Ooni’s Palace Rebukes Oluwo Over ‘Ife Not Yoruba Origin’ Claim

The palace of the Ooni of Ife has dismissed claims by the Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrosheed Adewale Akanbi, that Ile-Ife is not the origin of the Yoruba people.

The Ooni’s spokesperson, Moses Olafare, described the Oluwo’s comments as unfounded and said, “No reasonable person will react to Oluwo’s comments.”

Oba Akanbi, known for his controversial statements, had in a video posted on social media while conferring a chieftaincy title at his palace, insisted that “Ile-Ife has no Yoruba culture.”

Speaking with his chiefs by his side, the Iwo monarch argued that the language spoken in Ile-Ife differs from mainstream Yoruba and questioned some of its cultural 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, but what we have is Olodumare. Ife people will always say Olofin, which they claim means the owner of the palace, but in Yoruba, that is different. Ile-Ife has no Yoruba culture,” Oba Akanbi said.

He further claimed, “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 never documented.”

Debates over the origins of the Yoruba people and the authority of monarchs to confer titles have been ongoing and often contentious.

The Ooni’s palace, however, urged Nigerians to focus on narratives that unite the Yoruba race rather than those that may divide it.

Olayinka Babatunde