The news of the approval of Prince Akeem Abimbola Owoade as the 46th Alaafin of Oyo Kingdom came as a cheery one. So was the presentation of instruments of office to him by the governor of Oyo State, His Excellency, Governor Oluwaseyi Abiodun Omo Makinde.
Though the circumstances of the presentation came with a bit of disappointment, because as a bonafide Oyo son from Isokun, I was expecting such occasion to come with much pomp and ceremony such that I could brag to hundreds of my friends that the saying, a ji se bi Oyo laari, is true, the process was nonetheless commendable. Why? Because the installation of Oba Akeem Abimbola Owoade put an end to about three years hiatus in the Alaafinate.
Respected, adored and highly elevated, the throne of Alaafin has endured for centuries, weathering different storms and undergoing minimal changes. In all these years, Alaafinate has become the centrepiece of royalty in Nigeria, becoming a cynosure for global attraction. It was, therefore, discouraging that it was vacant for so long and nothing could be done to salvage the situation.
At some point, I told some of my contemporaries from Oyo that the vacancy in Aafin was becoming worrisome and not entirely in Oyo Kingdom’s best interest. It was, therefore, heart-warming that the governor took the bull by the horn and has put an end to the hiatus occasioned by the demise of Iku Baba Yeye, His Imperial Majesty, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III, pankopii, igi sonso tii pari ike omo Sinyabola. That action was instructive as it was bold. Did it gore some people’s ox? Yes, that is the nature of kingship tussle. What next?
We have heard and read many things following the presentation of the staff of office to Oba Owoade, including that some princes and some people have gone to courts and some people have even been reading religious angles to the whole thing. These, I must say, as a true Oyo son, though not a prince, are needless and not in the interest of the Oyo Kingdom. Yes, these people have a constitutional right to be dissatisfied with processes and to approach the courts of law, but then, do they realise that it is Alaafinate that we are talking about? Iyi ti a yi odo, a kii yi ikoko. I don’t sincerely think that princes and people who truly love Oyo would seek to undress the Alaafinate in public and still expect respect or love from Oyo Kingdom. It may be time for a rethink.
Well-meaning sons and daughters of Oyo have been celebrating the emergence of a new Alaafin. I was touched by the massive welcome Oba Owoade received in Oyo last Monday. These people have cared less about the circumstances of his emergence as Alaafin, because to them, it is Oyo first. People in this category are not royals; they are not bluebloods. These are the Afeniferes of Oyo, the ones who would put personal interest under to see a greater Oyo town and its environs. I and thousands of other Oyo sons and daughters in the Diaspora are also in this category.
Can we all, at this critical period in the life of Oyo Kingdom, put our community first by avoiding warring paths and focus on the glorious future that lay ahead? Can everyone sheathe their swords in Oyo’s interest? Can we take hold of the endless opportunities that emergence of an Alaafin could present to the historic town or we shall bicker and differ and further set Oyo Kingdom backwards? These are questions for those engaged in the tussle for the Alaafinate and those pitching tents and taking sides.
As a true Oyo son, I am moved to give this appeal using the moving words of the immediate past Alaafin, Oba Adeyemi III, as lifted from the platform of Oyo Legacies on Facebook. In a post on January 14, 2021, Oba Adeyemi who commemorated his 50th year of ascending the throne, said: “It was never an easy feat or a walk in the park to get to where we are today in Oyo and definitely this is not the time to rest, because there is still so much to achieve, so many development ideas to be implemented and so many mountains to cross.”
Kabiyesi continued by charging Oyo sons and daughters to continue to stand together as they had been doing since he assumed the throne in 1971, saying that “awa omo onilu o nii fe ko tu.”
Could the current tussle be one of the mountains that Oba Adeyemi predicted Oyo people would cross and can we all unite and rally behind Alaafin Owoade, as Omo Onilu who would not want to bring disrepute to Oyo? Knowing that it is Allah that crowns Obas and He gives thrones to whoever he wishes, my appeal is that it is time to put Oyo first!
•Olaoti lives in Oyo.
