A member of Lagos' Idejo hereditary nobility, Chief Oluwa was a direct descendant of Olofin Ogunfunmire.
He held strong nationalist views, arguing that the British colonial government did not have the right to deprive his overlord Eshugbayi Eleko, the Oba of Lagos, of his ancestral powers.
In 1920, the chief, Prince Adeniji Adele and Herbert Macaulay journeyed to London to appear before the Privy Council.
In Amodu Tijani v Secretary, Southern Nigeria, the Council ultimately ruled in their favour.
This case proved to be a landmark in Nigerian history as it recognised the chiefs as absolute owners of the land.