Kabiyesi o, k’ade o pe lori, Ki bata pe l’ese. May your reign be long!
SIR, I am compelled to write this open letter to you in view of the recent letter you wrote to the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, on a matter that should not warrant such a degrading letter. I want to believe that you did not see the content of the letter purportedly signed by your media aide, Bode Durojaiye, before it was made public.
You come from a lineage that is well loved and respected in Oyo State and beyond. I still have fond memories of one of your uncles, Prince. B. O. Owoade, who was a former Principal at the Lagos State Model College, Kankon, in Badagry, and served from 1988 to 2005. Till date, his impact and legacies are still evident for all to see. Again, your cosmopolitan nature as a man who has lived in the United Kingdom and Canada for a long time as well as the exposure you must have acquired in those foreign lands should have shaped your views on the changing dynamics in world affairs.
Kabiyesi, in my opinion, you should not have approved such a letter to be written to a fellow Oba. Even if the Oba is a Third-class Chief, he does not deserve the manner in which Durojaiye penned that letter. Sir, allow me to quote what your media aide wrote on your behalf: “The attention of the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Akeem Owoade I, has been drawn to the purported conferment of the chieftaincy title of Okanlomo of Yorubaland on a business tycoon, Dotun Sanusi, by the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi.
The conferment of a chieftaincy title, which borders on Yorubaland by the Ooni of Ife is an affront to the referred institution of the Alaafin, who is the Titan of Yorubaland and who holds the exclusive right to confer any chieftaincy title which covers the entire Yorubaland on anyone.
The Ooni of Ife is behaving as if there is no authority to check and call him to order, and because of that ‘above the law’ syndrome of his, he is in the habit of walking on everybody’s back, including the apex Court in the country, the Supreme Court, which had ruled on the exclusive preserve of the Alaafin to confer chieftaincy titles that cover the entire Yorubaland on anyone.
The instrument of office presented to Oba Ogunwusi during his installation specifically limits his traditional area of authority to Oranmiyan Local Government, which has now been split into three local governments, viz: Ife Central, Ife North, and Ife South. The dictum that nobody is above the law is now being put to a crucial test, and the reality of our time makes it very obligatory for the Alaafin to call the Ooni of Ife to order and demand revocation of the so-called Okanlomo of Yoruba land chieftaincy title conferred on Engineer Dotun Sanusi within 48 hours, or face the consequences.’’
Iku Baba yeye, that press statement is a slap on the faces of all true-born Yoruba sons and daughters worldwide. In fact, it is a minus on the exalted office you now preside over. I would be furious if anyone wrote in such a condescending manner to you. I want to believe that you did not see the final copy of the press statement before it was issued and the right thing to do would be to sack your media aide and get competent media and public relations experts on your team.
That letter was written last week Monday, and the 48 hours ultimatum given to the Ooni has elapsed. So, what has happened? Are Oyo warriors on their way to Ile-Ife to get the head of the Ooni as was the practice in the 16th century?
In the statement issued by your staff, he stated that the authority of the Ooni is limited to Oranmiyan Local Government, which has now been split into three local governments while you have authority over the entire Yoruba race. Kabiyesi, have you checked the 1999 constitution which we are presently operating in Nigeria? Do you know that a Local Government Chairman can remove you from office if he or she so desires?
Your appointment letter, in actual fact, was issued by the Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, and he could also sign a letter removing you from office. Kabiyesi, please go through old copies of Nigerian Newspapers or Magazines and read up of how powerless the traditional institution has become in Nigeria.
Recent developments where the Emir of Kano was deposed and his uncle installed is still fresh in our minds. The fact that the 48 hours given to the Ooni has elapsed and he is still on his throne shows that Durojaiye was out to ridicule you and your office. A first-class Oba should not be seen to be issuing an empty threat.
In another press statement issued by the same Durojaiye, he stated that you are not in any supremacy battle with the Ooni or any other traditional ruler, and that you derive your power to rule over all of Yoruba land through colonial fiat and a Supreme Court pronouncement. Hmmmm.
In the not-too-distant past, there has been record of rivalry between the Ooni and the Alaafin, particularly before the creation of Osun State out of the old Oyo State. However, when Ooni Ogunwusi got to the throne of his forefathers, he broke the jinx when he visited the late Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, twice, in January and May, 2016.
The last time an Ooni visited Oyo was in 1937, a trip made by the then Ooni, Oba Adesoji Aderemi. Both Oba Ogunwusi and Oba Adeyemi ensured that the seed of peace they sowed germinated and was well nurtured by their utterances and attitudes towards one another. That cordial relationship between them lasted till Oba Adeyemi joined his ancestors on April 22, 2022.
During the visit, the late Alaafin Adeyemi, who could not hide his joy, said it was the first time that an Ife monarch would be visiting Oyo since 1937, confirming that he had not enjoyed cordial relationships with the past Ife monarchs. Hear him: “May your reign be long, Ooni.
I am happy with Ooni Ogunwusi’s moves to unite all Yoruba Obas. This special visit was done last in March 1937, which was the first time the kings in Yoruba land met in Oyo town and history was made again, with the visit of Arole Oodua, Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, and I feel delighted to host you and to reassure you that I will be ready to work with you.
I have a tight relationship with Ooni Adesoji Aderemi, and I did not want to relent my bond with any Ooni of Ife that assumed the post, but everybody has their little differences. The peace process that I and the Ooni began will yield good results. We are on a mission to unite the entire Yoruba race, and the Ooni’s interest is a welcome development. Without peace and tolerance, we cannot establish lasting unity among our people.”
While responding to Alaafin’s complimentary remarks, Oba Ogunwusi said: “It is a new dawn for all Yoruba sons and daughters around the globe. I am here, though not invited, but as the Arole Oduduwa. The onus is on me to felicitate with all sons and daughters wherever they are and to show my solidarity for any of them.
I am ready to damn any consequences or insinuations from anywhere; my mission here is to preach peace among the nations of Yoruba, both home and abroad, and I am ready to work with the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Adeyemi, to project the unity and love which we believe exists in the days of our forefathers.
I am here in the presence of the people of Oyo and God, our creator, Who Knows everything. It is a day of joy when the Yoruba race comes together to celebrate its own leaders. It is also a day of joy because I am celebrating with our king, the Alaafin of Oyo.”
That was at the 45th coronation anniversary of your predecessor, where no fewer than 30 other kings were present. It is in line with this that I would plead with you to toe the line of unity of the Yoruba race.
Kabiyesi, Yoruba in particular, and Nigerians in general, have moved beyond those 18th century supremacy battles between hamlets and villages. We are in a modern era where ideas, science, and technology determine who is relevant in world affairs.
You left Nigeria first for the United Kingdom where you studied before finally settling down in Canada. Many of our compatriots are scattered all over the world, looking for how they would better their lives as those that we elect back at home to govern us have messed up our country.
Now that you have been placed in a position of power, what should be uppermost in your mind should be how to improve the lot of Yoruba sons and daughters at home and abroad. How you can, in your own little corner, create jobs for our teeming unemployed youths in Oyo, collaborate with fellow traditional rulers in the South west to revive our dying agricultural sector so that millions of your subjects would stop going to bed hungry.
What you can do to bring development to the nooks and cranny of Yoruba land should be paramount in your mind. You have the connections and exposure; you know how it was done in the developed world, where many of our compatriots now runs to for greener pastures, and I know that you can replicate developmental efforts back home.
Work with those in the government and other traditional rulers to bring development to the region. We are presently confronted by myriads of problems. Yoruba land is presently under siege. Our culture is dying. How to revive it should be paramount in your heart. Even some Obas who should be the custodian of our culture are the ones running away from it. This is sad.
Alaafin should emulate the good example set by Oba Adedokun Omoniyi Abolarin, the Oba of Oke-ila Orangun, who set up a school, Abolarin College, and still find time to teach. The school is offering free education with resources like free food, accommodation, laptops, and electricity supply to underprivileged children.
The development of the Yoruba race should be uppermost in your mind and you can’t do it alone without the support and cooperation of other Obas. Supremacy battle, and who should give chieftaincy titles should be the least of your concerns. Face the task ahead and may the spirit of your forefathers’ guide and protect you. Long may you reign on the throne!
Kabiyesi, ooooo!
…Oyo omo Alaafin
Ojo pa sekere mode omo atiba
O b’olowo wipe k’o gb’owo
O si n ba iwofa wipe k’o ju eru sile
Ase k’o le baa di’ja
Ko le baa di aapon
K’omo oba le ri je nibe
Oyo l’o gbin agbado oran
S’ehinkule elehinkule
Elehinkule ko gbodo yaa je
Beeni ko si gbodo tu u danu
Omo iku ti’ku ko le pa
Omo arun t’arun ko le gbe de
Omo ofo, t’ofo ko le se….”
See you next week.
- Akintunde is the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Glittersonline newspaper. His syndicated column, Monday Discourse, appears on News Point Nigeria newspaper on Mondays.