Oluwo: A Monarch and his Many Wars

On November 2015, Oba Abdulrasheed Adewale Akanbi, Ilufemiloye Telu 1, ascended the throne of his forefathers. He was crowned the 16th Oluwo of Iwoland, a large community in Osun State in January 2016. The stool became vacant in 2013 when the immediate past Oluwo, Oba Asiru Olatubosun Tadese, who was crowned in 1992, joined his ancestors.

Oba Akanbi, who hails from the Molaasan Royal Family, a sub-section of Gbaase Ruling House, seems to have made the stool of paramount ruler of kindgom more popular or notorious within Nigeria and abroad. Right from the time he became the king of Iwo, a community reportedly established in the 14th Century, the monarch has transited from one controversy to another.

Iwo people, like most other Yoruba natives, are believed to have originated from Ile-Ife from where they migrated sometime in the 14th century.

The earliest settlement of Iwo was founded by Adekola Telu, son of Luwo Gbagida, the 16th Ooni of Ife. She was the first and only female that occupied the throne of Ooni of Ife. The present Iwo City was founded in the 16th or 17th century.

‘Iwo princes can be Ooni’ 
The present Oluwo of Iwoland, no doubt, has a great sense of history. One of the first things he did when he ascended the throne was to trace the history of Iwo and he linked it with Ile-Ife. He said his children too could become the Ooni of Ife in the future. In an interview published on January 1, 2017 by a national daily, Oba Akanbi stated: “I told my children that they can become the Ooni in the future. I wish the present Ooni of Ife long life and good health. He will reign for long. But what I said is true. This should not cause any crisis. We should see ourselves as one and not fighting among themselves. It’s like you are using a weapon to beat yourself, people will think you have gone mad.”

Oluwo and Agbowu
The most recent controversy involving the Oluwo was the allegation that he slapped another Oba, the Agbowu of Ogbaagbaa, Oba Dhikrulahi Akinropo, during a peace meeting. The meeting was convened by the Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Zone 11, comprising Oyo, Osun and Ondo States, Bashir Makama, in his office at Osogbo last month. After the scenario that played out at the AIG’s office, there have been heated arguments back and forth with claims and counter-claims. The meeting was convened to settle land matters between the Oluwo and some other traditional rulers, including the Agbowu.

Oba Akinropo and other traditional rulers at the meeting said Oluwo inflicted violence on the Agbowuwhich sent the latter to the hospital. But Oluwo, in a statement, stated that Akinropo called him unprintable names and also attempted to stick his staff of office in his eyes.

Oba Akinropo said the Oluwo “did not hold a knife when he attacked me, but I think the ring he wore or the car key he held while beating me gave me the wound on my face.” He also dismissed the allegation that he was trying to sell land in Oluwo’s domain. “The lands I sold solely belonged to Ogbagbaa and I have never trespassed on his land.”

He also described as untrue the allegation that he called Oluwo unprintable names and tried to stick his staff of office into his eyes.

The turn of events culminated in calls for the suspension of Oluwo and in the midst of the calls, Osun State government described the incident as embarrassing. This was followed by a six-month suspension imposed on Oba Akanbi by theOsun State Council of Traditional Rulers over the alleged indecent acts. But the suspension was just for him not to attend the meetings of the council for six months. He is still the Oluwo of Iwoland. After days of argument on the significance of the suspension, the Oluwo in Council issued a statement that Oluwo would abide by the suspension order.

When the king’s wife wears a crown 
Oba Akanbi also delved into another controversial issue when he allowed his now estranged wife, Queen Chanel Chin to wear a crown like kings. He has since divorced the woman. But at the time, many people criticised him for the action, which is not acceptable in Yoruba land. But he pooh-poohed his critics, saying they were lacking vast knowledge of culture. He explained that the first Queen of Oduduwa – the first Yoruba king, Olokun wore a crown. He argued further that any king from the lineage of Oduduwa was supposed to allow his queen to wear crown.

Public divorce 
Oba Akanbi, in December 2019, issued a press statement to inform people that he had divorced his wife, Chanel Chin, based on irreconcilable differences. Many people criticized him on that, pointing out that such an issue should be a private matter. They questioned the monarch’s decision to issue a press statement on the divorce.

Chanel Chin is a Jamaican and the daughter of a popular musician in her country. But before the marriage crashed, Oluwo was in the habit of open display of affection for her, apart from the unprecedented step of crowning Chanel as his queen.

Emir of Iwo or Yorubaland 
Oba Akanbi was also in the eye of the storm when he announced himself as the Emir of Yorubaland. This attracted a lot of criticism and he was said to have dropped the title. People argued that the title of Emir is for monarchs in the Northern parts of the country. But the Oluwo contended that title of Emir is both Arabic and Islamic, adding that the word translates to king in English. He stated that the word did not come from Fulani or Hausa land, and even argued that Oduduwa, the progenitor of Yoruba race, came from Mecca. He insisted that as such, it would not be wrong to adopt the title of Emir in that light.

“Talking about the emirship, do you know what happens in the north? Do you see emirs fighting each other? Because there is unity among them, they have respect for each other. They have love for each other. It is a metaphor to show that the emirs are very united. If the Yoruba Obas are not united, I better move with those who are united. So it is a metaphor that there is need to identify with those who are united,” he added.

Islam and deities

Another controversial issue that raised dust in Iwo and many parts of Yorubaland was when Oba Akanbi touched on Islamic religion and traditional religion. He was quoted to have claimed that he had adopted Islam as the official religion of the palace. The general belief in Yorubaland is that a traditional ruler must be the custodian of tradition and culture of his people. Some kings in Yoruba are regarded as gods, while a number of them are also addressed as deputies to gods.

There was a time that Oba Akanbi said he would not worship idols because he did not believe in them, advocating severance from that part of the Yoruba culture. He said he was not disposed to taking after any god, saying emphatically that he was not also the next in rank to idols. He noted that he commanded the gods and that the gods did not command him. He was also as saying that he removed an idol that had been in the palace for more than 800 years, on the grounds that no lesser gods were supposed to be in the palace other than the Almighty God. According to him, God is jealous and that he would not watch people to raise another god as equal to the Supreme Being.

Oluwo and Abiola Ogundokun

Many Nigerians would also not forget in a hurry the faceoff between Oluwo a former publicity secretary of the defunct National Party of Nigeria (NPN), Chief Abiola Ogundokun, a prominent chief in Iwo. Ogundokun accused Oba Akanbi of planning to destroy the tradition of Iwo by equating himself to gods and at the same time, giving crown to his wife. Ogundokun also accused Oluwo of attempting to beat him up at a peace meeting in the presence of a former governor of Osun State, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola.

However, Oba Akanbi consequently stripped Ogundokun of the chieftaincy titles conferred on him by the Iwo Traditional Council on the grounds that the politician disrespected him and for allegedly engaging in anti-Iwo activities. But the incumbent governor of Osun State, Gboyega Oyetola, in January 2020, brokered peace between the duo and reportedly reunited them.

Oluwo’s feud with Imam

In a viral video in 2018, an Imam, simply identified as Adio, openly accused Oluwo during the Eid-el-Fitri prayer of attempting to have an affair with his wife. As expected, the Imam was to lead the Salah prayer on the same day. Oluwo side-lined the Imam and said he was in the best position to lead the congregation for the Sallah prayer. The development was greeted with uproar among Muslims. But Oluwo dismissed the accusation by the Imam, saying it would only make him more famous around the world.

Oluwo’s atypical dressing habits
The popular belief is that an Oba must be seen only in traditional attire, especially when sitting on the throne. When Oluwo, who had spent about 20 years abroad before his coronation, wore a suit and sat on his throne, many people criticised him for allegedly desecrating Yoruba culture and tradition.

In his defence, Oluwo said: “If you are not wearing rags, you are okay. What you wear as a traditional ruler depends on what statement you want to make. I don’t wear anything without making a statement. When I put on something, people should not rush to judgment but ask questions the way I ask questions on what is not clear to me. You see me in Arab’s jellaba, but you don’t ask me question. Is that our dress? But when you see me in English dress, you make an issue out of it. If our forefathers had the opportunity to wear suits, they would wear them.”

He said he only wore the suit once to make a statement and since then he has not been wearing it.

Installation of Waziri of Yorubaland

The paramount ruler of Iwo also stirred the hornets’ net when he attempted to install an Islamic cleric, Yaquob Abdul-Baki Mohammed, as the Waziri of the entire Yorubaland. But the League of Imams and Alfas in the South West vehemently opposed the move, saying Oluwo could only install Waziri for Iwo and that he lacks the power to install Waziri for the whole of Yorubaland.

The league later installed a renowned Islamic scholar, Ustaz Abdul-Lateef Adekilekun as the Waziri Muminina of Yorubaland. The position is said to be regarded as equivalent to the Prime Minister of Muslims, saddled with the responsibility of coordinating their activities intellectually and administratively towards ensuring religious harmony with people of other faiths.

Oluwo, Ooni and Alaafin

Oba Akanbi, was also said to have had separate face-offs with the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, and Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III. In February 2018, Oluwo alleged that Ooni directed his bodyguards to push him out of the way during a meeting held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State by traditional rulers. But Ooni dismissed the allegation as a blatant lie. Ooni said there was no rancour, but Oluwo said there was. The alleged rancour was reportedly settled for the duo at a meeting of the Osun State Council of Traditional Rulers.

The Oluwo, in May 2019 was also said to have attacked Alaafin over the perceived disunity among Yoruba traditional rulers as well as insecurity of lives and property in Yorubaland. He also blamed Ooni for the challenges. According to him, in a statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the Oluwo Palace, Alli Ibraheem, the disunity among the traditional institution in Yorubaland was well pronounced as an attestation to the purported fact that Ooni and Alaafin were losing their grip on the Yoruba race.

Neither of the two leading traditional rulers in the South West replied the Oluwo directly. But Alaafin, after installing popular Fuji musician, Wasiu Ayinde as Maiyegun of Yorubaland, reportedly told the new chief that there were some kings he must not prostrate for, although Oba Adeyemi did not mention any name.

Oluwo remains unperturbed 

But the Oluwo is not perturbed. He said he had been doing a lot to positively change things in Iwo, adding that there was nothing wrong in being controversial.

“Everything we are doing here is spiritual,” he said in an interview with a newspaper. “On this throne, I don’t do a thing without a reason. Was Awolowo not controversial? Was Jesus not controversial? Was Mohammed not controversial? When I do something and people say, ‘Haaa, you are putting Iwo in the news,’ I say, ‘did you hear about Iwo in the news before now? How does that hurt you?’ We have to be in the news. One thing I know in the code of journalism is that good news is not good but bad news is good. I love it when people criticise me. They make me better. I love it. I’m enjoying it. I love my enemies a lot.

“I love it when people are fighting me. There is no way you will fight me if God didn’t tell you to do that. I’ve recognised that every principality or evil way is all decoy and it is the work of God. Who created the devil? Who taught the devil what he is doing? Then if somebody is criticising me, should I not take that as the work of God? But as long as you have faith, they can never bring you down. Because Moses identified this, he was able to overcome.”

-CULLED: The sun