Ooni of Ife, ObaSijuwade’s corpsearrives Nigeria thisweekend

Arrangements have been concluded to
bring the remains of the Ooni of Ife, Oba
Okunade Sijuwade, Olubuse II, into the
country this weekend from London
where he died of an undisclosed ailment
for which he was being treated last
Tuesday.

Saturday Sun reliably gathered that
despite its denial of the death of the
foremost monarch, Ile Ife traditional high
command had dispatched a five man
delegation to go and coordinate efforts
at bringing the body of the revered
monarch back back into Nigeria.
The team, led by the Balogun of Ife, High
Chief Bisi Omidiora, reliable sources
said, left Ile Ife for Lagos on Wednesday
night enroute the United Kingdom to
fetch the corpse.
It is, however, uncertain, when the
traditional council of Ife titled chiefs will
formally announce the demise of the
traditional ruler, but knowledgeable
sources hinted that it may be “in a
matter of days” for the current wind of
controversy to blow over and fulfill
traditions.
The Secretary of Ife Royal Court and
Laadi Adimula of Ife, Chief Adetoye
Odewole insisted there was no
development or anything to add to the
position of the palace, when contacted
for update.
This is as controversy continues to rage
over the propriety of the manner in
which news of the reported passage of
the Ooni was broken with traditionalists,
intellectuals and cultural activists
divided on the role of the media.
Ife residents are also agitated over the
perceived silence on the true condition
of the monarch if indeed he was still
alive. A cross section of the people said
they expected the chiefs to come out
with the true state of health of the Ooni
rather than put everyone in the dark and
suspense.
The Ooni’s chiefs had denied news of
the monarch’s death which came via the
social and mass media, saying even if it
was true they would be the first to know
and the only authority to announce it.
Some experts and cultural activists who
spoke with Saturday Sun yesterday on
the issue backed the position, berating
the media for being too hasty in going to
town with the news without regard for
the tradition.
Others, however, although supporting
the traditional council’s insistence on
cultural procedure, said journalists could
not be blamed for doing their job and
ascribed the development to the
inevitable conflict between modernity
and tradition, which, they reckoned, may
need to yield ground to emerging
realities. Those who spoke include a
Senior Researcher in African culture and
medicine at the Institute of African
Studies, University of Ibadan, Dr.
Obafemi Jegede, a Historian in UI, Prof
Tayo Adesina; the Osi Olubadan of
Ibadanland, Senator Lekan Balogun and
an Ife prince, Tope Eluyefa.
Jegede noted that there was a special
method by which the death of a king
more so of the Ooni’s status must be
announced “It must be done specially
because a king is the representation of
his people of the society he ruled over.
Announcing his passage anyhow or
through the media, therefore, without
complying with this condition is deni­
gration, not only of the king himself, but
of the people.”
However, a Professor of History in the
History Department, UI, Prof Tayo
Adesina, while agreeing with the view,
remarked that the development was “ the
way of the new world. The social media
and mass media are what define us as a
modern society. The journalists are not
at fault for doing their job. I know your
editor will skin you alive if you miss
such story, given the competition in the
industry. The important thing is verifying
facts and ensuring that it is true”.
The Osi of Olubadan of Ibadanland,
Senator Lekan Balogun, remarked that
the media should have conceded the
right of the chiefs and the people to re­
spect tradition with regard to the tradi­
tional manner of breaking news of the
demise of royalties.
An Ife prince, Tope Eluyefa, has,
however, cautioned that due process of
culture must be followed in announcing
the news if indeed Ooni had passed on.
“Ooni is the property of Yoruba race; he
is the custodian of the household of
Oduduwa, its shrine and the protector of
its legacies. Therefore, it is absolutely a
taboo for any prince, royal family and
palace chiefs to break the news without
clearance or approval from the
appropriate traditional quarters.”
According to him, the announcement of
the Ooni’s death is the traditional role
conferred on his brother, the Oore of
Otun Mobaland, a son of Oduduwa and
one of the 16 foremost monarchs in
Yorubaland.
The reigning Oore is Oba Adedapo
Popoola, an economist and chartered
accountant. After ascertaining that the
Ooni has joined his ancestors the palace
chiefs are expected to inform the Oore.
The Oore will mourn his passage in a
traditional way. He will not waste time in
breaking the news to other Oduduwa
children, especially the Alaafin, the
decendant of Oranmiyan Akinorun, the
Ewi of Ado-Ekiti, the Oba of Benin, the
Onipopo of Popo, the Onisabe of Sabe
and the Owa Obokun of Ijesaland.
Eluyefa said the Oore would also carry
along the Ajero Asotemaru, Alara and
the Obalufon Alayemore.
An Ife resident who pleaded anonymity
expressed disappointment that the
revered monarch’s state of health was
left to be a source of drama, noting that
“many questions are left unanswered.
We the residents are left in the dark, is
he not our Oba?”
Sunnews