“Alaafin Owoade has apparently forgotten that the current geographical location of Oyo Town is not the same geographical location of the Old Oyo Empire capital (Oyo-Ile). The Fulani’s had sacked Oyo-Ile in 1835 or thereabout!”
Let me dive into the matter fully and stop skirting the edges.
My generation grew into consciousness knowing Ooni Adesoji Aderemi as the unchallenged, unchallengeable chairman of the Western State’s council of Obas.
Before Oyo State was created, there was Western State, created along with 11 other states by Head of State Yakubu Gowon.
Ooni Aderemi had been on the throne since 1930. (He died in 1980.)
As the most prominent traditional ruler so recognised by the existing native political structures and hierarchy, the colonial masters appointed Ooni Aderemi as the first Governor of the Western Region in 1960.
No consideration whatsoever was given to the Alaafin and the moribund Oyo Empire.
Remember, Western Region included what are now known as Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Ondo, Ekiti, Osun, and parts of Edo and Delta states.
Prior to the appointment of Ooni Aderemi as Governor in 1960, Alaafin Adeniran Adeyemi II had been enthroned in 1945 and deposed in 1954, banished first to Ilesa and later to Lagos where he died in 1959.
Alaafin Adeniran Adeyemi II was the father of the immediate past Alaafin Lamidi Adeyemi III.
Please note that Alaafin Siyanbola Ladigbolu I and Alaafin Bello Gbadegesin Ladigbolu II succeeded Alaafin Adeniran Adeyemi II, respectively, before Alaafin Adeyemi III ascended the throne in 1970.
I know it’s getting a bit convoluted but please stay with me for a minute.
The immediate past Alaafin ascended the throne in 1970.
Ooni Aderemi ascended the throne in 1930.
That’s a 40-year gap.
Young (31 years old) Alaafin Lamidi Adeyemi III, whose father was deposed and banished for rudeness to the government of Obafemi Awolowo of the Western Region, could not be challenging Ooni Aderemi for supremacy even though he ascended the throne during the military era. Ooni Aderemi, an enlightened, influential, revered traditional ruler was not in the same league with Alaafin Lamidi Adeyemi.
But 10 years later (in 1980) and four years after the creation of Oyo State (consisting of the present Oyo and Osun states in 1976) Ooni Aderemi died and was succeeded by 50 years old shipping magnate, Ooni Okunade Sijuade, who was eight years older than Alaafin Lamidi Adeyemi.
That was when Alaafin Adeyemi started to assert his supremacy as “permanent chairman” of Oyo State Council of Obas.
Ooni Sijuade would not have any of that. The Olubadans (there were many in that period🤣) and Soun Ajagungbade would not have any of that.
So, the Council rarely ever sat with the Soun, the Olubadan, the Alaafin, and the Ooni all in attendance at the same time.
In fact, things got so bad between 1979 and 1983 (during the civilian administration) when Alaafin Adeyemi was perceived as leaning towards the NPN (his father had been deposed by Awolowo, remember?) and Ooni Sijuade was clearly a UPN-Awolowo person.
Neither Alaafin Adeyemi nor Ooni Sijuade yielded for each other until 1991 when Osun State was created and Ife fell under Osun.
No Oba in Osun State challenged Ooni Sijuade for supremacy.
But the Olubadans and the Soun continued to give cold shoulders to Alaafin Adeyemi in terms on supremacy. So, the Oyo State’s council of Obas continued to be in limbo.
Soon after the current Ooni Adeyeye Ogunwusi (now 52 years old) ascended the throne in 2015, he embarked on a tour of Obas’ palaces – prominent and not-so-prominent, in and outside of Osun State, spreading good tidings and emphasising that he was not interested in any supremacy fight.
In fact, he toured so much that folks began to complain that he was lowering the status/stature of the Ooni stool.
Then Alaafin Adeyemi passed and was succeeded by the current Alaafin – 51 years old Akeem Owoade – in January last year.
And since then, this Alaafin has embarked on the quest to return the current Oyo town to its old, (in)glorious, Oyo Empire era – with supremacy over every Yoruba city, town, village, and hamlet – even including the Ekitis that never came under the old Empire.
Alaafin Owoade has apparently forgotten that the current geographical location of Oyo town is not the same geographical location of the Old Oyo Empire capital (Oyo-Ile). The Fulani’s had sacked Oyo-Ile in 1835 or thereabout!
Alaafin Owoade has also forgotten that after the Fulanis sacked Oyo Empire and killed the reigning Alaafin, Oyo people fled to today’s Igboho, and later relocated to Ago D’Oyo – the current location of Oyo Town.
Throughout the time that Oyo was moving around, Ogbomoso never moved. Ibadan never moved. In fact, Ibadan and Ogbomoso began to explode in population.
Oyo people and their Alaafins were able to remain in present-day location through the grace of Ibadan warriors who protected them against the rampaging Fulanis and guaranteed their survival.
Alaafin Owoade must shed the imperialistic tendency associated with Oyo since the 14th Century.
Times have changed. No one cares about nor respects any emperors anymore.
People enthrone young, modern traditional rulers so that they can influence/facilitate public and private investments/developments to their towns and cities.
I know Oyo Town very well. The town can use a lot of agro-allied industries to begin with. It can use a lot of modern residential estates and 4-Star hotels. It can use a railway linkage and so many other job-creating entities.
This Alaafin who’s had a stint in Canada should eschew all this supremacy nonsense and take a cue from Ooni Ogunwusi on humility and networking.
He should also learn to smile a little.
No one is going to respect him if he is demanding respect. People are just going to respect the stool; not the arrogant man sitting on it.
Ko je bo se je.
Doxology.
•Ladepo was a journalist, a former US soldier and a farmer, based in Ibadan.
