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| Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi (Iku-Baba-Yeye) |
At a time
when lovers of culture and tradition around the world think the peace deal between the youthful Ooni of Ife, HIM Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi
(Ojaja II) and the elderly Alaafin of Oyo,
HIM
Oba Lamidi Adeyemi has been strengthened beyond cracks through the
various peace moves embarked upon by the new Ooni on ascension to his
reign two years ago, another crisis is said to be brewing between the two
prominent Yoruba kings.
when lovers of culture and tradition around the world think the peace deal between the youthful Ooni of Ife, HIM Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi
(Ojaja II) and the elderly Alaafin of Oyo,
HIM
Oba Lamidi Adeyemi has been strengthened beyond cracks through the
various peace moves embarked upon by the new Ooni on ascension to his
reign two years ago, another crisis is said to be brewing between the two
prominent Yoruba kings.
The crack
which led to a subtle altercation between the Ooni and Alaafin at a
recent public outing in Ile-Ife is
said to have been caused by the traditional drummers of the Ooni of Ife.
which led to a subtle altercation between the Ooni and Alaafin at a
recent public outing in Ile-Ife is
said to have been caused by the traditional drummers of the Ooni of Ife.
How the show of shame manifested
Information
gathered by Asabeafrika revealed that the emotional strife between the two prominent
Yoruba monarchs took place at a recent seminar in honor of
prominent lawyer and elder statesman, Chief Afe Babalola at the
prestigious Obafemi Awolowo University
(OAU), in Osun State—Western Nigeria. The Department
for Educational Studies of the great institution is said to have organized
her annual lecture where they equally decided to honor the veteran Ekiti State born lawyer and educationist,
Chief
Afe Babalola with a Doctorate Degree.
gathered by Asabeafrika revealed that the emotional strife between the two prominent
Yoruba monarchs took place at a recent seminar in honor of
prominent lawyer and elder statesman, Chief Afe Babalola at the
prestigious Obafemi Awolowo University
(OAU), in Osun State—Western Nigeria. The Department
for Educational Studies of the great institution is said to have organized
her annual lecture where they equally decided to honor the veteran Ekiti State born lawyer and educationist,
Chief
Afe Babalola with a Doctorate Degree.
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| The Chief Host, Dr.Afe Babalola |
It was
gathered that it was the presence of Chief Afe Babalola that drew the
presense of the two eminent Yoruba
monarchs to OAU as they held Chief Afe Babalola in very high esteem.
gathered that it was the presence of Chief Afe Babalola that drew the
presense of the two eminent Yoruba
monarchs to OAU as they held Chief Afe Babalola in very high esteem.
Arrival of the Alaafin of Oyo
|
| His Imperial Majesty Oba Lamidi Adeyemi (Alaafin of Oyo) |
Information
at Asabeafrika’s
disposal has it that the Alaafin of Oyo
arrived the venue of the event two hours to the lecture and was quickly led to
a guest room where the organizers kept the elderly monarch with his entourage.
It was gathered that all the time that the Alaafin was waiting at the guest
room, Chief Afe Babalola was at the Palace of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi to salute the king on his arrival into
town from Ekiti. However, the elder
statesman left the Ile Nla (Ooni’s Palace) with twelve of his senior lecturers and
aides for the venue of the lecture after greeting the Ooni and got the green
light that he will be at the event. On his arrival, Chief Babalola was
informed about the arrival of the Alaafin
for the past 2 hours and being sensitive to such gesture of punctuality, the
founder of Afe Babalola University
was said to have quickly moved into the guest room where the Alaafin was seated
with his aides and on sighting the royal father, the elderly lawyer allegedly
went flat on his belly prostrating to the Kabiyesi
as a mark of profound respect. Chief Babalola was said to have
passionately appealed to the Alaafin to
forgive his negligence for keeping him waiting for so long. Chief
Afe Babalola was said to have equally told the Alaafin that he was held up at the Ooni’s court as he had to pay him a short visit on arrival to Ile-Ife.
at Asabeafrika’s
disposal has it that the Alaafin of Oyo
arrived the venue of the event two hours to the lecture and was quickly led to
a guest room where the organizers kept the elderly monarch with his entourage.
It was gathered that all the time that the Alaafin was waiting at the guest
room, Chief Afe Babalola was at the Palace of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi to salute the king on his arrival into
town from Ekiti. However, the elder
statesman left the Ile Nla (Ooni’s Palace) with twelve of his senior lecturers and
aides for the venue of the lecture after greeting the Ooni and got the green
light that he will be at the event. On his arrival, Chief Babalola was
informed about the arrival of the Alaafin
for the past 2 hours and being sensitive to such gesture of punctuality, the
founder of Afe Babalola University
was said to have quickly moved into the guest room where the Alaafin was seated
with his aides and on sighting the royal father, the elderly lawyer allegedly
went flat on his belly prostrating to the Kabiyesi
as a mark of profound respect. Chief Babalola was said to have
passionately appealed to the Alaafin to
forgive his negligence for keeping him waiting for so long. Chief
Afe Babalola was said to have equally told the Alaafin that he was held up at the Ooni’s court as he had to pay him a short visit on arrival to Ile-Ife.
The event
was said to have kick started immediately as the drummers of the Alaafin released some melodious tunes
and rhytms to welcome guests to the venue. The Alaafin equally took his seat as he savored the moment.
was said to have kick started immediately as the drummers of the Alaafin released some melodious tunes
and rhytms to welcome guests to the venue. The Alaafin equally took his seat as he savored the moment.
Arrival of the Ooni of Ile-Ife…
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| Ooni of Ile-Ife, Oba Babatunde Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi (Ojaja II) |
It was said
that some twenty five minutes into the event proper, the Ooni of Ife arrived with an intimidating entourage of drummers,
traditional sax men and a mass of aides. In fact, it was alleged that the
entire hall where the event was ongoing nearly went banana with the kind of
crowd of men and women that arrived with the Ooni of Ife coupled with the hard way his drummers started to beat
their drums to the hearing of guests and organizers alike. Sources claimed that
the organizers of the event had to stop the event for 15 minutes just to allow Ooni’s drummers to have their pleasure
of beating the drums until their principal settles down properly.
that some twenty five minutes into the event proper, the Ooni of Ife arrived with an intimidating entourage of drummers,
traditional sax men and a mass of aides. In fact, it was alleged that the
entire hall where the event was ongoing nearly went banana with the kind of
crowd of men and women that arrived with the Ooni of Ife coupled with the hard way his drummers started to beat
their drums to the hearing of guests and organizers alike. Sources claimed that
the organizers of the event had to stop the event for 15 minutes just to allow Ooni’s drummers to have their pleasure
of beating the drums until their principal settles down properly.
The Rhythm that got the Alaafin
boiling…
boiling…
 |
| The Ooni of Ile-Ife, Oba Babatunde Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi (Ojaja II) |
Sources
claimed that immediately Ooni’s
drummers started beating their talking drums to tell how Ooni is superior to any Oba
(King) in Yoruba land, the Alaafin who knew the meaning of their drum-tale,
which is obviously to ridicule his presence, laughed wryly. The Alaafin was said to have wondered
silently why the Ooni’s drummers
could be interested in telling such stories with their drumming. The Alaafin was said to have immediately
told the Ooni who was seated beside
him that ‘Can you hear what your drummers are saying with the talking drum?’
Oba Adeyeye was said to have told Oba Adeyemi that he was not attentive to
the drumming and could not decipher what they were saying.
claimed that immediately Ooni’s
drummers started beating their talking drums to tell how Ooni is superior to any Oba
(King) in Yoruba land, the Alaafin who knew the meaning of their drum-tale,
which is obviously to ridicule his presence, laughed wryly. The Alaafin was said to have wondered
silently why the Ooni’s drummers
could be interested in telling such stories with their drumming. The Alaafin was said to have immediately
told the Ooni who was seated beside
him that ‘Can you hear what your drummers are saying with the talking drum?’
Oba Adeyeye was said to have told Oba Adeyemi that he was not attentive to
the drumming and could not decipher what they were saying.
The Ooni’s Speech…
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| The Aarole Oodua, HIM, Ooni Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi |
The Ooni of Ife
was said to be the first to be called to speak at the event despite the early
arrival of the Alaafin. The Ooni of Ile-Ife was said to have spoken
on the theme of the event and equally eulogized the personality of Chief Afe Babalola for his immense
contribution to the education and legal profession in Nigeria.
was said to be the first to be called to speak at the event despite the early
arrival of the Alaafin. The Ooni of Ile-Ife was said to have spoken
on the theme of the event and equally eulogized the personality of Chief Afe Babalola for his immense
contribution to the education and legal profession in Nigeria.
The Alaafin’s speech…
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| The Iku Baba Yeye, Alaafin Oba Lamidi Adeyemi seated with his entourage |
The Alaafin of Oyo was the next to speak on
the podium and for the elderly Yoruba
monarch, it was the right time to hit the nail on the box. Sources said Oba Adeyemi started his
speech by making it known to his listeners at the event and probably the Ooni that Oyo is the owner of the drum culture. The Alaafin noted that the drum culture started in Oyo before it spread to other parts of the world.
the podium and for the elderly Yoruba
monarch, it was the right time to hit the nail on the box. Sources said Oba Adeyemi started his
speech by making it known to his listeners at the event and probably the Ooni that Oyo is the owner of the drum culture. The Alaafin noted that the drum culture started in Oyo before it spread to other parts of the world.
The Alaafin went further by saying that it
was when Alaafin Oranmiyan left Ile-Ife
to establish himself in Oyo that he decided
to institutionalize the drum culture. That it was Oranmiyan’s culture to go to the war front with the drummers
beating their drums to boost his ego. The Alaafin
was said to have gone further to warn the Ooni’s
drummers to be matured next time in their creative enterprise in order not to
use their drum skill to create enmity for their principal.
was when Alaafin Oranmiyan left Ile-Ife
to establish himself in Oyo that he decided
to institutionalize the drum culture. That it was Oranmiyan’s culture to go to the war front with the drummers
beating their drums to boost his ego. The Alaafin
was said to have gone further to warn the Ooni’s
drummers to be matured next time in their creative enterprise in order not to
use their drum skill to create enmity for their principal.
At the end
of his lecture, the Alaafin was said
to have stylishly warned the Ooni
when he lectured the first class monarch this way “Up till this very day, there is
no King in Yoruba land whose position or authority is bigger than that of the
Alaafin of Oyo”.
of his lecture, the Alaafin was said
to have stylishly warned the Ooni
when he lectured the first class monarch this way “Up till this very day, there is
no King in Yoruba land whose position or authority is bigger than that of the
Alaafin of Oyo”.
According to
those who attended the event, that assertion by the Alaafin of Oyo was allegedly targeted at nobody than the Ooni of Ife and his drummers who were
seated in the hall, as he made the world to know at the event that “the Ooni of Ife is not bigger than the Alaafin of Oyo Empire”.
those who attended the event, that assertion by the Alaafin of Oyo was allegedly targeted at nobody than the Ooni of Ife and his drummers who were
seated in the hall, as he made the world to know at the event that “the Ooni of Ife is not bigger than the Alaafin of Oyo Empire”.
This
statement was said to have made a large number of guests inside the Oduduwa Hall of University of Ile-Ife to make a rousing remark to hail the Alaafin’s pronouncement. They instantly
got the message that the elderly Alaafin
of Oyo was only making a strong statement that under no circumstance should
anyone ever say it either in private or public that Ooni or any other Oba is
bigger than him in Yoruba land.
statement was said to have made a large number of guests inside the Oduduwa Hall of University of Ile-Ife to make a rousing remark to hail the Alaafin’s pronouncement. They instantly
got the message that the elderly Alaafin
of Oyo was only making a strong statement that under no circumstance should
anyone ever say it either in private or public that Ooni or any other Oba is
bigger than him in Yoruba land.
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| The Alaafin of Oyo arriving for an event with his entourage |
It will be
recalled that same circumstance of arrival with beating of drums led to the
recent row between the Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu and the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi (Ojaja II) at a public event in Lagos.
recalled that same circumstance of arrival with beating of drums led to the
recent row between the Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu and the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi (Ojaja II) at a public event in Lagos.
Although
guests at the public lecture said what the Alaafin
said at the event rattled the Ooni
but the charismatic monarch has severally made it known to the public that he
is not ready to contest power or position with anybody as he is for peace and
development among the Yoruba kings of South Western Nigeria.
guests at the public lecture said what the Alaafin
said at the event rattled the Ooni
but the charismatic monarch has severally made it known to the public that he
is not ready to contest power or position with anybody as he is for peace and
development among the Yoruba kings of South Western Nigeria.
(Culled & Translated from Alariya
Oodua Magazine)
Oodua Magazine)
