Epepublished in 1960. This second part will emphasize the special aspects of Avoseh's works and their contribution to Yoruba and Aja historiography. These two major works have been of considerable value to other historians in their reconstruction of the history of the coastal cities whereas the minor works presented here are comparatively little known.