For the Ooni

AKIN OSUNTOKUN

One of the unique and pleasant experiences of my adult life was the uncertain definition of my relationship status with the former Yoruba patriarch, Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuade.

Between him and my friends (Tokunbo, Deremi and several nieces and nephew) I often wonder whose buddy I really was. Regardless of his preoccupation at the time of my arrival, he was given to receive and acknowledge me with a wink and salutation ‘alagbara’.

On my 50th birthday, he arrived at the church before I did. He would also wish for me to be a regular member of his entourage. It got to a point I had to inquire from older relatives if they could fathom a reason for this unusual recognition. Not surprisingly, I learnt he was my father’s friend in the socio-political circuit of the Western region. Rummaging through his archives, I actually discovered a picture of the two of them sporting champagne glasses apparently at a cocktail party.

When his successor, Ooni Enitan Ogunwusi, Olofin Adimula, Ojaja II who didn’t know my dad (the pharaoh who didn’t know Joseph) picked up the baton and actually upped the ante, treating me like an Ife prince, I resolved to probe deeper. I delved into the Yoruba cosmological order and discovered a possible case of incarnation. My great grandfather, Dada Akoja, paired with the famous Ekiti warlord Ishola Fabunmi, once came to relieve a besieged Ife in one of the numerous century long Yoruba intra tribal wars.This primordial relationship has been of tremendous value to my present preoccupation with the academic study of Yoruba prehistory.

Along the way the incumbent Ooni floated an elite peer group, christened the ‘Ooni Caucus’ comprising leading lights from across the length and breadth of Yoruba land. The Ooni proposed that “In order for me to better secure the honour, safety, integrity and well being of the Yoruba heritage especially in this challenging and perilous times, I have decided to exercise the power conferred on me as the Arole Oodua, to constitute a caucus of eminent Yoruba sons and daughters, to support and advise me in the discharge of the royal mandate”.

“The caucus will serve as a body of primary advisers and companion to me in moving forward the institutionalisation of the ancient Oodua stool. We shall hold quarterly meetings at the Palace court in Ife and as occasion demands. In view of the prevailing security issues in the country, it will be the responsibility of the palace to ensure the safety and security of members in their ingress and egress to and from Ife. It will be the obligation of members to join kabiyesi in hosting major palace social and cultural events at Ife and accompany him in attendance at similar events to which the kabiyesi is invited. Members shall individually and collectively hold the obligation to protect and project the goodwill, prestige and power of the foremost Yoruba monarchy”.

The inauguration of the caucus was scheduled for July 20th 2021 and was thus fated to play into the news of the arrest of the Yoruba self-determination fighter Sunday Igboho the previous evening. This was reinforced by the propensity of the media to speculate and draw correlations between unrelated events.

It would have been clairvoyant of the Ooni to know beforehand that Igboho would be arrested on July 19th and thereby convene a meeting (of individuals travelling from different parts of the country) on the event for the following day. This clarification was by no means a distancing from the responsibility a Pan Yoruba caucus bears for intervening in any event that is of active concern to the Yoruba people. Perhaps the coincidence was a way of providence acclaiming the formation of the caucus and cutting out for us our task.

It was a responsibility imposed on us by unforeseen circumstances from which we cannot walk away. In the furore that followed, it however became impossible to organically separate the inauguration of the caucus from the Igboho development. To boot, the extraction and circulation of the so-called full membership list of the caucus went viral on the social media and became a celebrity cause celebre attracting applause, cynicism, blackmail and the occasional venom.

Sooner than later, we got caught up in the resurgence of the Ooni/Alaafin syndrome. We figured that a Yoruba monarchy-centred-initiative should prioritise goodwill visits with the other leading monarchs hence the quick order courtesy call on the Alaafin.

A member of the caucus and deputy chairman of the Oyo state traditional council, the Olugbon of Igbon, Oba Olusola Alao, employed his good offices to secure an appointment for a courtesy call on the Alaafin. But since there is no good way of reporting the drama of the visit from the two conflicting accounts of what transpired, the sooner the whole episode was forgotten the better for us all.

This was our first and last encounter with the late Oyo monarch. One of the reasons we felt confident in going to see him was the fact that hardly had the official ink dried on his appointment letter, kabiyesi Ogunwusi took the unprecedented initiative of going all the way to Oyo, Abeokuta and Ijebu-Ode to pay courtesy calls and rally the fellow monarchs to the cause of Yoruba solidarity and unity.

The generic report of the charm offensive and shuttle diplomacy was ‘On Sunday, February 7, 2016, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi visited the Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo at the latter’s Ake Palace in Abeokuta, Ogun State. It was in continuation of the Ooni’s recent “unity tour” to Yoruba monarchs during which he reiterated his message that there could not be development without unity. The recently coronated Ooni of Ife, Enitan Ogunwusi, on Friday visited the paramount ruler of Ijebuland, Sikiru Adetona, at Ijebu-Ode, ending 75 years of rivalry between the two monarchies.

Ooni Ogunwusi made a similar gesture when he visited the Alaafin of Oyo, Lamidi Adeyemi, on January 17 to end a 79-year old supremacy battle between the two thrones’.

“Before the visit to the Alake, the Ooni had paid an unscheduled visit to the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi at his palace in Oyo, Oyo State. He joined Oba Adeyemi in the celebration of his 45th anniversary on the throne and attended the thanksgiving service held at the Methodist Church, Apaara, Oyo to commemorate the Alaafin’s coronation anniversary. Oba Ogunwusi was the first Ooni to visit Oyo town since 1937. He was accompanied to Oyo by scores of monarchs across Yorubaland. He said he was determined to ensure the unity of all Yoruba sons and daughters all over the world.

“I am here today, though not invited. As the Arole Oduduwa, the onus is on me to felicitate with all sons and daughters of Oduduwa wherever they are and to show my solidarity for them. I am ready to damn any consequences or insinuations from anywhere; my mission here is to preach peace among nations of Yoruba both home and abroad and I am ready to work with the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi to project the unity and love which existed in the days of our forefathers,”.

The Alaafin, while expressing joy with the presence of the Ooni and other Yoruba Obas at the coronation anniversary, noted that if all the monarchs in Yorubaland unite, there would be tremendous progress in Nigeria. He said: “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 The Arole Oodua, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II and I feel delighted to host you and to reassure you that I am ready to work with you.”

The baton has now passed to the newly installed Alaafin Hakeem Owoade. Lending immense credibility to the selection process of Owoade was the wise initiative of Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo state in ensuring the fulfillment of the role assigned to Ifa in the appointment of a new Alaafin. He could not have gotten a better bearer of the will of Ifa than Professor Wande Abimbola. He is not just the foremost scholar on Ifa, he is the Araba (the head of the babalawos in Oyo).This is consistent with the view of Kayode Esuola that ‘Ifa remains the most systematized and authentic source of clarifying significant Yoruba matters, in all aspects of life’.

There is a sense of dejavu, of reliving the past in all of this. There is the striking parallel in how Adeyemi and Owoade emerged triumphant. Both instances defaulted on the side of integrity. As the commissioner for local government and home affairs in Western state,1970, it was the responsibility of ‘Dr Omololu olunloyo to announce the chosen candidate.

Dr olunloyo wrote in his book, “I had to visit ile ife when the trouble was too much. I submitted the qualified names to Ooni Aderemi for help. Aderemi stood up and told me let me consult my ancestors. When Aderemi came back after two hours, he gave a clear answer to all our fears ! Adeyemi is the best of the pack, declared the Ooni, first of all he will live longer on the throne, secondly during his reign there will  be peace and tranquility. I did not wait for a second, I thank Kabiyesi and left for ibadan. The following Monday I call the press and announce Adeyemi as the next king’. 

The fulsome role accorded Ifa in this process is a manifestation of the sociological continuity from pre colonial Yoruba society to contemporary post colonial Nigeria; a functional state-society continuity. I had hoped that Alaafin Owoade would vindicate this good augury with calculated and self assured steps to bolster and give meaning to the platitude of working for the unity, solidarity and development of Yorubaland.

The confidential reports of what transpired at his installation ceremony do not provide a basis for this optimism. I also sat down to watch the audio visual recording of Alaafin’s reception of the first lady. I thought the seating arrangement at the high table was quite belittling of the Ooni. I waited in vain for his special recognition from the host. None came save the acknowledgement “of all monarchs” here present.

You can accuse Ogunwusi of many flaws but rallying fellow Yoruba Obas for the cause of unity, brotherhood and mutual respect is not one of such flaws.

To you my friend, father and patriarch, Baba ria Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja the second, let us utilise this occasion to take stock and make necessary amends.