The palace of the Ooni of Ife has slammed the Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrosheed Akanbi, over his claim that Ile-Ife is not the origin of the Yoruba people.
Reacting to the comments, the Ooni’s spokesperson, Moses Olafare, dismissed the statement, saying, ‘No reasonable person will react to Oluwo’s comments’.
Oba Akanbi, known for his controversial views, had in a video posted on his Facebook page while conferring a chieftaincy title in his palace, insisted that ‘Ile-Ife has no Yoruba culture’.
Flanked by his chiefs, the Iwo monarch argued that the language spoken in Ile-Ife — widely regarded as the cradle of the Yoruba race — differed from mainstream Yoruba.
He also questioned the use of certain expressions.
‘Ife is not the origin of the Yoruba race. Those people don’t speak our language. Their language is different. They refer to God as Eledumare, and there is nothing like Eledumare in the Yoruba language. What we have is Olodumare.
‘Ife people will always say Olofin. If you ask them the meaning, they will tell you it means the owner of the palace. But in Yoruba, that is Alaafin. Ile-Ife has no Yoruba culture.
‘I am the Arole Olodumare because I am here to tell you the true history. Iwo is where you can get the real history that was not even documented’, he said, stressing his determination to preserve his version of history.
Debates over the origin of the Yoruba and the authority of monarchs to confer titles have long been contentious.
In August, DECENCY GLOBAL NEWS reported a similar face-off between the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, and the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Akeem Owoade, over the title of Okanlomo of Yorubaland, allegedly conferred on Ibadan businessman Chief Dotun Sanusi by the Ooni.
The Alaafin, through his media aide, Bode Durojaiye, insisted no traditional ruler other than him had the authority to bestow a title covering the entire Yorubaland. He issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the Ooni to revoke the title or ‘face the consequences’.
In response, the Ooni’s spokesperson, Olafare, dismissed the ultimatum, saying the monarch had chosen to leave the issue ‘in the court of public opinion’.
‘We cannot dignify the “undignifyable” with an official response. We leave the matter to the public court of opinion, as it is already being treated. Let’s focus on narratives that unite us rather than those capable of dividing us. No press release, please. Forty-eight hours, my foot!’ he wrote on Facebook.
