“Baba Isale” literarily means “the pillar of support or the father underneath”. The occupants were believed to have played that role to Aare Onakakanfo Afonja. As a member of the Afonja family, they were incorporated into the Emirate Council with this title, Baba Isale of Ilorin. While the founding father of Baba Isale dynasty was Agbonrin, who was said to be a younger brother to Aare Onakakanfo Afonja, the incumbent Baba Isale of Ilorin is Alhaji Abubakar Sidiq Abdullahi who was turbaned on August 18, 2018.

The list of the previous Baba Isale is as follows:

1. Abdullah Baba fu                      10. Baba Usman   

2. Baba Musuru                             11. Baba Mahmud

3. Saliu Baba Ago                          12. Baba Issa

4. Umaru Sanda                            13. Baba Bello                              

5. Baba Oyedokun                        14. Baba Atolagbe                       

6. Muhammadu Jimoh Obe        15. Baba Aliu

7. Muhammadu Lanrewaju        16. Muhammadu Baba-nkanni

8. Aliyu Obe                                       17. Saka Alesinloye

9. Baba Tukur                                  18. Baba K. Bello