Royal feud: How popular Yoruba billionaire, Baba Ijebu reconciled Ooni, Alaafin

Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, the Ooni of Ife, and Oba Abimbola Owoade, the Alaafin of Oyo, on Friday, ended their rift, which led to bitter exchanges.

Recall that the feud of the monarchs, who preside over revered stools in Yorubaland, has in recent times been making headlines while also setting the social media on fire as their respective supporters exchange all sorts of diatribes.

At the peak of the crisis, the Alaafin issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the Ooni to reverse the conferment of the title of Okanlomo of Yorubaland (or Okanlomo Oodua) on the Bada of Ibadan designate, Chief Dotun Sanusi.

Owoade argued that the Ooni’s instrument of office restricts his authority to three council areas in Osun State and that he acted “unlawfully, derogatorily, and in contempt of the apex court.”

The Alaafin threatened that unless the title is revoked within 48 hours, the Ooni risked facing unspecified “consequences.”

The Ooni, in his response through his media team, dismissed the ultimatum as an “empty threat”.

The development reopened a long-running rivalry between the Oyo and Ife thrones.

Ile-Ife is widely acknowledged as the ancestral home of the Yoruba people, while Oyo is believed to hold the political power and control.

However, billionaire businessman, Kessington Adebutu, popularly known as ‘Baba Ijebu’, reconciled the two feuding monarchs during his 90th birthday celebration at the Eko Hotel, Lagos.

A mild drama, however, occurred when both monarchs were called on stage to give a speech during the ceremony.

When the Ooni, who spoke first, had finished giving his speech, he handed over the microphone to the Alaafin. But the Alaafin immediately passed the microphone to his aides, who used a handkerchief to cover it before the monarch spoke into it.

But in a joint communiqué signed by the monarchs and witnessed by Adebutu, both of them agreed to sheathe their swords for a “defining chapter” in Yoruba history.

Both Alaafin and Ooni also agreed on the creation of the Joint Council for Yoruba Unity, which they said aims to strengthen peace, cultural preservation, and socioeconomic growth across Yorubaland.

The formation of the Joint Council, it was said, signals a new era of collaboration between the two most influential Yoruba monarchs.

“Today marks a turning point. We reaffirm our dedication to harmony, respect, and brotherhood among all Yoruba sons and daughters”, the communique read.

Several traditional rulers, cultural custodians, and Yoruba leaders attended the event, where they discussed reconciliation, cooperation and inter-kingdom relations.

Both monarchs offered prayers for peace and prosperity across Yorubaland, Nigeria, and Africa.

Adebutu, on his part, described the renewed royal bond between the two foremost Yoruba monarchs as “a milestone that will consolidate unity and development among the Yoruba people.”

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