The Elesie of Esie community in Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara State, Oba Yakubu Babalola, Egunjobi II has conferred an honorary chieftaincy title on the author of, "The Stone images of Esie, Nigeria", Dr. Phillips Stevens Jr, in recognition of his contribution to Esieland.

The title of Erewumi of Esieland was conferred on the American author at the event marking the 25th coronation anniversary of the traditional ruler, held between November 29 and December 1, 2012.

As part of the event, the author visited the premises of National Museum, Esie on November 28, where he was received by the Curator, Mrs. Omowumi Mopelola, and members of her staff.
Traditional talking drummers were stationed on ground to give him a rousing welcome in traditional Yoruba way.

He was particularly thrilled by the oral rendition (ewi) by one of the staff, Mr Fatile Jonathan, just as he requested if he could record and take it back to the United States of America.

Highlight of the welcome arrangement was the presentation of a bouquette of flowers by Miss Patrick Ndidi Patricia, a Youth Corps Member with the station.

On November 29, there was a lecture, entitled; "Part one of the Great Asset of Esie", organised by the erudite scholar in the premises of Esie museum.

At the lecture, the Elesie was represented by Baale of Esie, Alhaji Yinka Yusuf, as tradition forbids the Elesie from seeing the stone images (Ere Esie).

The lecture, which witnessed a large turn-out of dignitaries from far and near was graced by the Chairman of Irepodun Local Government Area, Kwara State, Princess Bashirat Babalola-Mohammed, Dr. Olalekan Akinade, Deputy Director, Research Planning and Publication, National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), who represented the Director General of the Commission, Mallam Usman Yusuf; as well as the Traditional Council of Chiefs of Esie Kingdom, among others.

In the lecture, Dr Stevens chronicled his antecedents in Esieland, how he arrived in Nigeria in 1963 as a member of American Volunteer Peace Corps teaching English Language in Ibadan.
In 1965, he was seconded to the Federal Department of Antiquities as the NCMM was then known.

It was during that period that the first house of images (Ile-Ere) built in 1945, which was invariably the first museum in Nigeria crumbling.

The Director of Antiquities therefore, directed him to come to Esie on a rescue mission, to catalogue, repair as many objects as possible and build a new museum complex.

At the end of April 1966 when he went back to the USA, he said he had completed the cataloguing of the objects and a new museum complex was put in place that houses the stone objects till now.

He returned to Esie in 1974 on an invitation from the Federal Department of Antiquities to publish his catalogue of the images as parts of the events marking the 2nd World Festival of African Arts and Culture (FESTAC 77). While in Esie on his second sojourn, he took better photographs and did further research which led to the publication of his book in 1978 titled, The stone images of Esie, Nigeria that was published by Ibadan University Press and Federal Department of Antiquities, and in America by the African Division of Holmes & Meier Publishers of New York City.