Why Alaafin Of Oyo Is Claiming Supremacy Over Ooni

Do you know why occupants of the royal throne of Alaafin Of Oyo tend to claim supremacy over their counterparts occupying the Ooni of Ife throne?

This question has become more than relevant given the long-standing rivalry before the two exalted throne, and which has resurfaced in current time.

The Alaafin, Oba Abimbola Owoade, provided the backdrop of the latest controversy, when he questioned the authority of the Ooni, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, to confer chieftaincy titles covering Yorubaland on individuals.

However, an Ifa Priest and Yoruba cultural and traditional custodian Araba Ifayemi Elebuibon, has provided an enlightening perspective to the controversy, citing two critical factors:

“Like I said, the advent of the colonialist and later the political class gave birth to the current situation” he told Vanguard in an interview, adding:

“The Ooni, as a father, was blessed with many sons, among whom was the Oranmiyan, who became the Alafin and was very powerful.

“He expanded the kingdom to the status of an Empire, but that does not make him superior to his father.

“Because the Colonialists made a treaty with the Alaafin does not make him superior over the Ooni, it is the white man’s way of creating division within the race. But according to Yoruba tradition, Ooni is the most superior among Yoruba traditional rulers.

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“The rise of the Oyo Empire was due to the personality and Charisma of Oranmiyan, whose expansionist agenda thrive beyond him, but that could be likened to a son, whose exploit outgrow those of his father. “He remains the son of his father.

“Besides, all of these successes does not make Oyo Empire the origin of the Yoruba race, that is settled in both cotemporary history and Yoruba traditional history”, Elebuibon state, also recalling the battle raging between former Ooni of Ife, Oba Sijuwade Olubuse and former Alaafin Of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, pitting the Yoruba kingdom into two.