AARE Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, Iba Gani Adams, has expressed strong opposition to the recent crowning of some Yoruba obas in diaspora by the Olugbo of Ugbo kingdom, Oba Fredrick Obateru Akinruntan, in his palace, describing the act as a complete desecration of Yoruba culture, tradition and value.
Iba Adams expressed this view in a signed statement made available to newsmen in Lagos on Monday, calling on governors in the South-West, especially the Ondo State governor, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu, as well as Yoruba monarchs to please call the monarch to order immediately before it was too late.
Olugbo, the report said, recently installed three people living in diaspora as Yoruba monarchs in Georgia, Liberia and Ireland.
They are Oba Bernard Shola Akinrimisi, the Oriade of Georgia; Oba Omobolaji Ogunkoya, the traditional ruler of Yoruba in Liberia, who is the Oodua Gbadewolu I and Oba Saheed Ibrahim Adufe, the traditional ruler of Yoruba in the Republic of Ireland.
“What Akinruntan did (he was even arrogant about it by referring to himself as the number one king in Yorubaland) is a complete desecration of our culture, tradition and value and I urge South-West governors, especially Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State, and Yoruba monarchs to please call him to order
immediately before it is too late,” Adams said, even as he noted that none of the crowned obas had royalty in their blood.
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“The three ‘chiefs’ have no royalty in their blood,” Iba Adams declared, urging also the Pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, the Yoruba Council of Elders (YCE) and other notable groups in the zone to raise their voices against what he described as fraud in order to protect the history of the race and put the record straight.
“In the same vein, I think all the socio-cultural groups in Yoruba land, including Afenifere, Yoruba Council of Elders, Yoruba Unity Forum and other notable groups in the Southwest should raise their voices against such fraud. It is our responsibilities to protect our history, and put our records straight,” he said.
Iba Adams, in his statement, recalled that he was in South Africa, on a week-long holiday, when the act committed by Oba Akinruntan was brought to his attention, saying one of those who alerted him likened the monarch’s conduct to that of ‘Sigidi’ in Yoruba culture, who, out of nothing to do or sheer pride, said it (Sigidi) should be taken to the stream or river.
Adams, while noting that millions of Yoruba were equally shocked by what the Olugbo of Ugboland did, said as the Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, he swore during his installation in January 2018, to always protect the name and project the image of Yorubaland, declaring: “That is exactly the purpose of my intervention at this moment.”
“This impudence is fraudulent, a clear and present danger that can destroy our tradition if something urgent is not done immediately,” he further declared, recalling the decision reached by the Yoruba obas at a crucial parley in November last year where it agreed unanimously that nobody should parade himself as Yoruba oba in the Diaspora.
This was just as he said that the royal fathers, including the Ooni of Ife, Oba Eniitan Ogunwusi; the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi, among several others condemned the act, declaring that nobody had the right to install an oba outside the shores of Nigeria.
“In November last year, I was a keynote speaker at an event in Ile Ife, where the Ooni of Ife, His Imperial Majesty, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi met over 300 monarchs, while the Alaafin of Oyo, His imperial majesty, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, sent a powerful delegation, to a three-day- meeting, organized under the auspices of Heritage Forum to discuss all the pertinent issues in Yorubaland.
“After the meeting, which was held at Ife Grand Resorts, all the royal fathers present at the gathering issued a communique, where they unanimously agreed that nobody should parade himself as Yoruba Oba in the Diaspora. They condemned the act, adding that nobody has the right to install an Oba outside the shores of Nigeria,” Iba Adams said.
“What Olugbo did, he did it single-handedly, against the wishes of all the Yoruba Obas in Nigeria as a whole,” he affirmed.
“A good example of this historical hiatus happened not long ago, when some surrogates came from France, asking the Oluwo of Iwo land, Oba Abdul Rasheed Akanbi, to install them as a Yoruba Oba in France.
“But rather than toeing the path to perdition as Olugbo just did, the Iwo monarch resisted, saying he will never go against the wishes of the Yoruba Obas. Oba AbdulRasheed Akanbi knew what was right from what was wrong. As a royal father, he does not want to go to Golgotha.
“I am delighted to say it anywhere that Yoruba history is rich in all ramifications. Nobody has the audacity to distort our history.
“For instance, one can only become an Oba either by hereditary or by conquering territories. None of the newly installed Obas in Olugbo’s Palace has a history of being related to royalty, either by blood (hereditary) or by conquering a territory,” Iba Adams contended.
“As the Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, I want to tell Akinruntan that he only crowned these characters as chiefs in his domain, not as Yoruba Obas in the Diaspora, because he doesn’t have the power. It is fraudulent, it is an affront on our history and we will not allow anybody to distort our history,” Aare Ona Kakanfo concluded.
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