OPINION: SACREDNESS, THE HALLMARK OF THE OONI OF IFE’s STOOL

 

Against the groundswell of unfounded rumours concerning the marital well-being or

 

otherwise of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, Ojaja 11, it bears reiterating and

 

reminding all and sundry that the institution being discussed with excitable animation is

 

not only profoundly sacred, the monarch’s silence – in the face of a robust commitment to

 

flipping the script on the expediency of traditional monarchy – should be respected, not

 

viewed as a weakness.

 

For the past two weeks, wild conjectures and wide permutations have dogged the news of the

 

purported separation between the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, Ojaja 11, and his

 

beautiful wife, Olori Wuraola. Indeed, the internet is good at spreading rumours as every

 

living soul from Ile-Ife to Illinois and everywhere in between has heard the ‘news’. More

 

worrisome perhaps is that some dilettante blogs and delinquent news portals have hinged the

 

separation on the Olori’s rumoured dalliances with several prominent Nigerians, some of

 

whom she had never even met. Some others have speculated that the marriage broke down

 

irretrievably when the Ooni declared his readiness to marry a second wife. By Jove, the

 

purveyors of the untruths forget that not only is the Ooni entitled to as many wives as his

 

royal loins can accommodate and satisfy, Olori Wuraola is well aware of this and could never

 

raise or have raised any eyebrow if the discussion came up.

 

Ironically, the Ooni has refused to personally say anything regarding the news, insisting that

 

he is too busy working day and night and travelling the world to ensure the prosperity and

 

unity of the Yoruba race, to bother about such frivolities. However, a statement signed by his

 

media aide, Comrade Moses Olafare, posited, “The palace is not interested in this rumour as there are lots of positive activities

 



 

happening every minute so we don’t have time to respond to such noise being created by

 

nonentities.” The Ooni’s silence is no sign of weakness; it is the hallmark of a monarch who is

 

far too driven by his singular commitment to ensuring a sustainable future for Yoruba unity,

 

culture and heritage.

 

Regarded as the most influential monarch in Black Africa, it bears educating and enlightening

 

the people that the Ooni is no mere mortal. Regarded as belonging to the pantheon of deities

 

that rules the universe, the Ooni is their representative here on earth; and a direct descendant

 

of Oduduwa, the progenitor of the Yoruba race. The Ooni, it is, that was mandated by the

 

forbears of the Yoruba race to oversee the affairs of mankind in Yorubaland and elsewhere. As

 

the King of Ile Ife, regarded as the cradle of creation and the centre of the Yoruba polity, the

 

Ooni oversees the affairs of mankind in Yorubaland and elsewhere, serving as the interface

 

between the people and the gods. So, the Ooni’s purported marriage upheaval should not be

 

fodder for blogosphere. But times have changed. New media has altered communication

 

radically and every fabrication of a puerile mind is celebrated like verified news. This

 

shouldn’t be the same with the Ooni.

 

Since his enthronement, the Ooni has made the unity, peace and prosperity of the Yoruba race

 

his pivotal focus, not fanning the embers of discord and disunity. Despite the documented

 

frostiness between the thrones of the Ooni of Ife and the Alafin of Oyo, which has spanned

 

over 79years, it is on record that Oba Ogunwusi broke that jinx when he paid an unscheduled

 

visit to Oba Lamidi Adeyemi in his Alaafin palace about three months after he became Ooni.

 

The unprecedented visit made an emotional Alaafin declare, “This special visit was done last

 

in March 1937. That was the first time the kings in Yorubaland met in Oyo town and today,

 

history was made with the visit of Arole Oodua, Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja 11. I feel delighted

 

to host you and to reassure you that I will be ready to work with you. May your reign be long,

 

Ooni. I am happy with your moves to unite all Yoruba Obas.”

 



 

Prior to the celebrated visit to the Alaafin, Oba Ogunwusi had embarked on a familiarisation

 

tour to all Yoruba monarchs during which he preached a harmonious working relationship

 

among them and the need to always speak with one voice. It was in the same vein that he

 

embarked on a 10-day visit to the United Kingdom last March during which he engaged

 

mainstream British cultural leaders, heritage institutions, diplomatic circles and academics to

 

discuss issues of mutual interest, partnership, collaboration, academic transformational

 

networks while rebuilding the scale of support for entrepreneurship skills that are modern,

 

creative and innovative. The Ooni further said that the visit would stimulate further

 

cooperation by promoting Yoruba culture as a genuine catalyst for British government cultural

 

integration projects.

 

Back home, the youthful Ooni has not lost touch with a major constituency under his

 

monarchy – the youth. Thus, one of the first things he did was to sponsor a musical

 

competition, Ojaja II Musical Talent Hunt & Concert which he figured would facilitate the

 

socio-economic liberation of the youth while drastically reducing crime rate not only in Ile-Ife

 

but also in the entire country. Winner of the contest, Shina Olawale, went home with a brand

 

new car and a record deal in the U.S.A while finalists were given heart-warming consolation

 

prizes. As part of his grand plans to boost tourism in Osun State, the Ooni announced in

 

January 2016 his plans to build a N7.6 billion Grand Resort which he said would empower

 

over 40, 000 widows and able-bodied youths in the state.

 

Indeed, within one year, Oba Ogunwusi has proved and asserted himself as the veritable

 

custodian of Yoruba culture with the unveiling in November 2016 the Statue of Moremi in Ile

 

Ife. Officially known as the Moremi Statue of Liberty, the statue, which immortalises

 

Moremi, a popular heroine in Yoruba folklore, is the tallest in Nigeria and third tallest in

 

Africa, behind The African Renaissance Monument in Dakar, Senegal, standing at 161 feet,

 

and the Great Sphinx of Giza, Egypt which is 66 feet tall. What has become of Ile-Ife and, by

 



 

extension, Nigeria, in terms of socioeconomic advancements either initiated or facilitated by

 

the widely-adored symbol of Oduduwa, within a little while, are indeed innumerable. As a

 

successful young man in tune with modern times but vested with the powers and

 

responsibilities of an all-powerful monarch, the Ooni has helped to redefine the essence of the

 

ancient seat, while maintaining and elevating the grandeur and reverence reserved for

 

monarchs. Yet, he is doing all these in a rapidly developing world with the rapid atrophy of

 

the essence of monarchy and the increasing menace of social media.