The frosty
relationship between Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade and the Alaafin
of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III continued over the weekend, as Oba
Adeyemi lashed out at Oba Sijuwade, describing him as one fond of
distorting history and ignorant of the details of his ancestral roots.
Oni had during the Centenary anniversary of late Chief Obafemi Awolowo
held at the MUSON Centre in Lagos criticized Alaafin over the
celebration of Oranyan.
He was said
to have described Alaafin as not being connected to Oranyan, one of the
sons of Oduduwa and so not qualified to celebrate him. Ooni was said to
have stressed that Alaafin was reigning over a dead empire, saying that
Alaafin was a rascally person and that "Alaafin is not Oranyan", but he
had kept his cool and went ahead with the Oranyan celebration, "which
attracted many dignitaries from all walks of life in Nigeria and in the
Diaspora". Oba Adeyemi while reacting at the weekend during the special
birthday lecture organized in his honour by the
'City People Magazine',
entitled: "Reviving Old Oyo Customs and Tradition", delivered by a
Portuguese national, Ms Paula Gomes (Alaafin's Cultural Ambassador), the
monarch said he had decided not to engage in altercations with Ooni any
longer since former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo summoned him,
the Awujale of Ijebu, the late Oba Oyebade Lipede and the Ooni to an
all-night meeting, and everybody had agreed to cease fire.
He however
said despite keeping his cool, Ooni had continued to castigate him and
his traditional activities, adding that he had deemed it appropriate "to
recall history, educate the Ooni and let the world know the truth."
Making reference to series of documentary evidence, Alaafin recalled
that Oyo is superior to Ife in many ramifications, asking, "where did
this Yoruba Language that we are speaking originate from? Which language
was used in writing the Bible? It is Oyo Language. Why not Ife
language? Where else are they speaking Ife Language apart from Lagere
Quarters? Why are the Modakeke people, who are living behind Ife not
speaking Ife Language?". Alaafin further said that he had confronted
Ooni with various questions in the past, even before Chief Obasanjo at
the meeting, but he could not answer them, "instead, he came with books
that could fill three baskets".
Alaafin
said that, "In 2009, Ooni had rubbished the institution of Alaafin, but a
year after when he was celebrating his birthday said Oranyan was his
father's ancestor. "How could you have denigrated your ancestors and
later claim that you are a son of the Alaafin. Anybody who does not know
his ancestral roots, who did not strive to learn about it, and does not
learn from those who know, will continue to make mistakes and flounder
in ignorance. That is part of Ooni's inadequacies. "When we wanted to
celebrate Sango, they said Sango is not Yoruba. Sango studied Quoran. He
was the one that was first conferred with the title of 'Akeugberu'. He
was the first in the art of adjudicating justly.
When he was
born, the umbilical cord that joined him with his mother could not be
detached. Because they pulled it and it would not cut, it became the
name 'Afonja'. The glory, success and tradition of Yoruba started from
Oyo", the Alaafin emphasized. He added that Oyo state during the
administration of late Chief Bola Ige (SAN) came up with a stamped paper
recognizing Oranyan as the Head of the Princes and Princesses in
Yorubaland, "and that Oyo dominated all other nations, namely: Ife,
Ijebu, Egba, Ijesa, Sabe, Owu and so on". Oba Adeyemi equally said that
when Messrs Richard Lander and McPherson visited Oyo-Ile in 1827, they
concluded that what they saw in Oyo-Ile in terms of historical
structures and rich cultural heritage was uncompared with what obtained
in the old European world, while cautioning the Ooni against further
distorting historical facts, which he said his (Sijuade) predecessor,
Oba Adesoji Aderemi, did not do. In his congratulatory address on the
occasion, the Director, Institute of African Studies, University of
Ibadan, Professor Isaac Albert, said that the university was ever proud
to associate with the Alaafin, who turned 74 on October 15, "being our
able and reputable patron that epitomizes the rich African cultural
heritage and an inspiration to all of us."
Culled From: The Sun
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